Behavioural Profiling: A Tool for Understanding and Improving Organizational Effectiveness

Organisational Behaviour (OB), the study of the dynamics of individual and group behaviour within an organization, is a captivating lens into the heart of an organization. In short, there are three facets to OB – the individual behaviour, the organisation itself, and the interaction between the two.

Challenges typically arise when individuals, each with a unique set of attitudes, and other personal attributes, come together in an organisational setting. In this context, OB refers to work-related behaviour that occurs within organisations.

The primary objectives of understanding the “why”, “how”, and “what”, which includes motivations, actions, and emotions, are to:

• Identify the drivers of employee behaviour: By understanding the underlying motivations or causes of employee behaviour, organisations gain an overview of what motivates employees, leading to effective engagement and productivity.
• Improve organisational effectiveness: Understanding the “why”, “how”, and “what” facilitates organisational effectiveness, ensuring the organisation operates optimally to achieve business goals.

Behavioural profiling to understand the team

Behavioural profiling plays an important role in understanding the behavioural processes that can impact an organisation. It involves assessing the characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of individual employees to match them to appropriate roles and teams.

When OB and behavioural profiling are used together, the insights enable managers to make more informed decisions. Much of what Renoir does boils down to a critical but often overlooked aspect of driving performance improvement – implementing the solutions and sustaining the results through behavioural change.

This is achieved through an organisational behaviour survey, which provides a comprehensive overview of existing gaps in the organisation’s current management practices.

Survey results are aggregated by hierarchical level to provide objective insight for future training, coaching, upskilling, and performance improvement programmes. The aggregation of these responses also facilitates the seamless integration of actions and efforts across the organisation, fostering a more cohesive working environment.

Questions to ask to identify pain points and opportunities

When designing an intervention to address current challenges, it is important to first understand the different perspectives of relevant stakeholders. This exercise will help to identify areas of concern and potential opportunities for improvement.

People:

Without people, there is no organisation. People, or employees, make up the internal and social system of an organisation. They come in individuals and groups; and groups can be dynamic.

In an organisational behaviour survey, questions at this stage may cover employees’ adaptability to change or acceptance of new processes and procedures; openness or resistance to organisational change; communication within the organisation whether it is primarily two-way or unidirectional, with information flowing from top to bottom; the prevailing leadership style; and the degree of synergy between different teams and departments.

Process:

In business, processes refer to the chronological sequence of steps taken to achieve a particular goal. Existing work processes serve as the resources by which employees carry out their duties and responsibilities. Without processes, the tasks they are required to perform may be affected.

When assessing the processes aspect, some of the potential questions are:

• Are the tools and technology available and provided by the organisation effective in supporting your work? Do you find them cumbersome and bureaucratic?
• Does the organisation take a more methodical approach to tackling challenges, or does it rely heavily on empirical experience?
• How useful are the meetings you attend in as part of your work? Do you find them bureaucratic and unproductive?

Results:

The primary benefit of an organisational behaviour survey is to identify the human and organisational variables that could potentially affect the results an organisation is trying to achieve. Consider asking:

• Clarity of objectives: Do you have a clear understanding of your role? How can your role contribute to the overall success of the project or organisation?
• Results versus Consequences: Do you feel that the emphasis on achieving results motivates you and your team members to do their best?
• Routine tasks responsibilities: Do managers within your unit focus on setting strategic direction and goals, while employees handle all execution tasks? Are employees given the autonomy they need to perform their assigned tasks effectively?

What next? Approaches to behavioural change

The survey is one of many studies that will be useful in developing a high-level roadmap for implementing new ways of working, encompassing both procedural and behavioural aspects.

Renoir has over 25 years’ experience in change management that focuses on achieving results through behavioural change. We focus on achieving results through changes to the organisation itself – strategies, tools, and people.