Congruence model Organisation Behaviour Nadler Tushman
Congruence model for analysing organisation behaviour - Nadler Tushman - djz00023h - 140905 - Diederik Zunneberg
A. Diagnosis in three steps
Nadler and Tushman use three steps for diagnosis:
Identify the system
Determine the nature of the key variables
Diagnose the state of fits
B. Model elements
Being an open-systems model there are three main sections:
Inputs
Transformation process
Outputs
Inputs
Environment
Resources
History and
Strategy
The environment includes all factors outside the organisation that have a potential impact on the organisation. A thorough analysis requires not only looking at the current state, but also making assumptions about the future state.
Resources are all the various assets to which the organisation has access, including human resources, capital, information, and less tangible resources, such as recognition in the market.
The element of history is often overlooked in diagnosing organisations. Nadler and Tushman explicitly list the organisation’s history as an input. Explore the history of patterns of employee behaviour, policy, the types of people the organisation attracts and recruits and how decisions are made in a crisis.
Strategy is the process of determining how the organisation’s resources are best used within the environment, and within the historical context, to attain the desired goals. It is the act of identifying opportunities and creating a fit with the organisation’s capabilities. Strategy is seen as an input but has been put apart in the model.
Critical features for analysis of inputs
What demands does the environment make on the organisation?
How does the environment put constraints on organisational action?
What is the relative quality of the different resources?
To what extent are resources fixed rather than flexible in their configuration(s)?
What have been the major stages or phases of the organisation's development?
What is the current impact of such historical factors as strategic decisions, acts of key leaders, crises, and core values and norms?
How has the organisation defined its core mission, including markets and customer segments it serves and products/services it provides?
On what basis does it compete?
What supporting strategies has the organisation employed to achieve the core mission?
What specific objectives have been set for organisational output?
Transformation process elements
– Task
– Individual
– Formal organisational arrangements
– Informal organisation
Outputs
Outputs are defined on an organisational, group and individual level.
Feedback
The model contains various feedback loops to monitor the effects of changes made to the system.
C. Key questions on the fit of transformation process elements
The analysis concentrates on the degree to which key components are congruent with one another. Key questions are:
To what extent do the organisational arrangements fit with the requirements of the task?
To what extent do individual skills and needs fit with task requirements, organisational arrangements, and the informal organisation?
To what extent do task requirements fit both the formal and the informal organisation?
D. Questions for assessing the effectiveness of the system as a whole
The main assumption is that a lack of fit between components produces poor organisational performance. Main questions for diagnosing the effectiveness of the systems functioning are:
How well is the organisation attaining its desired goals of production, service, return on investment and so on?
How well is the organisation utilising its resources?
How well is the organisation coping with (disruptive) changes in its environment over time?
E. Congruence: double-edged sword
With regards to the third element – fit with the environment over time – Nadler and Tushman recognize that too much congruence can harm the agility of organisations.
“While our model implies that congruence of organisational components is a desirable state, it is, in fact, a double-edged sword. In the short term, congruence seems to be related to effectiveness and performance. A system with high congruence, however, can be resistant to change. It develops ways of insulating itself from outside influences and may be unable to respond to new situations.”
The concept of congruence builds on views by George Homans in his pioneering work on social processes in organisations, emphasising the need for consistency among key elements of organisational behaviour. Leavitt identified four major components of organisation: people, task, technology and structure. Other related authors are: James Seiler, Paul Lawrence, Jay Lorsch and Alan Sheldon.
F. References
Nadler, D. A., & Tushman, M. L. (1980). A model for diagnosing organizational behavior. Organizational Dynamics, 9(2), 35–51.
Nadler, D. A., & Tushman, M. L. (1989). Organizational frame bending: Principles for managing reorientation. Academy of Management Perspectives, 3(3), 194–204.
Burke, W. W. (1992). Organization development: A process of learning and changing (2nd ed.). Addison-Wesley.
G. Read more
Link: Using the Nadler Tushman model for Organisational Behaviour
Link: Burke Litwin Causal Model of Organisational Performance and Change (diagnostic model)
Using the Nadler Tushman Congruence Model
Using the Nadler Tushman Congruence model: Basic Problem Analysis Steps - 240911
Basic problem analysis steps using the Nadler Tushman Congruence Model for Diagnosing Organisational Behaviour:
Identify symptoms
Specify inputs
Identify outputs
Identify problems
Describe components of the organisation
Assess congruence
Generate and identify causes
Identify action steps
Explanation:
Identify symptoms: List data indicating possible existence of problems.
Specify inputs: Identify the system. Determine nature of environment, resources, and history. Identify critical aspects of strategy.
Identify outputs: Identify data that define the nature of outputs at various levels (individual, group/unit, organisational). This should include desired outputs (from strategy), and actual outputs being obtained.
Identify problems: Identify areas where there are significant and meaningful differences between desired and actual outputs. To the extent possible, identify penalties; that is, specific costs (actual and opportunity costs) associated with each problem.
Describe components of the organisation: Describe basic nature of each of the four components with emphasis on their critical features.
Assess congruence: Conduct analysis to determine relative congruence among components (draw on submodels as needed)
Generate and identify causes: Analyse to associate fit with specific problems.
Identify action steps: Indicate the possible actions to deal with problem causes.
References
Nadler, D. A., & Tushman, M. L. (1980). A model for diagnosing organizational behavior. Organizational Dynamics, 9(2), 35–51.
Nadler, D. A., & Tushman, M. L. (1989). Organizational frame bending: Principles for managing reorientation. Academy of Management Perspectives, 3(3), 194–204.
Burke, W. W. (1992). Organization development: A process of learning and changing (2nd ed.). Addison-Wesley.
Based on: A Model for Diagnosing Organisational Behaviour, Nadler, Tushman | Stormbal Consulting | Classic Models Review | Diederik Zunneberg | #160005 c02 - 240911