Culminating Project: Milestone One

College of Integrative Science and Arts, Arizona State University

OGL355: Assessment in Organizations

Professor Greg Watson

March 28, 2021

 We are all a part of an organization, whether through school, work, or our personal

affiliations. There are many stages in any of these organization’s tenure that an opportunity for

assessment will arise. An organization may want to assess their current state, whether for the

positive or negative trends they are experiencing, or they may want to assess the future potential

of the organization. The practice of Organizational Assessment will help in many situations such

as these to allow the leadership and members of the organization to zoom in to the finer, often

unnoticed details of their operations, as well as zooming out to observe the larger picture their

organization is a part of. Organizational assessment is a process of taking a step back to reflect

and look at the various areas of the organization, looking at both what is working and what could

be different. (Forbes Fund, 2014). Assessing an organization with both internal and external

factors allows the organization to see strengths and weaknesses, as well as threats and

opportunities, that may be supporting or hindering their successes.

Organizational assessment is important to the health of any organization because it is an

opportunity to bring a fresh, or refreshed, perspective to various stakeholders in an organization.

Conducting organizational assessment allows an organization to better understand better what to

influence and change to improve their ability to perform (Lusthaus et at., 2009). An assessment

of an organization will include looking at three primary factors. First, the environment of the

organization which includes the political, social/cultural, economic, ant stakeholder influences

and impacts internally and externally. Second, assessment will better understand the

organizational capacity which can include the strategic leadership, structure, human and financial

resources management, program and process management, as well as the inter-organizational

infrastructure. Lastly, and arguably most importantly, the organizational assessment will identify

the organizational motivation. This is the history, mission, culture and incentives or rewards that
motivates individuals and teams to perform to reach program and organizational goals. By

identifying what is or is not working in these areas, an assessment can identify the effectiveness,

efficiency, relevance, and the economic stance or financial viability of an organization. By

gathering holistic understanding of the organizational performance, what defines an organization

and why, teams are better equipped to develop plans and strategy to direct the people, teams, and

programs of an organization towards a stronger or more effective future. By identifying where

we want to go, what is blocking us from getting there, and what it will take to reach our goals,

we should then be able to create plans and language that will empower all levels to participate in

moving the organization, together. Assessment is the first step in laying the plan for progress.

The model I will use to conduct the assessment of our organization is the Organizational

Performance Assessment explained in the 2002 Lusthaus text, Organizational Assessment.

Looking at a high-level overview, this model includes a framework that allows the assessment of

data and the sources of data, the enabling environment, organizational capacity, and

organizational motivation, all of which create a more complete, and in-depth detailed look at the

overall organizational performance. This model allows us to assess the current state of an

organization, and all of the root and cluster causes that have positioned an organization where it

is now and where its future has potential to go.

 References

Forbes Funds. (2014). Retrieved from Organizational Assessments - Overview. Professor

Greg Watson. https://canvas.asu.edu/courses/83477/files /29740534?

module_item_id=5378660

Lusthaus, C., Adriene, M., Anderson, G., Carden, F., & Montalvan, G. P.

(2002). Organizational Assessment: A Framework for Improving Performance.

International Development Research Centre.