Organisational diagnostics

Organisational and system change Team effectiveness

When an organisational issue is difficult to understand or resolve, organisational diagnostics can help make sense of what is happening. We look at how people work together, the relationships and communication between them, and what may be going on below the surface that is getting in the way of collaborative and effective working relationships.

What is organisational diagnostics?

Organisational diagnostics is a way of developing a deeper understanding of what is happening within an organisation. It looks beyond the presenting problem to consider how an issue in one part of an organisation may relate to what is happening elsewhere.

A diagnostic considers roles and authority, organisational structures and relationships, the work itself and the wider context. It also pays attention to what may be happening below the surface, including assumptions that are difficult to question or discuss, anxieties arising from the work and patterns of behaviour that people may not be fully aware of.

This systems psychodynamic approach develops hypotheses about what may be happening rather than starting with a predetermined explanation or solution.

If you already have a clear understanding of the issues and the focus is on what needs to change across the organisation or wider system, see our Organisational and system change work.

Our approach

We design the diagnostic around the issue the organisation is seeking to understand and the context in which it is occurring. This may include individual interviews, focus groups and conversations with relevant stakeholders at different levels of the organisation. We use structured questions to explore people’s experience alongside the organisation’s purpose, structures, roles, relationships and wider context.

We also pay attention to recurring themes, differences in perspective and what may be difficult to speak about, as these can provide important information about what is happening across the system.

We analyse what we hear thematically and develop hypotheses about what may be contributing to the issue. We then work with the organisation to make sense of what has emerged, bringing new perspectives to the issue and opening up different ways of thinking about how to respond.

Who this is for

Organisational diagnostics can be useful for boards, executive teams, senior leaders and HR and organisational development leads seeking to understand a complex or persistent organisational issue.

This may be particularly useful when:

• difficulties in collaboration or communication persist despite attempts to address them
• there are concerns about organisational or workplace culture that are difficult to pin down
• conflict or problematic behaviour appears to centre on particular individuals or teams, but may reflect something wider in the organisation
• roles, authority or accountability have become unclear or contested
• change has stalled or is meeting forms of resistance that are difficult to understand
• different parts of the organisation have conflicting accounts of what the problem is
• established ways of working no longer seem to support the organisation’s purpose or task

How it works

We begin by working with you to clarify the issue and the questions the diagnostic needs to explore. From this, we agree the scope of the work and who needs to be involved. The diagnostic may include individual interviews, focus groups and conversations with people across different roles, teams or parts of the organisation. The design depends on the issue and the size and complexity of the organisation. We bring together what we have heard and share our findings and hypotheses with you, creating space to think together about what they may mean and what needs attention.

Who you would work with

Our organisational diagnostics are led by experienced organisational consultants who bring a systems psychodynamic perspective to understanding complex organisational issues.

• 

  Charlotte Williams

  Director

• 

  Midge Seymour-Roots

  Senior organisational consultant

• 

  David Sibley

  Organisational consultant

• 

  Miranda Alcock

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Francesca Cardona

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Gwen Hanrahan

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Dr Garfield Harmon

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Lydia Hartland-Rowe

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Christine Mckenzie

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Jennie McShannon

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Megan Meredith

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Ben Neal

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Barbara Picheta

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Marie Pillai

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Dr Ruth Pombi Chiraga

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Vega Roberts

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Ché Rosebert

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Bev Thomas

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Dr Kay Trainor

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Dr Simon Tucker

  Associate Consultant

• 

  Dr Robyn Vesey

  Associate Consultant

Impact

• Deeper insight into the dynamics affecting organisational culture and how people work together
• Identification of systemic patterns that may be contributing to recurring difficulties
• Increased awareness of assumptions and established ways of working that may be difficult to recognise or discuss
• Greater understanding of role boundaries, responsibilities and areas of role confusion
• Identification of misalignment between organisational structures, ways of working and the organisation’s primary task
• A clearer understanding of the anxieties and pressures that may be contributing to issues
• A stronger basis for deciding what needs attention and what, if anything, needs to change

Insights and case studies

• 

  2 November 2017

  Digital Innovation – Why it doesn’t always work out

• 

  Collaborative leadership in a high-tech startup

• 

  Supporting Leadership Capacity in an NHS Trust During Transformation 

• 

  Using a diagnostic approach to develop a new leadership structure

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