Organizational Health Indicators

why do we keep measuring engagement when we all know it's a lagging indicator of organizational health? it's like checking your weight to figure out if you've been eating well. sure, there's a correlation. but by the time you see the change, the habits were formed weeks ago. what engagement surveys actually tell us: ↪️ how people felt last quarter ↪️ what problems existed months ago ↪️ which issues we should have addressed already what they don't tell us: ↪️ what's breaking right now ↪️ where the next crisis will emerge ↪️ how to prevent the next wave of resignations we're trying to predict tomorrow's weather by looking at last month's forecast. the real indicators of organizational health happen long before engagement scores drop: ↪️ how decisions get made ↪️ where information flows (or doesn't) ↪️ when people speak up (or stay quiet) ↪️ why meetings get scheduled (or cancelled) ↪️ which conflicts get addressed (or avoided) let's stop measuring how engaged people are. and start measuring what's blocking them from doing their best work. because by the time your engagement scores drop, you're already months late to the conversation.

Before a company breaks publicly, it breaks quietly inside the org chart. You feel it in the small cracks: - Decisions slow down - Teams duplicate work - Top talent leaves without warning It’s not a culture issue. It’s a structural one. Org health declines when roles blur, priorities shift, and no one’s sure who owns what. By the time it shows up in KPIs, it’s already systemic. Most leaders look for answers in culture decks or engagement surveys. But the root cause usually lives deeper; in structure, clarity, and ownership. If your teams can’t answer: Who owns this? Who decides? What are we solving for? You have an org design issue which inevitable becomes an org health issue. Because the early signs don’t show up in surveys. They show up in the org chart.

🚨 After coaching 500+ people going through interviews and coaching sessions over the years, I've identified some pattern: The most enticing job opportunities often conceal the deepest organizational dysfunctions. Here's what my research in organizational behavior has taught me about the subtle psychological cues that signal troubled workplace cultures: 1. The "Multiple Gateway" Phenomenon My experience shows that companies requiring 4+ interview rounds often struggle with decision paralysis at the leadership level. This typically correlates with a higher rate of operational inefficiencies. 2. Cultural Opacity Syndrome When leadership can't articulate culture clearly, it's not just communication failure. It predicts an average 3x higher rate of employee disengagement within the first year. 3. Role Elasticity Red Flag The phrase "wearing many hats" deserves special attention. I found that it correlates strongly with understaffing and resource allocation issues in most cases. 4. Predecessor Narrative Pattern How organizations discuss former employees is a powerful diagnostic tool. Negative narratives about predecessors predict toxic leadership patterns. 5. Development Avoidance Indicator Organizations that sidestep growth discussions typically show what I call "stagnation mindset" - a leadership philosophy that stunts both individual and organizational development. 6. Temporal Respect Theory My research consistently shows that interview punctuality and preparation are reliable predictors of organizational health. They reflect deeper systemic issues in most cases. 7. Compensation Deflection Tactics The "mission over money" narrative often masks what I've termed "compensatory cognitive dissonance" - organizations attempting to justify subpar compensation with emotional manipulation. 8. Work-Life Integration Deficit Companies that glorify overwork typically score lowest on my Organizational Health Index (OHI) 🙂, showing a drastically higher burnout rates. 🎓 Remember: These aren't just red flags - they're diagnostic indicators of organizational health. What's the most concerning interview signal you've encountered? Share your experience below. #OrganizationalPsychology #LeadershipDevelopment #CareerGrowth #WorkplaceCulture #ExecutiveCoaching

Psychological safety is the best indicator of cultural health in an organization. Yet so many fail to measure it properly, if at all. When it comes to measurement, I find the simplest definition of culture to be the most helpful: Culture is the way we interact. So how do we assess culture? By evaluating the way we interact. Each piece of culture eventually finds its way to the human interface. We use a scale called PSindex™ to measure psychological safety with our clients. To ensure we're measuring accurately at the human interface, we measure at the level of the intact team. Why? Two reasons: 1. The majority of interactions happen at the team level. 2. The leader is the # 1 variable in team performance. In today's episode of The Leader Factor, Junior Clark and I discuss what we've learned as we've built the only psychometric scale that measures psychological safety across its four stages, and how we've implemented it in organizational change initiatives across the globe. Give the episode a listen and let me know what you think. How do you measure psychological safety in your organization?