Organizational Diagnostics

Developing a conceptual process model

The development of a standardized measurement model for organizational health is a critical first step. The measurement model aims to operationalize the core elements of what constitutes Organizational Health from the perspective of all of the organization;s stakeholders and to and to create clarity with regards to the specific, measurable competencies, behaviours and experiences which drive these elements. This measurement model will also aid in facilitating cross-business alignment on what constitutes organizational health by standardizing the understanding of its core elements across the different businesses (whilst also allowing for contextual variations).

To develop and operationalise this measurement model, a three step process is followed:

• First, we conduct an indepth conceptual analysis in order to gather insights into and define the core elements of what constitutes organizational health within the goven context
• Second, to translate the this into a functional competency assessment framework with measurable and easy to understand behavioural indicators.
• Finally, to design a conceptual measurement model and a theoretical process model that identifies the drivers (i.e. antecedents) and business outcomes of the O&L Persona.

Step 1: A Conceptual Analysis of Organizational Health

The purpose of the conceptual analysis is to gain insights into and define the core elements of organizational health from the perspective of the organization’s key stakeholders and what types of information will be needed in order to create an overall Organizational Health Persona Score. The process involves the following:

• Conducting in-depth interviews with executive leadership to understand their vision, the organization’s growth goals, strategic imperatives, key performance indicators, business growth strategy and the ecological systems in which it functions and how these relate to the O&L Persona.
• Analyze existing documentation (e.g., strategy documents, corporate values, mission statements, brand guidelines) to identify the foundational elements and drivers that define the organizational health
• Conducting in-depth interviews and focus groups with key internal stakeholders from the different subsidiaries (e.g., executive leadership, department heads, and employees across various levels) and human resources to understand their perceptions of whats important within the organization
• Engage external stakeholders (e.g., customers, suppliers, and community members) through interviews to capture their experiences and expectations related to organizational health
• Synthesize this data to conceptually map out the attributes, competencies, behaviors, values, and experiences that are consistently associated with organizational health and how these are expressed through internal- and experienced by external stakeholders.

Step 2: Developing an Assessment Framework with Measurable Behavioural Indicators

The purpose of this step is to help translate the things that constitute organizational health into measurable behaviours and experiences through an active process of co-creation between stakeholders. The aim is to co-create a competency framework that aligns with the attributes of what constitutes organizational health which was identified in the previous step.

To develop this framework a participatory action research (PAR) approach will be employed with key internal and external stakeholders in order to collaboratively co-create the core competencies and experiences that reflect the essence of each of the telements underpinning organizational health. PAR is an applied, iterative research methodology that focuses on collaboration and active involvement between the consultant and participants/stakeholders as a process of knowledge creation through self-inquiry, and social change. PAR involves conducting multiple rounds of (1) Planning (designing activities to explore and define competencies), (2) Action (implementing these activities), (3) Observation (collecting data on outcomes) (5) Reflection (analyzing results and planning next steps) and (5) Refinement (presenting results back to participants for further refinement). In practical terms, this iterative process will involve the following process:

• Identify Key Stakeholders Across All Business Units and Levels within the organization
• Conduct a kick-off workshop with these key stakeholders to introduce the PAR methodology, to collectively define the objectives of the process, and to start exploring their collective understanding of the organizational health and its underlying elements
• Conduct multiple rounds of data collection with these key stakeholders through participatory focus groups
• Hosting collaborative analysis sessions with these stakeholders to collectively analyse the data to help identify and refine emerging themes which can be translated into competencies and measurable experiences. The data will be processed through AI-driven thematic content analysis.
• Once data saturation is achieved, we will co-create a draft competency model based on the collectively analysed data
• These competencies will then be translated into specific individual and collective behavioural indicators that can be observed and measured.
• The competency framework and behavioural indicators and the associated external experience framework will then be validated through workshops with internal stakeholders and executive leadership to ensure it truly reflects whats important and to ensure that it resonates with the different business.
• The assessment framework will then be refined based on feedback and we will create a finalized measurement model that will serve as the foundation for the diagnostic tool.

Step 3: Developing a conceptual model and theoretical predictive process model

The step involves understanding what experiences and processes from the various internal and external stakeholders will be required to develop an overall Organizational Health Score and what subjective (e.g. self-report measures) and objective data sources (e.g. financial performance) will be required to constitute the score. This will act as the architecture for designing the the assessment measures and the associated predictive process model.

The second process aims to identify the drivers (i.e. antecedents) of organizational health and how the this affects important business and people outcomes. By understanding the drivers, it affords the opportunity to identify the specific areas that can be targeted to improve the O&L Persona score. Further, by linking the Persona to tangible hard and soft metrics such as customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and financial performance, this model provides a clear framework for measuring and improving organizational health. This ensures that the model is not just a conceptual ideal but a practical tool for driving consistent, positive results in all areas of the business.

To develop the conceptual model and the predictive process model the following approach will be employed:

• Conducting a literature review to explore existing models of similar corporate personas, brand identities, and their impact on business performance.
• Developing a conceptual model for the Organizational Health Score and what subjective and objective data will be required. The specific factors to be measured can only be decided upon after through consultation with the various stakeholders.
• Developing a conceptual predictive process model that hypothesizes the antecedents of organizational health (e.g. managerial relationships, appreciative feedback) and highlights the relationship between the such and key hard business- (e.g. customer satisfaction, financial performance) and people outcomes (e.g., employee engagement, turnover intentions)
• Use data from the initial exploration to development process to refine the model to ensure that it accurately reflects the unique dynamics of the organization’s unique business environment
• Present the theoretical model to executive leadership and other stakeholders for validation and adjust as necessary based on their input.