Audit - Diagnostic - Action
Gain fresh insights into your organisation through an expert outside perspective
An organisational audit or assessment provides an objective, structured and insightful overviews of your departments, teams and organisation.
What does an organisational assessment involve?
Your request
A request for an organisational assessment often reflects a range of ideas, concerns and expectations.
Our first step is to help you clarify your needs, identify potential biases and obstacles, and develop an approach that is acceptable to all those involved.
Observation
An audit or organisational assessment begins with observation.
We start by reviewing documents, figures and records, then move on to observe the working environment, work as it unfolds, groups interacting, and the people experiencing everyday working life.
Observation adds another layer of understanding to what people express verbally, because not everything can be conveyed through words.Together with the initial request, these observations help us refine our hypotheses and shape our approach to intervention.
The actors words
A selected group of people who are affected by, involved in, and committed to the organisation will be given the opportunity to share their experiences of work, including working conditions, relationships and perceptions.
All interviews are confidential. Participants should feel free to speak openly. The auditor then analyses and structures what they share, bringing it together with other accounts, observations, and an understanding of the working environment and its challenges.
Questionnaires may also be considered when a large number of people are involved in the assessment.
Testing hypotheses
At this stage, we organise and structure the data, test our initial hypotheses against the findings, and draw on organisational models to shed light on the issues identified and develop alternative approaches.
Suggestions and findings
The final stage is not simply about presenting and explaining the findings. It is about supporting the organisation in developing a deeper understanding of its limitations and its potential for change.
This requires a willingness to question established practices and assumptions, which can be particularly challenging for managers and senior leaders. The need for this reflective stance should have been anticipated during the initial scoping stage.