Harrison and Shirom (1999) proposed a distinctive four-step
approach to organisational diagnosis termed ‘sharp-image diagnosis’,
which begins with a broad view of the organisation and proceeds
to a tightly focused diagnosis of critical problems and
challenges. The first step in ‘sharp image diagnosis’ is ‘scouting’,
which seeks to clarify the nature of service failures in the organisation
and to develop a preliminary view of the organisation’s
strengths and weaknesses. In the second diagnostic step, the core
problems and challenges are organised as a reference for the examination
of other parts of the organisation. In the third diagnostic
step, one or more focused models are developed to shape the organisation’s
response to its critical challenges.diagnostic step, consultants provide clients with an emergent diagnostic
model that incorporates the factors of time, resources, reward,
and information feedback. According to Harrison and
Shirom (1999), ‘sharp-image diagnosis’ bridges theory and practice
by responding directly to the distinctive conditions that shape a
particular organisation’s operations and its options for change.
The outcome of ‘sharp-image diagnosis’ is a model that provides
clients with a highly focused, multi-dimensional image of conditions
underlying basic problems and critical challenges.