Organization : a diagnosis method

This chapter contains a method for organizational diagnosis. The method allows the diagnosis (1) of any job position;(2) of any organizational unit: a work team, a marketing department, a project-group, etc.; (3) of any type of organization which resembles a firm : small and large organizations, industrial or service firms, low-tech and high-tech firms, etc.; (4) of the relation between two organization units, between the Production and Sales departments for example; (5) of any decision process: strategic decision, managerial decision, investment decision, innovation process, etc.; (5) of the coordination between the organization and outside people or organizations: with clients, sub-contractors, partners, etc. The text begins with a definition of the notion of organization, and then shows how one may analyze the quality, quantity and relevance of the coordination between activities. This analysis of coordination is the first part of the diagnosis. Next, the twelve types of organization most commonly met in practice are described, each having its specific functioning characteristics, advantages and drawbacks. The second part of the diagnosis consists in comparing the organization studied with each of these types. This often allows the identification of organizational problems several months in advance. It also gives a set of solutions to help the organization evolve. The manager who performs the diagnosis (or who has it done by a specialist), may then choose among these possibilities those which are closest to his or her objectives, those easiest to implement, and/or most economical. The main part of the text ends with a brief presentation of eleven coordination systems, which must be taken into account in more detailed studies. We thus have in around 40 pages a compact presentation of a practical diagnosis method which can be applied to a wealth of different organizations. The document includes five annexes. The first two give details on points only mentioned in the main text (divisionalized and hybrid structures). The next two compare the twelve types of organization we presented with other models mentioned by researchers and consultants. A final annex presents the ways with which jobs may be grouped into organizational units, and smaller units into larger ones.ou