1. 5
Diagnosing

2. Discuss the philosophy and purpose of diagnosis in organization development (OD).
Explain the role of diagnostic models in OD, especially the open-systems model.
Describe and apply organization-level diagnostic processes.
Describe and apply group-level diagnostic processes.
Describe and apply individual-level diagnostic processes.

3. Diagnosis Defined
Diagnosis is a collaborative process between organizational members and the OD consultant to collect pertinent information, analyze it, and draw conclusions for action planning and intervention.

4. The Open Systems Model ENVIRONMENT FEEDBACK INPUTS TRANSFORMATIONS
OUTPUTS
Information
Energy
Social Component
Technological Component
Finished Goods
Services
Ideas
FEEDBACK

5. Properties of Systems Environments
Inputs, Transformations, and Outputs
Boundaries
Feedback
Alignment

7. Diagnosing Organizational Systems
The key to effective diagnosis is…
Know what to look for at each organizational level
Recognize how the levels affect each other

8. Organization-Level Diagnostic Model
Inputs
Design Components
Outputs
Organization Effectiveness
e.g. performance, productivity, stakeholder satisfaction
General Environment
Task Environment
Enacted Environment
Strategy
Structure
Technology
Culture
Human Resources Systems
Management Processes

9. Group-Level Diagnostic Model
Inputs
Design Components
Outputs
Organization Design
Culture
Team Effectiveness
e.g. quality of work life, performance
Goal Clarity
Task Structure
Team Functioning
Group Composition
Group Norms

10. Individual-Level Diagnostic Model
Inputs
Design Components
Outputs
Organization Design
Culture
Group Design
Personal Characteristics
Individual Effectiveness
e.g. job satisfaction, performance, absenteeism, personal development
Skill Variety
Task Identity
Autonomy
Feedback about Results
Task Significance

11. Organization Environments and Inputs
Environmental Types
General Environment
Task Environment and Industry Structure
Enacted Environment
Environmental Dimensions
Rate of Change and Complexity
Information Uncertainty

12. Organization Design Components
Strategy
The way an organization uses its resources (human, economic, or technical) to gain and sustain a competitive advantage
Technology
The way an organization converts inputs into products and services
Structure
The way an organization divides and coordinates work into and across subunits which assign tasks to groups or individuals

13. Organization Design Components
Human Resource Systems
The mechanisms for selecting, developing, appraising, and rewarding organization members
Culture
The basic assumptions, values and norms shared by organization members
Represents both an “outcome” of organization design and a “foundation” or “constraint” to change

14. Organization-Level Outputs
Outputs are measures of how well the design contributes to organization effectiveness on three kinds of outcomes.
Organization Performance
Profits, profitability, stock price
Productivity
Cost/employee, cost/unit, error rates, quality
Stakeholder Satisfaction
Market share, employee satisfaction, regulation compliance, sustainability

15. Alignment
Diagnosis involves understanding each of the parts in the model and then assessing how the elements of the strategic orientation align with each other and with the inputs
Organization effectiveness is likely to be high when there is good alignment

16. Key Alignment Questions
Does the organization’s strategy fit with the inputs?
Do the organization design components fit with each other to jointly support the strategy?