Read Extra 6: Examples of dynamic diagnoses

Dynamic approach: understanding what is happening in organisations by taking into account the dynamic underlying mechanisms, in order to be able to recommend sustainable solutions.

A consultant should always try to analyse a given problem or question of an organisation in terms of causing or feeding factors: why is it like it is.

Only if consultants really understand why organisations are like they are, only then they will be able to help the organisations to perform better.

Some examples.

1. Gender policy in the University Hospital.

• The question is: help us to implement gender policy in our organisation.
• The visible reality: the higher ranks in the organisation, the fewer women. No changes, in spite of a changing environment on this topic. Intentions seem to be realized in a half hearted way.
• The seeming simple solution: just formulate a gender policy that forces the gatekeepers (professor medical specialists managing the several divisions) to act gender-correctly.
• What explains the actual situation? The dynamic approach reveals that the University Hospital is an outstanding example of a professional organisation: highly educated people who form the operating core of the organisation, who are interested only in very high (university level) professional standards, lacking responsibilities for organisational goals that are not related to professional goals, being able to turn their back to society without any risks.

A simple solution just won't work. The dynamics of this university clinic benefit the scientific development of the profession but prevents at the same time a full grown gender policy.

A solution that takes this dynamic into account is to find a connection between gender policy and the professional content of the work.

2. The organisation for rights of homosexuals.

• The question is: help us to rearrange our internal organisation.
• The visible reality: the organisation is subdivided in small parts (political action, administration of members, social activities, aids, magazine etc.) which compete about all and everything. The members of the board are very close connected to the daily work of the office. The organisation of the work is horizontal, hardly any hierarchy exists. Is seems that a lot of energy is lost in internal troubles.
• The seeming simple solution: just implement a modern organisational design.
• What explains the actual situation? The dynamic approach reveals that the environment of the organisation had changed dramatically over time: from a hostile environment in which almost anybody could be considered as an enemy to a more or less liberal and tolerating community. The organisation on the other hand kept as its principal communication strategy the attacking, accusing and confronting style. This divergence caused frustrations and tensions which were agitated internally. A simple solution just would not work. The dynamics of this organisational environment caused internal disorders instead of happiness with success. An organisational design would not meet these underlying problems.

A solution that takes this dynamics into account has to incorporate the actual attitude towards homosexuality in the external world into the internal solution itself.

3. The department of City Development.

• The question is: help us to implement another organisational culture. Once upon a time we were the forerunners of city development in our country, nowadays we lack an innovative culture.
• The visible reality: very hardworking functionaries. The subsections are small islands which do not co-operate. A high level of competition in order to gain the attention and approval of the local government.
• The seeming simple solution: try to motivate people to implement an innovative organisational culture.
• What explains the actual situation? The dynamic approach reveals that, in terms of city development, the city is ready. The local politicians think that the actual workload for the department needs only a third of the present workforce. This fact is unknown knowledge for the department, in other words it is a collective secret. Anybody is denying the fact by working very hard, commenting over en over each others products before they leave the department. Although people are really working hard the factual production is slender. Trying to implement an innovative culture would menace the hardly sustained secret.

A solution that takes into account this underlying dynamic has to face the truth. The truth will kill the needed energy to change the organisational culture. So no solution at this moment, we have to wait until the organisation will have been downsized.

4. The phone company

• The question is: train our mechanics to become market-oriented.
• The visible reality: an organisation that has a monopoly in the country, threatened by the decision of the government to open the market. High technical quality, poor client centredness.
• The seeming simple solution: just train them.
• What explains the actual situation? The dynamic approach reveals that the organisational culture is deeply rooted in the history of absolute market power. The point of view of the organisation was that the client had to be glad that the company would sell them such a beautiful phone, client centredness was totally absent. Not only with the mechanics. The whole organisation was imbued with this conviction. An isolated training in market orientation of only the field staff would be insufficient.

A solution taking into account this dynamics should cover not only the front-service but also the back-service and the internal policies.

SOME CONCLUSIONS:

• if only the visible reality is taken into account, the analysis seems to unmask incompetent or even bad people and malfunctioning procedures. Recommendations based on such superficial analysis are unlikely to really solve the problems.
• deeper analysis reveals hidden dynamics that explain the continuation of unwanted practises.
• standard underlying factors do not exist. In each case the specific dynamics can be discovered by exploring the unique history, context or mind of the organisation.
• in most cases the dynamics themselves cannot be changed or conquered. Recommendations or solutions should be based on the existing dynamics or should even make use of them.