ABOUT THE TOOL
Antwi’s Organisational Performance Assessment Tool (ANOPAT) is a well-researched participatory tool developed by the author based on his over two decades of experience in conducting organisational performance assessments, staff appraisals, annual organisational reviews and re-planning and monitoring and evaluation of projects/programmes.
The tool provides information on the key drivers of organisational performance as well as factors militating against growth of an organisation in a particular period of time. The analysis of the above provide the basis for management to formulate strategies and implement actions in re-directing the trajectory of growth and performance of the organisation in alignment with set targets.
The tool is applicable for use in an entire organisation as an assessment tool either on annual basis or half-yearly basis. It is also applicable for use by a department/team of an organisation, in which case, the reference to organisation in the tool will be synonymous to department/team.
INTRODUCTION:
Organisations, like living organisms, exist for various reasons but mainly, to impact positively in the industries/sections of societies they find themselves. The success or otherwise of an organisation is measured by its performance on a quarterly, half-yearly or on annual basis. Organisational performance is therefore the measurement of an organisation’s actual output or results against its intended/planned outputs. It is thus prudent that every organisation should set targets periodically based on its strategic and annual action plans to serve as benchmarks for assessments. Organisations should also have mechanisms in place to measure progress and the achievement of the set targets.
The more organisational performance assessments are carried out the better for management in getting its staff/employees involved in setting realistic goals and targets in relation to their strengths and also for strategising in achieving set-targets. Ownership of the assessment process and motivation of managers/staff of organisations are therefore key ingredients in any organisational performance assessment process.
COMPONENTS:
The key components of ANOPAT are the following:
Purpose: This is defined by a Harvard Business Review as the “aspirational reason for being which inspires and provides a call to action for an organisation and its partners and stakeholders and provides benefit to local and global society”. Organisational purpose includes the organisation’s vision, mission, objectives and targets.
Organisational Culture:
It encompasses values and behaviours that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of the organisation. In simple terms, it is the way things are done in an organisation and the way people in the organisation behave either overtly or covertly. Wikipedia indicates that organisational culture influences the way people interact, the context within which knowledge is created, the resistance they will have towards certain changes, and ultimately the way they share (or the way they do not share) knowledge.
Organisational culture represents the collective values, beliefs and principles of organisational members and may be influenced by factors such as history, type of product or service, market, technology, strategy, management style, and national culture.
People Management:
It is simply the process of getting the best out of staff. It includes the training process and motivation of employees in order to optimise workplace productivity and also promote professional growth. Some of the essential people management skills include active listening, conflict-resolution, flexibility, effective communication, feedback processes and trust.
Organisational Processes:
These are the way tasks of an organisation are organised and sequenced (workflow) to generate the final product or service offered by the organisation. Organisational processes are influenced by the organisational structure (how each division of the organisation is set up, the hierarchy of who reports to whom and how communication flows throughout the organisation).
Systems:
These are tools and techniques (including technology) deployed by the organisation to enable it function as an integrated unit (though the organisation is made up of different parts). Responsiveness of the organisation to changing conditions (internally or externally) will determine how well the systems are engaged with the environment (degree of adaptation), level of synergy and whether the organisation is a learning one (unlearning and assimilating new learnings).
The Bottom-line:
This refers to any actions that may increase or decrease an organisation’s chances of survival and sustainability. A profit-making venture’s bottom line refers to the company’s earnings, profit, net income or earnings per share. Most companies improve their bottom lines through two simultaneous methods: increasing revenues (i.e. generate growth) and improving efficiency (or cutting cost). In not-for profit organisations, the bottom line will include the degree of responsiveness to needs, legitimacy and financial efficiency.