April 27, 2019 by David Mack in 1.Does the organization pay more attention to the demands of its customers or to what it knows how to do best? Customers What it does best 2.Is the organization better at producing and delivering established products/service or at planning or creating new ones? Producing and Developing Planning and Creating 3.Which is more important to the organization; its efficient systems or its dedicated people? Systems People 4.Does the organization spell out the details of its policies and procedures, or does it avoid such detail in the name of letting people work to their own best style? Spell out Avoid detail 5.Can employees see the organization’s inner workings clearly, or is decision making invisible to most people – with decisions simply appearing mysteriously? Very open Mostly hidden 6.Does the leadership base its decisions on detailed information about situations or on general trends and a big picture or concept of what is going on? Detail information Big picture 7.Does the organization ask of people that they fill their official roles effectively or that they exercise their individual talents fully? Official roles Individual talent 8.Would you say that the organization emphasizes reaching a decision quickly or considering things from every angle, even if it takes quite a while? Decisions Look at every angle 9.Are decisions more often made because of market data or because of internal factors like the beliefs of the leaders or the capacities of the facilities? Market data Internal factors 10.Does the organization more often steer its course by the actualities of the present situation or by the possibilities it perceives in the future? Actualities Possibilities 11.How are the organizational decisions really made – with the head (tempered by humanity) or by the heart (balanced by information)? Tempered head Balanced heart 12.If the organization has a fault, is it that it locks into decisions too quickly or that it keeps too many options open for too long? Too Quickly Too many options 13.Do the organization’s people and component units collaborate naturally and from the beginning of a project or somewhat uncomfortably and after their separate positions have been established? From the beginning After the fact 14.When changes are being discussed, which gets more attention – the step-by-step plan for getting to the destination or the vision of where things are going? Steps Vision 15.Which are taken more seriously in dealing with personnel issues – general principles and standards or individual circumstances and situations? Principles Circumstances 16.Does the organization more often act based on set priorities or because of opportunities it discovers in its external environment? Priorities Opportunities 17.Is it the influence of competitors, regulators, and customers or its own sense of identity and mission that is more likely to dictate the organization’s actions? Stakeholder Relationships Identity and Mission 18.Is the organization better at producing reliable products and data or at coming up with innovative ideas or designs? Reliable Products Innovative Ideas 19.At the organization, does communicating mean giving information to or staying in touch with its constituencies? Giving Information Staying in Touch 20.Does the organization rely on carefully established procedures or on “playing it as it lays”? Procedures As it lays 21.Which usually determines the organization’s direction – the external challenges it faces or the internal resources it possesses? Challenges Resources 22.Is the organization’s leadership better described as solid and down to earth or as intuitive and visionary? Solid and Down to Earth Intuitive and Visionary 23.Which more accurately describes the way managers are supposed to act – following rational policies or acting sensitively and humanely? Rational Policies Sensitive & Visionary 24.Does the organization more often choose to reach a decision or look for more options? Reach a decision Look for Options 25.Is the organization fairly open to influence by employees, customers, or even the public, or is it a pretty tightly system? Open to influence Closed system 26.Do the organization’s values emphasize acting practically and reliably or ingeniously and inventively? Practically Ingeniously 27.When people in the organization talk about “the right thing to do,” are they referring to the logical and rational thing or the humane and sensitive thing? Logical and Rational Humane/Sensitive 28.Which better describes the organization’s style – stick to solid ground or ride the river of change? Solid Ground River of Change 29.In terms of strategy, is the organization driven by its clients’ needs and its competitor’s actions, or by its functional and professional capabilities? Client and Competitor Functional and Professional 30.When big changes must be made, does the organization prefer to deal with them incrementally (broken down into little steps) or holistically (as one integrated transformational leap)? Incrementally Holistically 31.Is the organization better described as a structure of task-based positions (where the relationships are secondary) or a system in which relationships are almost as important as tasks? Task-based Relationship-based 32.When projects are being planned, are they usually tightly scheduled on a fixed timetable, or flexibly scheduled on an itinerary that can change with circumstances.? Tightly Scheduled Flexibly Scheduled 33.Does the organization work well with suppliers, joint venture partners, and professional associations, or does it prefer to go it alone? Works with Others Goes it Alone 34.Which better describes the organization – sticking to the tried and true or undertaking bold new ventures? Tried and True Bold New Ventures 35.Which better describes the leader(s)’ style – criticism or encouragement? Criticism Encouragement 36.Is the organization more likely to carefully plan, or make it up as it goes along? Plan Ahead Make it Up 0 Recommend Facebook Twitter Google Plus LinkedIN Share Tagged in
