The diagnosis (from the Greek diagnostikós, in turn the prefix day-, "through", and gnosis, "knowledge" or "apt to know") refers, in general, to the analysis carried out to determine any situation and what they are trends. This determination is made on the basis of systematically collected data and facts, which allow judging what is happening.
To diagnose an organization, public or private, with or without profit, is to pay attention to its present, as a result of its past, projected to the desired future.
It is a neat review of the information existing in the organization and its context, without falling into judgments about what is obtained. For example: if the satisfaction of the organization's clients is evaluated, the result will be the one that results from the interviews carried out, even using verbatim phrases from them. You should seek to reach a dialogue with the client without having pre-established questions that can speed up the process, but it will surely ignore very rich information.
A diagnosis does not provide solutions, although it alerts on certain threats or perfectible points, as well as showing strengths and opportunities.
When an organization experiences an unwanted situation, it is likely due to decision-making based on an incomplete or wrong diagnosis. Generally these are partial and subjective interpretations.
An organization is a living (dynamic) entity and, as such, requires periodic reviews of the different systems that make up the whole. It is not about seeking to reaffirm what is known, but to shed light on what is unknown or not seen.
The diagnosis is a powerful tool for managers, as it serves as a guide for future decision-making, it could even motivate a change in the objectives pursued or the strategies used. In addition, it is the essential basis for the integral planning of the organization.
No errors are sought, in which case deviations could be found. Precisely, these should be used as triggers to improve the overall performance of the organization.
That there are deviations in an organization is absolutely normal and they become a great opportunity to increase awareness (group and / or personal). The exit from the market of a competitor, a new regulation, the launch of a new technology, etc., impact on the entire organization and not only on one sector of it. If a living entity does not face conflicts, it is necessary to suspect if it is really alive.
Having a comprehensive diagnosis avoids repeating actions based on beliefs that are far from reality and that end up consolidating unwanted situations. It is common to believe that when faced with certain symptoms, one should act in this or that way.
If sales fall, it is not enough to work with the sales force; It will be necessary to evaluate, first, what happens to the economy of the region, what the competition is doing, the consumption trend of the segment, know the opinion of the customers / users, analyze the production costs, possible government measures that they could change the rules of the segment, etc.
Point:
The vision of managers on the present and the objective sought. The current situation vs. the desired one. This is the political framework of the organization, the rest must be contained within it. This includes the beliefs or assumptions of managers. This is sought and we will achieve it in this way using these resources.
Managers can decide to make a diagnosis without the organization experiencing a crisis. Prevention is a powerful tool for maintaining the health of the organization.
The aim is to determine the gap between what managers believe is the present and what "objectively" is. External analysis is devoid of the natural passion of those who work in the organization. Symptoms are detected and possible causes are investigated.
No manager wants it to go wrong. Everyone believes that what is done is what should be done. As observers we realize what could happen in the future with what is done, however, the actors have a different vision and from there they make their decisions. What is done is what needs to be done given the current circumstances.
The diagnosis will surely provide information that managers had not taken into account when making decisions and / or negotiating with other actors in the segment (for example: professional associations, unions, NGOs, suppliers, clients, etc.).
A diagnosis includes the analysis of:
- Political and economic context of the market and the region. Beliefs of the management and objectives pursued. Assessment of segment trends, analysis of competitors, vision of the company in the present and future. Internal work environment and vision of the organization. Client satisfaction index. Competitive weaknesses and strengths (compared to the actions of competitors). What and how it is done Internal and external communication Management planning and control system.
The fundamental thing is that with all this together it must be concluded in the general diagnosis of the organization. The organization is all this and with "all this" you will be able to project the organization towards the desired future.
Political and economic context of the market and the region
What is the one that managers have considered? What are they based on? What is the source of the data considered? How do you see the next 5/10 years? Will there be economic growth, inflation, social and economic stability? Will import barriers be implemented? How will wages evolve in the sector? Will there be continuity of the current government policy? Will domestic consumption be favored? Will there be export incentives? What are the sectors that have been showing sustained growth? Will there be new regulations that can influence the sector? Evolution of sectoral imports and exports.
Management beliefs and objectives pursued
Evolution of the sector and its segmentation. Who's who within the sector? Who are the leaders of the segment? What are the organization's strengths? What are the weaknesses? How do you see the organization within the segment? How do you want the organization to evolve in the next 5/10 years? Fundamentals of objective and strategy decisions. What could happen within the sector in the immediate and mediate future? How has supply and demand evolved in the segment?
Internal work environment and vision of the organization
How do you work in the organization? Is teamwork encouraged? Specific actions that support the latter? How do you see your managers and the company? Do you think there will be future growth? What would they do different from what is done? Are you satisfied or thinking about looking for a new job? Do you have any idea how customers view the organization? Do you participate in the planning of the organization? How much does “radio hall” work in the organization?
Customer satisfaction index
How is your relationship with the Organization? Do you feel well cared for? How is the answer to your problems? Would you choose it again as a supplier? Would you vote for this driving again? (in civil associations) What other alternative would you choose today? In what aspects do you think it would surpass the analyzed organization? What could they do that they are not doing so that you could improve your activity?
Competitive weaknesses and strengths
List of weaknesses that could be reversed and strengths that could be reinforced. Segmentation of the sector and participation (%) in it. Analysis of last 3 years of number of clients / partners and justification of negative and positive variations. How are future goals set? How is management controlled? Who decides the strategies used? What are the weaknesses and strengths of the competitors? How can you take advantage of competitors' weaknesses? How can strengths be countered?
Internal and external communication
What is communicated? Who decides what and how to communicate? Why do you communicate internally? What do you seek to achieve through external communication? Do you communicate a lot or a little? What is the style of communication? Is there coherence between what is communicated and what is done? What concrete benefits does the communication used bring?
Management planning and control system
Who participates in the planning process? How are goals decided? Who decides the indexes that will be used to measure the level of achievement of the objectives pursued? Is it planned by sectors or is it just commercial? Is the planning consolidated? Is management controlled? Who decides the corrective measures? Is it controlled how the implemented corrections impact? How are the objectives projected over time? Who decides the estimates to be used?
The questions presented are only exemplary and will depend on the type of organization. The responses obtained should be compared with public data (economic activity, inflation rates, evolution of imports / exports, number of established points of sale, evolution of employment in the sector, etc…).
