Other than in ISO 9000 documents little thought has been invested in developing the aim, values and vision of the organisation.

The senior management of the organisation prepares aim and value statements over an intensive weekend.

The company has yet to address the systems and methods that are in conflict with the aim.

The company has yet to address the underlying assumptions or theories that are in conflict with the aim.

All employees generally understand the aim, values and vision.

There is widespread commitment to the values and aims.

The process improvement system is geared towards the aim of the organisation

There is little conflict between the aim and the operational systems.

At each management meeting the aims and values are revisited to ensure consistent commitment.

The company has developed an ethos of self-discipline.

The company have established a very high ethical stance - they will not pursue any activity that detracts from that stance no matter how profitable

We learn from experience

No recognition of the theories that underpin our organisational culture

No appreciation of the underlying theories behind statements such as "If we want more effective nurses we must pay them more" or " we need budgets and targets to maintain control"

Recognition that we see what we believe, not the other way around. In other words that we all have mental filters that sorts incoming information and rejects or distorts the data that does not agree with our mindsets or paradigms.

Recognition that we do have a unique management culture that is based on theoretical assumptions.

Am aware of the theoretical assumptions that underpin our management culture, am prepared to challenge my basic assumptions and compare them with the very different assumptions that are the foundations of alternative or modern thinking.

Have started to re-align the things I do - my approach to my management tasks

Fully aware of the basis of new management thinking, and have successfully transformed my personal mindsets or paradigms.

This transformation has changed my approach to my work

My section is starting to think and work in a radically different way

Am having a significant influence on my colleagues.

Have transformed the thinking of the people for whom I am responsible

My section is working from the basis of new or alternative thinking

I am an action orientated manager and susceptible to crisis management

I rarely have sufficient time.

I allocate little time to learning and challenging my paradigms.

Am conscious that I should take time to manage the future - "the important and not urgent."

I am moving away from being controlled by today's crisis.

I allocate a significant portion of my time to the long term and learning.

My learning is based on sound theories.

I have initiated improvement projects within my organisation.

I have taken action to diminish crisis management.

The majority of my time as a senior manager is concerned with the long term - with system design, coaching, and analysis of measures - all relative to the aim.

Improvement projects are beginning to make a significant contribution.

I insist that 10-15% of the time of my top managers is allocated to the long term and innovative projects (This 10-15% figure comes from 3M)

Dynamic improvement projects are driving change

Am analytical in my thinking, breaking challenges down into the component parts and assuming if the parts are right then the whole will be right. - Reductionism.

One of the manifestations of Reductionism is the belief that people are the main variable in organisations, if they can be got right through selection, appraisal, training etc then the whole will be all right.

The organisation is based on the hierarchical organigram and the language of the organisation is dominated by such terms as budgets, accountability, performance appraisal and rewards.

From the analytical mindset is the misconception that we can reduce complex problems into definable parts. And having defined the parts it is adequate to determine rules and regulations relative to the parts. (Convergent Thinking)

Recognition of the need to move away from reductionism to address the whole - in other words to move from looking at the individual parts to see how all the parts interrelate.

Acceptance that a good system provides good results and a poor system gives poor results.

Systems such as ISO 9000 and IIP have been developed

The company has the lower level or work face processes mapped.

There is a continuous improvement process that is forever improving the systems.

Personnel in the company are following these systems.

Senior management is taking responsibility for the systems, their design and continual improvement.

There is now a full set of process or systems maps that cover both workface and senior management processes.

The dynamic nature of these systems are recognised.

The organisation fully appreciates the aspect of "delay." That results are invariably far removed in time from the outcomes of an action.

Senior management take personal responsibility for the systems.

Full recognition of the many interdependent systems that contribute to the results. The need to manage and understand all of these systems (Divergent Thinking)

Recognition of those complex systems that are beyond representation in Flowmaps.

Recognition of complexity and the need to reduce chaos though the development of stable systems with minimal inherent variation.

There is a dynamic improvement process that is forever developing the systems.

Competition keeps people motivated and on their toes.

Competition between individuals is rife

There are power and domination relationships between boss and subordinate. Fear is used as a compliance tool.

There is recognition that we should work in teams.

That team working stretches beyond the confines of the organisation and includes suppliers and customers.

That interrelationships need to be identified and managed in a co-operative win-win climate.

As mentioned above we have started to map the processes and the interrelationships between functions

We are starting to develop an understanding of interrelationships throughout the organisation.

Initiatives such as "job visiting" is giving each employee a better understanding of the whole

All members of the organisation recognise their customers (internal & external) and take time to study the needs of their customers.

Senior management recognise that their subordinates are the customers of their design of the systems.

Co-operation and teamwork are the driving themes of the company.

There is full openness and honesty - staff are empowered to say exactly what they think and feel.

There is no fear.

There is a full and perceptive understanding of interdependencies.

Measures are tabulated.

There is no appreciation of variation.

The systems within the organisation are not managed, may be unstable and therefore contain excessive variation.

Key Performance Indicators(KPIs) are established relative to hoped for outcomes rather than capabilities of the systems

Measures are dominated by financial constraints - i.e. budgets and costs

Variances + or - the budget is assumed to indicate progress or decline.

Through lack of appreciation of variation management chase causes where none exist and tampering is commonplace

The existence of variation is understood.

The need to reduce and contain variation is recognised

Conversely there is a celebration in the variety of individuals and their differing strengths.

Through the development of systems (see above) measures and performance are being seen to be a function of the system not individual effort

There is a basic understanding of statistical process control (SPC) and how to portray data in a control chart format

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are in relation to the capabilities of systems.

Measures are also taken of softer issues such as morale and customer service.

The measure taken reflect the aim of the organisation

There is an appreciation of the difference between common and special causes.

KPIs are fully developed relative to the processes and systems within the organisation.

From an understanding of SPC everyone is securing knowledge from data.

The data that is being collected and analysed has meaning and is being used by those responsible for the systems.

The continual improvement process incorporates the knowledge secured from this analysis of data.

The company fully recognises the damaging and infectious effects of variation (Germ Theory)

There is a concentrated effort within the organisation to reduce the effects of variation.

The company balances the detrimental effects of variation with the benefits of variety.

Employees are thought to dislike work (X Theory) - They need "Direction and Control"

There is an emphasis on supervision and extrinsic motivators.

Discipline is imposed

There is low trust between leaders and employees

All staff are motivated by the same things (usually money)

The company recognise the difference between

Extrinsic and Intrinsic motivation.

The company recognises the damaging effect of a reliance on extrinsic motivators.

There is a recognition that we are all different.

The company has developed an aim and vision and has made progress in integrating the staff relative to that aim and vision.

Empowerment schemes are in operation and most people belong to some improvement project.

Self discipline and self managed learning is starting to be developed

Self discipline and self managed learning is fully developed

360' assessment of leaders by their staff is welcomed

As the focus of leadership has moved away from supervision and onto systems design a flatter management structure is being incorporated.

Grading of individuals is considerably reduced. The company can start to match individuals to jobs without the interference of grades and the desire to seek promotion.

The focus of the organisation is "Integration and Self Control" (Y theory)

The organisation sees the fantastic potential and creativity of people. They have developed the confidence of the individual and now are faced with the challenge of harnessing all this energy

Very high level of trust

There is a major element of democracy within the organisation. Leaders see their responsibility to their staff just as much as to the shareholders.