MANAGEMENT

Management: Organizational Diagnostic Models



Management: Organizational Diagnostic Models

Introduction

An effective diagnostic model allows identifying reliable data to help clients better understand their company's strengths, deficiencies, and opportunities for improvement, (Matheus 2003) to later articulate a targeted intervention and measurement strategy. To effectively improve organizational performance, as well as individual and group development, Organizational Development (OD) practitioners must be knowledgeable of quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as, the different diagnosis models to choose the most appropriate, given the intervention's objectives, resources, and organizational culture and context. (Jakobson 2004)This paper examines two relevant organizational diagnostic models, and compares and contrast their application and usefulness to support the implementation of OD interventions.

Discussion

The six-box model, a very popular and easy to use model centers the diagnostic analysis on six organizational factors: the organization's strategy, structures, rewards, internal relationships, helpful mechanisms, and leadership. The second model, the sharp-image diagnostic, (Suzic 2005) develops specific models to fit the characteristics of the intervention. The model includes four steps to scan the organization and identify critical areas for closer examination.Both diagnostic models derive from the action research approach, and involve clients across the process to obtain adequate commitment and support to subsequent implementation and measuring stages. (Smirnov 2005)The six-box modelWeisbord's six-box model contains six elements to focus the organizational diagnosis: the organization's strategy, structure, rewards, internal relationships, helpful mechanisms, and leadership. Surrounding the six box model is the environment, although it is not included in the model. (Mathew 2005) For each dimension, the model includes specific questions.Weisbord's six-box diagnostic model centers the analysis on areas of dissatisfaction as the starting point, identifying organizational outputs with which both external customers and internal producers are dissatisfied. Then, participants find the causes of dissatisfaction in the six elements of the model. Internal producers are the key decision makers to solve those areas of dissatisfaction.Harrisom and Shirom (1999) describe that the model center on the identification of gaps. “For each of these boxes, consultants are encouraged to diagnose the following types of gaps: (a) gaps between what exists now and what ought to be: (b) gaps between what is actually done and what employees and managers say that they do (i.e. gaps between the official and emergent aspects of organizational behavior): and (c) gaps among organizational units and layers -including gaps within and between boxes” (Carrico 2005, p. 102). The leadership dimension positioned in the center is connected to the other five factors, because Weisbord sustains that leaders play a critical role in the organizational effectiveness.Weisbord's six-box model has been widely used by OD practitioners, because is easy to use and easy to understand by clients. However, the simplicity of the model is also a disadvantage, because the model lacks a solid theoretical foundation to determine the real existence of gaps, (Stolkin 2005) and their degree of influence over the whole organizational effectiveness. Furthermore, the model fails to provide a solid course of action to close identified gaps given the internal arguments of dissatisfaction.Sharp-image diagnosis modelHarrisom and Shirom (1999) combine the open-systems ...