Your Most Important Choice

Perhaps you've already said to yourself "Wait a minute! What does this author mean by 'my organization'? Is he talking about the division I work for? The specific department in which I work? The company as a whole? The multinational Fortune 500 firm that own the company? Each of these operates quite differently. Which one can I legitimately call 'my organization'?"

This is a critical question - but it's not hard to answer.  As you complete the Archetype Assessment, you should consider your organization to be the entity:

• whose performance, competitiveness, or bottom line you want to improve;
• to which you want to make a greater contribution; and
• where you are able to make a genuine difference

If you are not part of a business line function, some of the questions may be difficult to answer at first because you and your colleagues may not always think in terms of customers and markets.  Nevertheless, you can still use the Archetype Assessment very effectively.  For example, you may consider your customers to be the people within your organization whom you serve or report to.  Or, if your unit provides a company-wide support function, you may choose to define "customers" as "all leaders and employees."  Another option: you may define your customers as the people who buy your organization's products and services.  Remember, how you answer the questions should be based on what you hope to understand, change, or improve.

A general knows his troops and their capabilities, and creates a battle plan that makes the best use of those capabilities.  However, until he is aware of the conditions under which his troops will be fighting, he will not be able to organize them for success on the field.  Becoming aware of these conditions for your own organization is the purpose of this assessment.

Remember that the Perfect Biz Match assessment is a highly practical tool, not an academic or theoretical exercise.  Its purpose is not to get key people to say, "Gee, isn't that interesting."  Rather, the assessment has been designed to help managers understand the conditions of battle - and to either change those conditions or change their battle plans to best respond to those conditions.

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Perfect Biz Match AssessmentAssessment Take just a few minutes to fill in your answers (on a 0-10 scale) to 40 questions.  You'll learn much about your organization, your market, how well they fit together, and what steps you can take to improve your prospects for profitable growth. This FREE 40-question assessment has been validated by academicians and business leaders in all kinds of industries. Read More Taking the Assessment Normally the 40 questions take about half on hour to complete, but allow yourself 45 minutes, so you have time to review and reconsider your answers if you wish. Consider each question carefully.  Don't try to hurry through.  If at all possible, complete the assessment in private, when you're not feeling rushed, pressured, or distracted - and when you can focus on it 100%.  Read More Your Most Important Choice Perhaps you've already said to yourself "Wait a minute! What does this author mean by 'my organization'? Is he talking about the division I work for? The specific department in which I work? The company as a whole? The multinational Fortune 500 firm that own the company? Each of these operates quite differently. Which one can I legitimately call 'my organization'?" Critical questions - but not hard to answer.  Read More A Key to the Descriptors The 40 questions in the Archetype Assessment are designed around four market descriptors and four organizational descriptors, which you will recognize from previous chapters. Read More