Organizational Diagnosis: Functional & Cultural Approaches
Organizational Approaches to Diagnosis
The organizational assessment is divided into two main perspectives: functional and cultural. Each perspective has its own objectives, methods, and techniques. They complement each other and give rise to two types of diagnoses:
Types of Organizational Diagnosis
1. Functional Diagnosis
2. Cultural Diagnosis
Functional Diagnosis
Functional diagnosis (named for its functionalist perspective) primarily examines the formal and informal structures of communication. It analyzes communication practices related to production, personal satisfaction, organizational maintenance, and innovation. This diagnostic process places the auditor in charge of the design and execution, including defining objectives, determining methods, and interpreting results.
Objectives of Functional Diagnosis
- Assess the internal structure of formal and informal communication systems and various communication channels.
- Evaluate communication systems and processes at the interpersonal, group, departmental, and interdepartmental levels.
- Evaluate the systems and external communication processes of the organization, including public and private entities with which there is interdependence.
- Evaluate the role, efficiency, and necessity of organizational communication technology.
- Assess the impact of communication processes on job satisfaction, productivity, commitment, and teamwork.
Methods and Techniques
Within the functionalist perspective, the methods used include:
- Interviews
- Questionnaires
- Analysis of communication networks
- Group interviews
- Analysis of critical communication experiences
- Analysis of message distribution
The techniques applied are:
- Interview: This technique, often complemented by questionnaires, allows for in-depth information gathering through personal conversations with organization members.
- Questionnaire: This method enables the collection of substantial information from a large number of people quickly and cost-effectively, facilitating statistical analysis.
- Analysis of Message Transmission: This technique utilizes a specialized questionnaire to uncover the dissemination process of a message within an organization, from its origin to its reception by various members. It reveals the time taken for message dissemination, the communication process, potential communication blocks, informal communication networks, and how information is processed.
- Analysis of Critical Communication Experiences: This method helps understand the positive and negative communication experiences within the organization, assessing their effectiveness.
- Analysis of Communication Networks: This technique evaluates the structure and effectiveness of an organization’s communication. It assesses who communicates with whom, identifies existing groups, highlights members acting as bridges between groups, pinpoints information bottlenecks, analyzes communication content, and determines the amount of information disseminated.
- Group Interview: This technique involves interviewing a select group of representative members from the organization. The interview typically focuses on critical aspects of organizational communication.
Cultural Diagnosis
Cultural diagnosis involves a series of actions aimed at uncovering the values and principles of an organization. It examines the extent to which these values are understood and shared by members and assesses their consistency with organizational behavior.
Objectives from an Interpretivist Perspective
- Evaluate the role of communication in creating, maintaining, and developing the culture of an organization.
- Assess the content of communication production and its meaning for members, including conversations, rituals, myths, philosophy, and values.
- Understand organizational life and the role of communication from the perspective of organization members.
Diagnostic Categories of Cultural Analysis
An organization’s values and principles can be determined through the areas in which they emerge. Analyzing a wider range of cultural events leads to a richer and more accurate diagnosis.
Conceptual and symbolic manifestations consist of the following categories and items:
- Spiritual: Ideology/Philosophy, symbols, myths, and history.
- Behavioral: Language, nonverbal behavior, rituals, and forms of interaction.
- Structural: Policies and procedures, standards, systems of internal status, power structure.
- Material: Technology, facilities, furniture, and equipment.
Methods and Techniques
The cultural assessment process relies on specific tools and generally employs two approaches: qualitative and quantitative.
While the former seeks precise measurement of pre-established variables for comparison, the latter depends more on the researcher’s perceptive acuity to analyze data.
Qualitative Techniques Applicable:
- Observation: The researcher can choose to become a member of the group (participant observation) or observe from the outside (non-participant observation). Building trust with the study subjects is crucial to gain acceptance and minimize any disruption the researcher’s presence might cause to the group’s daily activities.
- Interviews: Establishing a climate of mutual trust, understanding, and emotional affinity between the interviewer and interviewee is paramount. This approach, often referred to as establishing “sympathy,” fosters open and honest communication.
- Document Analysis: The researcher gathers a diverse collection of documents, interpreting them to extract information about the organization’s history and characteristics. This analysis helps infer important cultural aspects.
- Small Group Discussion: Facilitated discussions are held in group sessions to encourage open sharing and exploration of ideas and perspectives.
- Dramatization: This technique provides data on people’s perceptions of specific roles, relationships, and work situations, offering insights into underlying dynamics.
- Projective Techniques: This method involves presenting unstructured material to a subject with vague instructions, asking them to organize it in their own way. This process reveals their personality structure and subconscious thoughts.
Quantitative Techniques Applicable:
- Survey: Information gathered through surveys can be quantitatively analyzed to identify and understand the magnitude of problems that are assumed, partially known, or inaccurately perceived. Questionnaires are a common method for conducting surveys.