Organizational Diagnostics
Sometimes everything just goes wrong. It quickly becomes clear that things are not going the way they should be going in an organization – but what exactly is wrong? Why are the existing processes not functioning properly – although they were properly tested in advance? Why do the change mechanisms fail to chime – although the team worked for months on end with representatives from various departments to figure it out? Or, more precisely: Why are we losing both customers and staff? Why has everyone become so unproductive? Why is it so difficult to make the right decisions? Why does our workforce refuse to accept responsibility for their work?
Those are but a few of the many questions we encounter in our interactions with corporate leaders. They have one thing in common: They want to understand what is happening within and with their companies. What works and what doesn’t – and why.
Our approach starts from the assumption that every iterated problem contains some functionality that has developed especially in the context of the respective organization. This is why we don’t search for the heroes or the culprits; rather, we hunt for the basic structural and cultural-environmental anomalies in the respective organization which are responsible for the actions and attitudes of its workforce.
Our methods of analyzing structures and cultural patterns are based on systems theoretical organizational diagnostics. The result is insight into what environment within an organization has spawned the forces behind nearly all everyday decisions. Put differently, we want to uncover the hidden rules of the game we are observing. Once we have identified these secrets, we can proceed to determine which gears can be put in motion to create true change.
Do you have questions?
»For us, this was the starting point of a development that goes far beyond analysis – but without this beginning, we would never have seen so clearly what was really going on. When I look back today, I am glad that we also looked at the uncomfortable issues. Because this has resulted in real change.«
Thomas Löchte, former CEO
Informationsfabrik GmbH
When we commissioned Organeers, we were struggling with staff turnover, economic pressure and an organization in which a lot of things were implicit. It was clear to us that if we wanted to make progress, we had to really take a look.
We opted for Organeers because they deliver more than “best practices”: their holistic, systems-theoretical view convinced us immediately. Right at the beginning, we got down to business with the structural and cultural pattern analysis – intensive interviews, challenging theses and a mirror that honestly and precisely reflected what was really going on in our company.
That wasn’t always pleasant, but it was just right. Reflecting together made us realize things that we hadn’t been able to grasp clearly before. It wasn’t a case of “collecting nice insights”, but real work on the sore points. For us, this was the starting point of a development that went far beyond analysis – but without this beginning, we would never have seen so clearly what was really going on.
What makes the collaboration special? It was always on an equal footing. No consulting overload, but support with attitude. Impulses that work. Language that sharpens. And always a genuine view from the outside that helps to see things in a new light. When I look back today, I am glad that we also looked at the uncomfortable issues. Because this has resulted in real change.
»The mirroring approach of the Organeers to studying our structure and cultural work environment gave us the proper perspective to fundamentally rethink our problem. Previously, we had felt restricted by the existing scope of action afforded us. Yet, it turned out that we were much less helpless than we apparently felt we were, precisely because our solutions were so limited in scope.«
Linnar Schwarz, COO
Candis GmbH
It appeared that we were not doing a very good job of selling things. We regularly failed to reach our goals, and there was continual friction between the Sales Department and the Marketing Department. We thought it was clear: The salespeople were just bad at it, so we needed to readjust our hiring procedures. But then, when our Head of Sales went out of the room, someone commented: Maybe it’s not just the staff. Maybe it’s our whole system.
The mirroring approach of the Organeers to studying our structure and cultural work environment gave us the proper perspective to fundamentally rethink our problem. Previously, we had felt restricted by the existing scope of action afforded us. Yet, it turned out that we were much less helpless than we apparently felt we were, precisely because our solutions were so limited in scope.
At the beginning, it felt like getting caught red-handed. Today, I see it much more positive since I have gained new perspectives as well as considerably more latitude in my decision-making. And at first, I had to get used to the idea of not paying per diems but for joint problem-solving. Now I’m totally cool with everything, now that our interests have become aligned.
The changes precipitated by what we learned from the analyses were originally situated in the sales and marketing divisions, whereas today you can find them literally everywhere in the company. An example is that we now have a hard and fast product strategy that specifies where we are headed, without the need for a back door escape route.
»Für uns war das der Startpunkt einer Entwicklung, die weit über die Analyse hinausreicht – aber ohne diesen Anfang hätten wir nie so klar gesehen, was wirklich los ist. Wenn ich heute zurückblicke, bin ich froh, dass wir uns auch die unbequemen Themen angeschaut haben. Denn daraus ist echte Veränderung entstanden.«
Thomas Löchte, ehem. Geschäftsführer
Informationsfabrik GmbH
Als wir die Organeers beauftragten, kämpften wir mit Mitarbeiterfluktuation, wirtschaftlichem Druck und einer Organisation, in der vieles implizit lief. Uns war klar: Wenn wir weiterkommen wollten, mussten wir wirklich hinschauen.
Wir haben uns für die Organeers entschieden, weil sie mehr liefern als „Best Practices“: Ihr ganzheitlicher, systemtheoretischer Blick hat uns sofort überzeugt. Gleich zu Beginn ging es mit der Struktur- und Kulturmusteranalyse ans Eingemachte – intensive Interviews, herausfordernde Thesen und ein Spiegel, der ehrlich und präzise zurückgeworfen hat, was bei uns wirklich los war.
Das war nicht immer angenehm, aber genau richtig. In der gemeinsamen Reflexion wurden uns Dinge bewusst, die wir vorher nicht klar greifen konnten. Das war kein „nette Erkenntnisse sammeln“, sondern echtes Arbeiten an den wunden Punkten. Für uns war das der Startpunkt einer Entwicklung, die weit über die Analyse hinausreicht – aber ohne diesen Anfang hätten wir nie so klar gesehen, was wirklich los ist.
Was die Zusammenarbeit besonders macht? Sie war immer auf Augenhöhe. Kein Beratungs-Overload, sondern Begleitung mit Haltung. Impulse, die sitzen. Sprache, die schärft. Und immer ein echter Blick von außen, der hilft, die Dinge neu zu sehen. Wenn ich heute zurückblicke, bin ich froh, dass wir uns auch die unbequemen Themen angeschaut haben. Denn daraus ist echte Veränderung entstanden.
