Technique 2.22 Fundamental Traits of Organisational Effectiveness
By responding to the following statements, you will analyse your effectiveness in implementing strategy and your organisation's health, ie it will identify areas that need attention
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Rank*i |
Organisational traits |
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Response*ii |
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always |
sometimes |
never |
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1*iii |
Everyone has a clear understanding of the decisions and actions for which he or she is responsible |
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2*iv |
Important information about the competitive environment gets to headquarters quickly |
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3*iii |
Once made, decisions are rarely second-guessed |
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4*iv |
Information flows freely across organisational boundaries |
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5*iv |
Field and line employees usually have the information they need to understand the bottom-line impact of their day-to-day choices |
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6*iv |
Line managers have access to the metrics they need to measure the key drivers of their business |
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7*iii |
Managers up the line are involved in operating decisions |
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8*iv |
Conflicting messages are rarely sent to the market |
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9*v |
The individual performance-appraisal process differentiates high, adequate and low performers |
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10*v |
The ability to deliver on performance commitments strongly influences career advancement and compensation |
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11*iii |
It is more accurate to describe the culture of this organisation as "persuade and cajole" than "command and control" |
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12*iii |
The primary role of corporate staff is to support the business units rather than to audit them |
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13*vi |
Promotions can be lateral moves (from one position to another at the same level in the organisation) |
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14*vi |
"Fast track" employees can expect promotions more frequently than every 3 years |
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15*vi |
On average, middle managers have more than 4 direct reports |
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16*v |
If the organisation has a bad year, but a particular division has a good year, the division head will still get a bonus |
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17*v |
Besides pay, many other things motivate individuals in this organisation to do a good job |
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Notes
i. Statements are ranked in order of importance
ii. The more "always" responses, the better shape the organisation is in; on the other hand, the greater the proportion of "sometimes" and "never" responses, the more the organisation needs help.
iii. These statements refer to clarifying "decision rights"
iv. These statements refer to aligning "motivators"
v. These statements refer to making changes to organisational "structures"
NB Generally, there is too much focus on organisational changes in efforts to transform organisations, and not enough on the others 3, ie decision rights, motivators and structures
(source: Gary Neilson et al, 2008)