Audits for organizational effectiveness: eight ready-to-use audits for organizations

It is often said that 'What gets measured, gets managed'. Unfortunately, most measures of organizational performance focus on the tangible, rather than the intangible human factors; although the latter are often the more significant. The eight audits in Dave Francis and Mike Woodcock's Audits for Organizational Effectiveness are located in the non-financial areas of organizational performance. Taken together they provide a broad set of data-gathering instruments and explanatory conceptual frameworks. The reference models on which each audit is based are rigorous and tested in practice. The authors present each audit not solely as a measuring instrument, but also as a collective learning experience intended to help those who are responsible for finding ways to improve organizational performance. Using the audits allows key members of the organization to share a common reference model and a strong conceptual framework from which to take initiatives and to develop targeted capabilities. Each audit is presented in a similar way. There are guidance notes for facilitators, an audit instrument, a theory handout, a score sheet, suggested exercises and overhead transparencies/PowerPoint slides. The authors' first volume of audits, Management Skills Assessment, has been used in organizations of all types right around the world - from internationally known commercial companies to major government departments. This new volume offers facilitators and organization developers the means to understand and improve performance in some of the most significant areas of the organization.