Organizations are complex and unique, but they all share common components. At CDR Business Diagnostics, we use our Business Diagnostic Instrument (BDI) to assess the health of 20 key dimensions that are critical to successful outcomes in any organization. It’s like an MRI scan for your business, examining the health of each system and how it affects the body as a whole.
The BDI collects data directly from all areas of your organization via an online survey. The survey has been deliberately made as simple as possible, and usually takes each member of your organization less than 15 minutes to complete.
We then use a series of advanced statistical tools and processes to identify the overall health of each dimension, and the level of impact each dimension is having on business outcomes. These are recalculated mathematically based on each client’s unique survey results.
The end product we deliver to our clients is a detailed written report that clearly outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. It will also explain what problems you should address first to have the greatest impact on improving your business.
Click on the model below, or scroll down to learn more about the dimensions we measure with the Business Diagnostic Instrument.
The leadership layer of the BDI tests the efficacy of leadership and the quality of direction and management within the organization. Since this layer is so essential to the viability, success and ultimate longevity of the organization, we will work directly with you to identify exactly which positions are captured in each dimension and to define those positions clearly on the survey.
The Strategic Management dimension looks specifically at the leadership group, which builds and defines the overall strategic purpose and direction of the organization. In the private sector this group would normally include individuals like Chief Executive Officers, Chief Financial Officers, Chief Operation Officers, General Managers, Owners, etc. In the public sector this group would normally include individuals like Deputy Ministers, Assistant Deputy Ministers, Executive Directors, etc. Tested aspects of this dimension include timeliness of communications, clarity of strategic vision and the technical and personal skills needed for success.
The Operational Management dimension looks specifically at the leadership group that provides overall day-to-day management and control over separate business operations within the organization. In the private sector this group would normally include Sales Managers, R&D Managers, Production Managers, Assistant Managers, etc. In the public sector this group would normally include individuals like Business Directors, program area managers, etc. For both private and public sector organizations, operational staff supervisors would also fall into this group. Tested aspects of this dimension include clarity of expectations to employees, consultation with employees, clarity of information flow to employees and the technical and personal skills needed for success.
The cultural layer of the BDI tests the impact and viability of various aspects of the organization’s business culture.
The Vision dimension examines the core strategic vision of the organization and where it wants to be in the future. Tested aspects of this dimension include how well employees understand the organization’s vision and whether they personally agree with the vision.
The Mission dimension examines the operational mission of the organization and what it needs to be effective in the present. Tested aspects of this dimension include how well employees understand the organization’s mission and whether they personally agree with the mission.
The Values dimension examines the day-to-day values of the organization and how it gets things done. Tested aspects of this dimension include how well employees understand the organization’s values and whether they personally agree with the values.
The Respect dimension examines the employees’ perception of how they are treated within the organization. Tested aspects of this dimension include how employees are treated by management and supervisors, as well as how they are treated by colleagues and coworkers.
The Teamwork dimension examines how integrated and effective teams are within the organization. Tested aspects of this dimension include how well established team relations are, how willing team members are to share workload, and how friendly the relationships are within the team.
The structural layer of the BDI tests the stability, effectiveness and efficiency of the organization’s design and key business systems. The particular emphasis is placed on whether internal structures and systems enable the organization to fulfill its operational needs or are an active impediment to fulfilling operational needs.
The Organizational Structure dimension assesses how the organization’s internal structures and divisions are organized, and the impact that structure has on business outcomes. Tested aspects of this dimension include whether the current structure makes sense operationally, whether the current structure helps in achieving business outcomes, and whether the current structure allows employees to do their job well.
The Key Business Processes dimension assesses core internal business processes, and how well they support the organization in achieving its desired outcomes. Tested aspects of this dimension include how effective core business processes are, how efficient core business processes are, and whether or not core processes allow employees to do their job well.
The Internal Communications dimension assesses the level of communication occurring within the business and examines its impact on business outcomes. Tested aspects of this dimension include the level of emphasis the organization places on internal communications, the level to which internal communications help to achieve business success and the level to which internal communications help employees to do their job well.
The Human Resource Systems dimension assesses the overall efficacy of human resource practices in the organization, and the ability of these practices to support business needs. Tested aspects of this dimension include fairness of human resource practices, consistency of human resource practices across the organization, legal compliance of human resource practices, and whether human resource practices help the organization achieve its business goals.
The Information Technology Systems dimension assesses the overall efficacy of information technology infrastructure in the organization, and the ability of this infrastructure to support business needs. Tested aspects of this dimension include the degree to which software and hardware support the ability of employees to do their jobs well, and an overall assessment of the capacity of information technology infrastructure to meet the organization’s business needs.
The Physical Environment dimension assesses the impact personal and public workspaces have on business operations. Tested aspects of this dimension include the impact personal workspace has on an employee’s ability to do their job well, and the impact that the building environment has on the organization’s ability to meet its business needs.
The motivational layer of the BDI tests the ability of the organization’s reward mechanisms to motivate employees at all levels to be productive and contribute meaningfully to the goals of the organization.
The Salary dimension assesses the overall satisfaction employees have with the salary they receive. Testable aspects of this dimension include the motivational power of an employee’s salary, the relationship between workload and salary, and the relative placement of salary levels compared to similar jobs in your industry.
The Benefits dimension assesses the overall satisfaction employees have with the benefits they receive. Testable aspects of this dimension include the ability of benefits to meet the employee’s personal needs, and the relative placement of benefits compared to similar jobs in your industry.
The Career Development dimension assesses the overall satisfaction employees have with the organization’s capacity to contribute towards their ongoing training and development. Testable aspects of this dimension include the ability of the organization to support the training of employees to do their current job well, and the ability of the organization to contribute to the development of job skills needed to advance their career.
The adaptive layer of the BDI tests the level of flexibility and resilience of the organization and its people. It also provides a Stress / Satisfaction Offset Score (SSOS) that can help to predict future turnover and absenteeism levels as well as employee health outcomes. The SSOS is based on widely accepted academic and industry research on the components of a healthy work environment. A basic PDF backgrounder on the SSOS can be downloaded here.
The Stress and Workload dimension assesses the levels of workload occurring in the organization, the amount of stress occurring as a result, and the level of relationship between the two. This dimension also assesses the stress component of the stress/satisfaction offset score. Testable aspects of this dimension include the capacity for employees to complete work within regular work hours, whether workload expectations are reasonable, the prevalence of workload related stress and the level of workload related fatigue occurring.
The Personal Empowerment dimension assesses the levels of reward and decision-making capacity of employees in the organization. This dimension also assesses the satisfaction component of the stress/satisfaction offset score. Testable aspects of this dimension include the level of involvement employees have in decisions that impact their work, levels of recognition employees receive for good work, and the level to which employees can implement new ideas in their jobs.
The Organizational Resilience dimension assesses the capacity of the organization to adapt to change occurring within itself. Tested aspects of this dimension include the willingness to accept change when it occurs and the willingness to adopt new policies and systems when needed.
The Personal Resilience dimension assesses the capacity of employees to adapt to change occurring within their organization. Tested dimensions include the willingness of individuals to accept changes within the organizations when they occur, and the ability to see such change in a positive manner.
The outcome layer of the BDI tests the final impact of all of the prior layers on overall job and organizational satisfaction.
The Job Satisfaction dimension assesses the level of satisfaction an employee has towards their current job within the organization. Job satisfaction levels are one of the main determinants of an individual’s overall productivity, as well as their willingness to provide “discretionary effort”, in other words, to go the extra mile for the benefit of the organization.
The Organization Satisfaction dimension assesses the level of satisfaction an employee has towards the organization that employs them. Organization satisfaction levels are one of the main determinants of an individual’s overall longevity within the organization, and have a strong impact on turnover and absenteeism rates.
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