Dear kr3,
I, too, have had very little business training. I admit that when I
began researching this for you, I had only a vague understanding of
what an organizational analysis is. Most of the information available
on the Internet on this subject seems to be aimed at people who are
working on an MBA, and who would be expected to have already had
coursework in this area. The few sites that are written in
understandable English are mostly trying to sell something. It took
some digging, but here are some pointers to help you in completing
your project (which I presume is already underway.)
The DM Review has some useful information on the subject of assessing
"business intelligence" (no, it's not an oxymoron!) including this
good, simple definition of organizational analysis:
"Organizational Analysis: Analyze the existing business and technical
organizational structures including... the organization's culture and
leadership style, its understanding of business intelligence concepts,
whether roles and responsibilities have been established, and whether
people with the appropriate amount of time and skills are in place."
DM Review: The Case for Business Intelligence Assessments
http://www.dmreview.com/master.cfm?NavID=193&EdID=5345
As I mentioned in an earlier comment, this site has some useful tips:
Northeastern Illinois University: Organizational Analysis
http://www.neiu.edu/~aserafin/421/anyl2.htm
I have adapted some material from the page linked above to show how an
analysis of a health care agency might use these concepts.
As a start, here is a sample outline I have prepared for analyzing
organizational structure:
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Identify the type of organization being studied, a hospital
wellness/health promotion department.
Give a brief description of the broader organizational unit to which
this agency belongs, the Navy hospital.
Data related to the organization: Number of patients served, number of
staff, specialization of staff members, special programs and goals of
the program, hierarchical structure, ethnic and socioeconomic group(s)
targeted.
Who has the real power in the agency? Who makes the decisions? What
kinds of responsibility are delegated, and to whom? Are any
non-employees involved in decision making?
Which individuals within the agency serve as liaisons to other
agencies within the hospital, or to the outside community?
How is employee evaluation handled, and by whom? What person or
persons are in charge of deciding whom to hire and whom to fire?
=================================
I asked a friend who is a hospital administrator to recommend source
material that will assist you in preparing your paper, and he
wholeheartedly endorsed a book published by the American Psychological
Association, "Organizational Assessment : A Step-by-Step Guide to
Effective Consulting," by Harry Levinson, PhD. While you probably do
not have time to order the book online, you are likely to find it in a
university library. My local Barnes & Noble has it in stock, and I
expect that most larger bookstores would be likely to carry this
recently published book.
A description of "Organizational Assessment: A Step-by-Step Guide to
Effective Consulting," from the APA Web site:
"Organizational Assessment is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to
assessing the health of an organization... Both beginners and
experienced consultants will find plenty of food for thought in this
manual. This volume is a substantially updated and distilled version
of the author's classic, Organizational Diagnosis, which was in print
for 23 years... A case summary provides a real-life example of the
author's approach in practice. Most importantly, the book includes a
complete outline of the assessment process, which consultants will
find themselves referring to again and again. Appendixes also include
a sample final report and other material that will help the reader use
the outline more effectively."
APA Books: Organizational Assessment
http://www.apa.org/books/431796A.html
Search strategy:
"organizational analysis"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=simple+%22organizational+analysis
Best of luck with your term project. And (off topic) three cheers to
you for being a member of one of the most challenging and most
admirable professions. My hat is off to you.
If you have further questions or need clarification of my answer,
please ask.
Sincerely,
pinkfreud |
