OCT.

10 2019

GOOD TO
GREAT
Sample Organization

Introduction to Organizational Assessment

Handout

Prepared by Taylor Vasicek

For Professor Marie Wallace, PhD

ASU 357 - Assessment in Organizations

ABOUT PAGE 2

ORGANIZATIONAL
ASSESSMENT
Organizational Assessment is the analysis of organizations, and

the factors affecting their success. There are also a variety of

methods for assessing organizations, each with their own merits

and applications. Whatever the method, the baseline reasoning

is improving the organization by analyzing the strengths and

weaknesses in its various capacities (Lusthaus, 2002, p. 42).

Organizational assessments also help leaders and executives to

grasp the effects of the enabling environment of the

organization - its rules, ethos, and capabilities - which are more

abstract but equally essential to understand. Organizational

assessments are an essential tool for gauging an organization’s

current and future performance by understanding its capacities

and environment. Knowledge of these factors is crucial in

ensuring recognition and correction of organizational issues,

and understanding how to repeat successes.

GOOD TO GREAT
The Good to Great model for organizational assessment is

centered on the finances, core values, and strength of

leadership within a company (Perkins, et al., 2010, pp. 4-6). This

assessment tool is ideal to help our organization develop best

practices (Perkins, et al., 2010, p. 12), which is essential as we

transition from the birth stage to the adolescent organizational

stage. In order for our company to continue to succeed, we

need to improve and increase strategic thinking and plan for

the future (Lusthaus, 2002, pp. 89-90).

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LEVEL 5 LEADERSHIP

Leaders who put their own egos on the

back burner and try to focus instead on
the greater good of the company will
succeed and bring their company from a
good company to a greater company.

Collins primarily focuses on leadership when assessing

organizations using the Good to Great model, and for

good reason. They are able to learn, yet have the ability

to teach others to emulate their success and prosperity.

These determined, yet humble leaders are described by

Collins as Level 5 Leaders, (so as not to make them

"sound too much like a door mat"). This dogged

determination is the key which allows Level 5 Leaders to

bring their organizations to greatness. (Collins, 2012,

p.127)
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FIRST WHO, THEN WHAT

The right people, or lack thereof, can make or break an
organization.

"The business of business is people."

- Herb Kelleher, late CEO of Southwest Airlines (Economy, 2019)

We know our people are essential to our success. Collins finds

that there are three principles to hiring and managing people

which good to great leaders found helpful in moving the

business forward.

1. Keep searching for the right person until we are 100% sure we

are hiring the right candidate.

2. Be able to adjust the positions of personnel and make

difficult decisions so everyone can perform at their best.

3. Position the best employees in "prime opportunities for

growth of the business," rather than making them deal with the

worst issues. (Collins, 2012, p.187).

Additionally, we want to hire and retain individuals with the

right character, mindset, and values. Good to great

management involves fostering camaraderie among employees

and protecting work life balance.

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CONFRONT THE BRUTAL FACTS

We need to be attuned to the reality of our circumstances.

However, as leaders, we

"If you focus should share our vision for the

organization while guiding

on the harsh employees in dealing with

these harsh truths. As we

reality, the navigate these realities

together, knowledge of, or a

true answers willingness to learn, the

specific challenges and facts

of the business, while

will appear, assessing the organization's

position and advancing its

leading your mission is key to success

(Collins, 2012, p. 224).

way,"
(Collins, 2012, p.244).

As leaders, we must evaluate

the often-harsh realities and

make decisions based on

these truths. Our company

culture should be such that

our employees become even

more motivated to improve

when grappling with these

facts.
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THE HEDGEHOG CONCEPT

As a leader, are you more of a hedgehog or a fox?

Collins uses the Hedgehog concept as an analogy for steadfast

leaders (hedgehog) whose companies outlast cunning and

continuous attacks from competition (fox).

These types of leaders can stay in

one place, trimming down the

complexities of issues, until they

HEDGEHOG make the problem easier to

understand and address (Collins,).

Cunning and fast-paced, but

unable to focus on one specific

FOX strategy to achieve their goals.

Viewpoint is fine-tuned, but

HEDGEHOG
involves a simple business plan and

unified vision which pushes

company from good to great.

Runs in circles but often lacks

FOX

passion.

Uses the three circles -

HEDGEHOG
understands the company and its

niche, knows how to keep it

profitable, and remains passionate.

 PAGE 11

FROM GOOD TO GREAT

AND BUILT TO LAST
Strong Values

Ethics

Organizational Identity

Built to Last is an earlier  Collins new research found

project of Collins', the that the companies that he

research for which was done and his team studied in Built

in the early 1990s (2012, p. to Last shared many

493) This work focused on principles, practices, and

case studies of business which characteristics with the Good

attained success from to Great companies. Built to

nothing, going from a start up Last also showcases the

to prominent, long lasting importance of values and

organizations. Collins and his ethical business models, and

team did not end up using any how organizations centered

of this previous research in on these beliefs fared better

Good to Great. than those after money alone.

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CITATIONS
Collins, J. (2012). Good To Great Quickie Book Summary

[Amazon Kindle].

Economy, P. (2019, January 4). 17 Powerfully Inspiring Quotes

From Southwest Airlines Founder Herb Kelleher.

Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/peter-economy/17-

powerfully-inspiring-quotes-from-southwest-airlines-

founder-herb-kelleher.html.

Lusthaus, C. (2002). Organizational assessment: A framework

for improving performance. IDRC.

O'Reilly, C. A., & Pfeffer, J. (1995). Southwest airlines (a).

Stanford, CA: Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Perkins, L. N., Nightingale, D., Valerdi, R., & Rifkin, S. (2010, July).

6.3. 2 Organizational assessment models for enterprise

transformation. In INCOSE international symposium (Vol. 20,

No. 1, pp. 809-823).