Assessments and Diagnostics

There are many benefits to evaluating the qualitative matters at play within an organization. A formal study by Ernst & Young, investigated the impact of non-financial factors on investor decision-making and the extent to which these are leading indicators of future financial performance. The highlights from this study, illustrated in Figure 1, provide some unique insights.

We believe the value of assessment is so strong in fact, that evaluations should be conducted annually and that no significant change effort should ever begin without first conducting a comprehensive assessment of the organization. Here are five reasons why:

1. Assessments provide an objective benchmark against which future progress can be measured, even if what is being evaluated is subjective in nature
2. Assessments insure that "top priorities" are indeed top priorities
3. Assessments provide a context for understanding why change is important, and even necessary
4. Assessments create a sense of ownership of the current situation and the need for improvement
5. Assessments encourage open communication between nonmanagement staff and leadership, a factor vital to successful change initiatives.

^{1.The Measures that Matter Study (1997), Ernst & Young Center for Business Innovation, Ernst & Young LLP.}

Diagnostic Suite of Assessments

2i^c Strategy Group (2ic) uses the Virtual CEO proprietary suite of research based "best practice" assessments. Designed to meet the needs of no-nonsense, time critical executives by helping them develop strategy and improve the performance of their company rapidly and conveniently.

Please select the following link for information and sample reports:

• Mastering Strategy Assessments