It usually begins on a positive note by way of identifying and highlighting the system’s strengths. The exercise entails a walk through what makes the system tick and detailing best practices requiring continuity and reinforcement.
Harping on what works is the most likeable and appealing aspect. It is a problem free task. The simple reason is that highlighting the strengths adds credit to the system while giving a positive feedback to members of the organisation. This makes everyone involved feel worthwhile. However the next step, which involves a display of highlights of what is not working, can bring about a sense of discomfort and restlessness. The question of dealing with things which are letting down an organisation can be quite unsettling. But organisations truly and genuinely seeking to raise the quality of performance exploit limitations to develop appropriate interventions. It is worth noting that subjecting the performance of an organisation to serious scrutiny should necessarily entail recognising and accepting limitations and pitfalls. This, unfortunately, is often a no go area.
