Organizational Health

Organizational health is a measure of how readily the organization rallies around a shared vision, how quickly the company can respond to changing goals and objectives, and an overall capacity to perform well under a variety of circumstances and within dynamic environments.

Organizations with good organizational health are able to move quickly, assess risks, and make decisions that lead to growth, innovation, and increased profits. The typical politics, confusion, and chaos are minimized, or eliminated entirely, people are happy and productive, and performance is steady.

The Process

  • Phase 1: Build leader relationships

    It all starts with the leadership team. The health of the organization trickles down from the top, so we begin by ensuring a cohesive, high-performing leadership team that values organizational health and is ready to spread the word.

  • Phase 2: Develop clarity and alignment

    We determine and enforce key principles at the top of the leadership chain so we have a clean waterfall of information and intention. This requires spending time on priorities, roles, and responsibilities.

  • Phase 3: Bring it to the masses

    Clear, decisive dissemination of information is critical to organizational health. It is important to have a plan around who will communicate what, to whom, when, and how. This way no employees are left to write their own story about what is happening.

  • Phase 4: Ensure consistency

    Structure, policies, and processes must be aligned with the first three phases so employees understand what you are asking of them when you create rewards and recognition that reinforce the desired behaviors.

Sample Client Story

Manufacturing Organization

Situation: A new leader was hired to make sustainable fixes in workflow, fast. The time pressure was intense and the executive team was highly invested in this leader’s success.

Approach: Despite the rush to ‘fix it now,’ we both knew that rushed solutions would cause more problems down the line. We deployed the organizational health model, over the span of 6 weeks.

Result: Within a relatively short time, we saw considerable improvements in team performance and significant decreases in toxic behaviors. There was increased clarity in goals and roles, and the workers on the shop floor were more cooperative and committed.

Research from McKinsey finds that healthy organizations generate total returns to shareholders 3x higher than unhealthy organizations.

“Intelligent, funny, and hard-working, Melisa has a keen insight into team dynamics and a heart for the often underrepresented voices and ideas of front line employees. I heartily recommend Melisa to any business leaders looking to elevate organizational health to the center of their business strategy.”

- Vice President @ Manufacturing Company