Our organizational performance assessments uncover the often hidden mindsets that are unknowingly shaping action and hindering forward momentum. Getting at what people “really think” – of leadership, the organization’s strategy and future prospects and how they fit into that (or don’t), how the past is impacting current actions, and how senior management’s messages are being received – allows leaders to really see the inarguable link between people’s attitudes, organizational performance, and readiness for change.

Our Approach to Organizational Assessments

1. Identify existing attitudes: Through confidential one-on-one interviews, we uncover the common themes among existing attitudes and mindsets that are holding the organization back.
2. Build consensus: By building consensus regarding organizational and leadership issues hindering performance, we help restore confidence to confront the issues that matter.
3. Make recommendations for the future: We provide custom-tailored recommendations for intervention in critical issues. As the assessment brings sensitive issues to the table, JMW provides bespoke interventions for how to establish new norms aimed at improving future performance.
4. Provide bespoke support: If clients choose to work with us following an assessment, JMW assists our clients in implementing recommendations to drive a new culture of accountability and performance in the organization.

JMW’s organizational transformation program focused on restoring and revitalizing human systems.

Exposing diminished workability and restoring maximum workability is at the heart of Systemic Workability®.  One dictionary definition of “workable” is: “Capable of producing the desired effect or result; practicable; feasible.”  We use “workability” to describe the capacity to produce the desired result; 100% workability means full capacity to produce the desired result.  When applied to organizations, we believe that over time, the workability of the human systems invisibly erodes absent a conscious effort to restore and revitalize them.  Workability diminishes due to changes in the market or environment that the organization does not effectively respond to (external changes) and disruptions and tears in the human fabric caused by re-organizations, process re-design, and implementing new technology (internal changes).  Thus, Systemic Workability™ reveals the state of workability of an organization and identifies initiatives to enhance performance.

All organizations are comprised of an integrated set of Intrinsic and extrinsic systems.  Extrinsic systems are by their nature designed and installed, added to the organization, such as organization structure, reporting, operations processes, information systems, risk and safety protocols.  Extrinsic systems are easily identified by their physical manifestations and can be modified, redesigned and replaced.   Intrinsic systems are embedded in the organization, emerge from the very nature of human interactions, and are not easily observed.  Since they naturally emerge from human interactions and evolve and develop without intervention, they are less visible, and can be challenging to observe and diagnose.  We call these invisible intrinsic systems the “human systems” that limit or enhance performance in all organizations.

The intrinsic systems shape the assumptions and expectations of people working in an organization.  The actions people take in dealing with their work and one another are shaped by a broad array of assumptions about how the business works, what is more or less important, what can be achieved and what is impossible.  They also have beliefs about how to succeed and what will generate unwanted attention.  At the same time, they also have expectations about what others will (or should) do, and what is expected of them.  Expectations and assumptions are also intrinsic to human beings; they are not evident on the surface, and for the most part are not readily discernable. The dominant assumptions and expectations of the members of an organization are more or less aligned with the realities of the business environment and the organization itself.  When the alignment of assumptions and expectations with external and internal realities declines, workability (and the possible range of performance) declines with it.

Systemic Workability® focuses on the state of internal systems and alignment.  Our unique tools and methods quickly reveal the state of workability, the sources of diminished workability, and the interventions required to change the organizational environment to promote higher performance.

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