The following model is one of the diagnostic tools I use to help clients assess their organizations and to safely talk about the intangible dimension of business. (See Figure 1.) The use of this simple, yet powerful, tool is a way to engage people in a rich discussion about the organization's real issues, and about the implications of their level of focus on the tangible (e.g. results, action, profits, market share, systems, structures, technologies) and the intangible ( e.g. vision, heart, creativity, meaningful work, individual and team spirit) dimensions of business.

Figure 1

The rich discussion provides both depth and breadth of knowledge and insight needed to ultimately make decisions about what change strategies, if any, should be implemented to help the organization move toward high performance.

The model works in this manner: First engage an individual or a group in a conversation about what is happening in their organization. Then draw a vertical line on the left side of a piece of paper (any paper will do from a flipchart to a napkin.) Label this line "tangible". Ask your audience to describe the organization's focus on the level of tangibles in their organization. For example, ask how much focus the organization places on profits, reducing expenses, and so forth. Most people plot the vertical axis as high (one executive group asked if there is a higher rating than "high!") Place a dot on the vertical axis to indicate their assessment of the tangibles.

Next, lead your audience in a discussion about the level of focus on the intangible dimension (horizontal axis.) For example, you could ask "to what extent are people in the organization 'turned off or turned on' about working here?" To what extent are they inspired to be creative, innovative, etc." The response to this question is usually moderately low. Draw the "intangible" line horizontally as shown in the model below. Place a dot on the horizontal axis to indicate visually the response. Now connect the vertical and horizontal dots.

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