Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
OPEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
Group and Individual Levels
in Organizational Diagnosis
A Term Paper
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for Organizational Development
by
Ciela Aunica D. Lelis
Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
OPEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
I. Introduction
According to Rajak, 2019, Organizational Diagnosis is a useful tool for assessing a
company or organization's present and desired performance and determining how it might
reach its objectives. It is a creative way for learning about an organization on all levels, from
the surface to the deepest hidden aspects that aren't visible to the naked eye.
Organization diagnosis is a particularly tough to comprehend and explain. It's basically a
set of professional skills developed in response to inefficiencies and cultural shortcomings in
the corporate and public sectors. As explained by Oliva, 2019, academics have hypothesized
that using the correct model or framework, one may quantify or benchmark a solution to adapt
nearly all organizational flaws. A diagnostic model is a framework for identifying, evaluating,
and interpreting data in order to detect potential needs in a specific setting. Any diagnostic that
focuses solely on people, style, and people processes while ignoring business processes,
marketing, and finance is not a business diagnostic.
When an organization is impacted and influenced in a variety of ways by the environment
in which it operates, it is referred to as an open system. The open system model is usually
adapted and the external environment must be considered at all times in order for the system
to function properly. To effectively adapt to the environment while achieving its objective, the
organization must first comprehend it. Organizational, group, and individual levels can all be
used to diagnose this (Diagnosis: At the Organization, Group and Individual Level, 2018).
This paper specifically focuses on the group and individual levels of organizational
diagnosis. The definition, importance, and designs related to those levels will further be
described.
II. Definition of Terms
a. Diagnosis
Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
OPEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
In terms of organizational development, diagnosis is the process of determining how an
organization is currently operating and providing the data needed to develop change
initiatives (Cummings & Worley, 2015).
b. Organization
As defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an organization is a company, business,
club, etc., that is formed for a particular purpose.
c. Group
A group is a small number of people working together on a shared task either face to
face or virtually (Cummings & Worley, 2015). Work groups can be relatively
permanent and perform an ongoing function, or they can be temporary and exist only
to perform a certain task or to make a specific decision.
d. Individual
With regards to organizational diagnosis, the individual level refers to each individual
person within an organization. Each individual acts differently which affects group
dynamics and the organization as a whole (Three Levels of Influence, 2019).
III. Content
Group Level Diagnosis
Any groups within an organization are included at the group level. The size of a group
might range from a number of persons working together to dozens or hundreds of people. As
in the article Three Levels of Influence (2019), individuals can influence a group, and a group
can influence an organization. Individuals can be affected by a group, and organizations can
be affected by a group. Consider organizational behavior as a vast spider web that encircles
each company. Each level of influence is linked to the next by a spider web, which creates a
trail between them.
In schools, examples of groups formed are project committees, departments, task
forces, and other project groups.
Group difficulties frequently affect a small group of people rather than the entire
organization. The way the team is organized to conduct work or the relationships within the
group are typically the source of group-level challenges (e.g., how conflicts are handled, how
decisions are made, etc.) (Deshler, 2016).
Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
OPEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
Group Level Diagnostic Model by Cummings and Worley (2015)
The key inputs to group design are organizational design and culture. They are made
up of the design elements that define the wider organization in which the group operates—
technology, structure, management processes, and human resources systems—as well as the
culture of the company. The parameters of the group's task can be determined by technology,
and structural systems can describe the level of cooperation required among groups.
Management methods can influence how much information a group receives, as well as how
much decision-making and self-control it has. Human resources and measurement systems,
such as performance appraisal and reward systems, are crucial in assessing how well a team
works. The standards that groups adopt to manage member conduct can be influenced by
organizational culture. The accuracy of diagnosis can be considerably improved by gathering
information about the group's organizational design setting.
As for the design components, goal clarity refers to how well a group understands its
goals. The task structure refers to how the group's work is organized. The membership of
groups is referred to as group composition. Members can differ on a variety of factors that
affect group behavior. The foundation of group life is team functioning. It entails group
processes involving how members interact with one another, which is critical in work groups
because the quality of relationships can influence task performance. Members' opinions about
how the group should do its work and what levels of performance are acceptable are known as
performance norms.
There are two aspects to team effectiveness: performance and work life quality. The
group's ability to regulate or reduce expenses, boost productivity, or improve quality is
measured in terms of performance. It is a "difficult" metric for determining effectiveness. In
Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
OPEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
addition, the efficacy of a group is determined by the quality of its members' work lives. It has
to do with job happiness, teamwork, and organizational dedication.
Likewise, Cummings and Worley (2015) suggested questions that can be asked from
the group in order to assess how well the group elements described above fit with each other.
Those are:
• Does the group design fit with the inputs?
• Do the group design components fit with each other?
Then, they also proposed questions to analyze the group level which are:
• How clear are the group’s goals?
• What is the group’s task structure?
• What is the composition of the group?
• What are the group’s performance norms?
• What is the nature of team functioning in the group?
Individual Level Diagnosis
Each individual person within an organization is included at the individual level. Each
person behaves in a unique way, which has an impact on group dynamics and the organization
as a whole. The work atmosphere will be effective and productive if there are many happy and
efficient people. However, if there are a lot of negative and disgruntled people, the environment
might become toxic. (Three Levels of Influence, 2019)
Although it is hard for a firm to examine every single employee's behavior, it is critical
for a company to establish norms and expectations that will attract individuals who exhibit
good behaviors. Employees may be hired based on their personality or how they respond to
behavioral-based interview questions, for example. At the same time, businesses can aid in the
modification of individual behavior. They accomplish this through developing a code of
behavior, policy and procedural guidelines, and incentives and consequences.
Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
OPEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
Individual Level Diagnostic Model by Cummings and Worley (2015)
Individual jobs are designed to complete specific activities that must be completed
using specific techniques. Individuals that work in these positions will have effective
characteristics based on their level of talent, maturity, education, and experience with the jobs.
On the individual level of diagnoses, individual wants and expectations must also be
recognized. When it comes to job fit, individual growth levels can play a role in self-direction,
learning, and motivation. Individual inputs are concerned with organizational design, group
design, and human qualities. Skill variation, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and
feedback are all design elements (Diagnosis: At the Organization, Group and Individual Level,
2018).
The degree to which a task necessitates a wide range of actions and abilities in order to
complete it is referred to as skill diversity. The degree to which a job necessitates the execution
of a substantially complete, recognized piece of labor is measured by task identity. The degree
to which a job has a substantial impact on other people's lives is measured by task importance.
The degree to which a job provides freedom and discretion in scheduling work and deciding
work techniques is referred to as autonomy. The degree to which the job offers employees with
immediate and clear information regarding the effectiveness of task performance is referred to
as feedback. Individual diagnosis is critical in ensuring that the correct people are assigned to
the right jobs, which in turn encourages positive attitudes and productive work environments.
The ultimate goal is to enable individual effectiveness, job happiness, performance, and
personal development.
To measure the alignment of the design components and the input, the following
questions are suggested to be asked:
• Does the job design fit with the inputs?
Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
OPEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
• Do the job-design components fit with each other?
• What are the design and culture of the organization within which the individual job is
embedded?
• What is the design of the group containing the individual job?
• What are the personal characteristics of the jobholder?
For the analysis of the design components, here are what Cummings and Worley (2015)
have to suggest:
• How much skill variety is included in the job?
• How much task identity does the job contain?
• How much task significance is involved in the job?
• How much autonomy is included in the job?
• How much feedback about results does the job contain?
IV. Summary
Organizations are viewed as open systems in the concept described here. The
organization's purpose is to keep its departments' actions in sync. It is influenced by external
forces and is open to exchanges with the greater environment. Organizations are hierarchically
arranged as open systems; that is, they are made up of groups, which are made up of individual
tasks. Environments, inputs, transformations, and outputs; boundaries; feedback; and
alignment are five essential open-systems traits that organizations exhibit.
Understanding each of the aspects in the model and examining how the design
components fit with each other and with the inputs are all part of diagnosing at each
organizational level. Good alignment is more likely to result in effective outputs.
Good diagnosis necessitates leaders being more systematic (than is often the case) in
their approach to identifying, analyzing, and finally implementing their remedy. Without a
methodical procedure that addresses the numerous perspectives and complexities that reflect
the true interdependencies of the organization, those involved in diagnosis cannot hope to find
root causes. Even once the core causes have been identified, a deeper degree of diagnosis is
required—understanding the assumptions (ways of thinking) that are influencing current
results and performance. It is difficult to significantly modify behavior and performance
without first comprehending the thought underlying them.
Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
OPEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
V. Activity
Answer the following questions:
1. What are examples of groups in your own organization or company?
2. What are examples of individual jobs in your own organization or company?
3. Why is it important to diagnose the group and individual levels and not just the
organizational level?
4. What do you think are the improvements that can be done in your company to achieve
team/group effectiveness?
5. What do you think are the improvements that can be done in your company to achieve
individual job satisfaction?
VI. References
Appelbaum, S. H. (2020). Organizational Diagnosis and Organizational Development Model:
Integration of Psychoanalytic Determinants. Universal Journal of Management 8,
181-194.
Cummings, T., & Worley, C. (2015). Organization Development and Change (10th ed.).
Stamford: Cengage Learning.
Deshler, R. (2016, September 28). It’s Not a Silver Bullet, It’s Systemic Diagnosis. Retrieved
from Align Org Solutions: https://alignorg.com/its-not-a-silver-bullet-its-systemic-
diagnosis/
Diagnosis: At the Organization, Group and Individual Level. (2018, May 2). Retrieved from
theintactone: https://theintactone.com/2018/05/02/od-u2-topic-1-diagnosis-at-the-
organization-group-and-individual-
level/#:~:text=The%20second%20level%20of%20diagnosis,focus%20on%20its%20i
nner%20workings.
Oliva, J. (2019, May 22). The Fundamentals of Diagnosing Organizational Change .
Retrieved from Trexin Insight Paper: https://www.trexin.com/the-fundamentals-of-
diagnosing-organizational-change/
Rajak, H. (2019, November 13). Organisational Diagnosis: Issues and Concepts – an
overview. Retrieved from hmhub: https://hmhub.in/organisational-diagnosis-issues-
and-concepts-an-overview/
Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
OPEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
Three Levels of Influence. (2019, June 26). Retrieved from Organizational Behavior and
Human Relations: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-
organizationalbehavior/chapter/three-levels-of-influence/
Ubriani, E. (2021, August 4). What does group level diagnosis examine? Retrieved from
everythingwhat: https://everythingwhat.com/what-does-group-level-diagnosis-
examine
Weiss, L. (2020). Burnout From an Organizational Perspective. Stanford Innovation Social
Review.
