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Each organisation is like a living organism. More often than not, when an organism is affected by some conditions, it already has the resources it needs to solve the problem. In an organisation, this resource is the people. The human body sometimes requires some functions to be improved, or some activities and processes to be reactivated. Similarly, an organisation may be in need to reactivate those constructive mechanisms that can heal and solve difficult moments and the underlying conditions. Given that, we identified 10 conditions that can affect organisations because of physiological, or in worse cases, pathological, reasons. We have played with the metaphor and together with the main conditions, we identified some secondary diseases, possible causes, which parts of the organisations are affected, and we designed a self-diagnosis test that will help you to better understand how healthy your organisation is.

The following tests have no scientific value, they are just a way to play ‘seriously’ and they represent an opportunity to reflect on your organisations’ dynamics. The tests are also a way to introduce you to the possible paths that might help you to improve or to keep up your organisation’s wellness.

Identity crisis

Description: The identity crisis is often a physiological condition that can affect younger organisms, mature ones that underwent major transformations and changes, or it can be caused by ageing. The lack of a clear identity makes it difficult to collaborate and interact with other organisations and it affects the vision about the future. It may lead to strategic arrhythmia.
Common symptoms: Identity crisis | Multiple personality | Growth or ageing related conditions | Bipolar personality
Possible causes: genetic and physiological changes
Involved parts: Top level managers (CEOs, board members, presidents… all the people in charge of controlling and managing the whole organisation) and middle level managers (executors, department directors…). The first ones define the goals, objectives and strategic planning, the latter, who have directive and executory functions, should share the organisation’s mission and vision.
Suggested Path: Identity >>

Strategic Arrhythmia

Description: strategic arrhythmia is characterised by an extreme sensitivity to external changes that leads to mood swings, changes of directions, contradictory and inconsistent behaviours. The future is blurred and it is perceived as a threaten. Strategic arrhythmia may lead to a lack of neuro-motor coordination and, in some cases, to autoimmune diseases.
Common symptoms:: Blurred vision | Panic attack | Drowsiness | Slow reflexes | Phobias | Anti-social behaviours
Possible causes: External changes
Involved parts: strategic arrhythmia involves organisations’ heart – the middle level managers, those who have organisational and managerial functions and that follow the policies and goals set by the top management and who are in charge of the first-line managers and the teams and who are responsible for the results. Results should always be evaluated within a larger framework, considering middle and long term goals and should take into consideration the changes in the reference framework.
Suggested Path: Strategy >>

Neuromotor coordination deficit

Description: Deficit in the neuromotor coordination cause a number of imbalances and a waste of energy in the attempt to manage the working team. Such a condition leads to clumsy and disjointed actions and to an overall sense of stalemate. One of the typical manifestation is the request, at every level, to be directed and to be given clear instructions to follow. Neuromotor coordination deficits, if they are not tackled on time, may lead to autoimmune diseases.
 Common symptoms: Virus diseases | Drowsiness | Hearing impairments | Aggressive behaviours | Anti-social behaviours
Possible causes: It may be related to the environment or the social and relational context
Parts involved: All managers may be affected, including the executives, however top level managers are generally less affected. Each case needs a detailed analysis that takes into proper consideration the organisation and its structures.
Suggested Path: Team Building >>

Creative inertia

Description: creative inertia is a kind of mind laziness that cause an immediate fatigue every time the subject considers changing his habits. If the organism has identified the need for a change, the first reaction is to look for external experts that can lead the change. Innovation is perceived as an external factor that may be inoculated though it may lead to rejection crisis.
Common symptoms:  Lack of appetite | Depression | Exhaustion
Possible causes: inactive life-style and bad habits.
 Parts involved: Creative inertia may affect all parts of the organisation. Innovation can involve middle and long term strategies, but also operative strategies or single processes and basic procedures. Creativity can be useful to find new approaches in known scenarios or it can be pivotal to face the constantly changing external conditions. Contribution from everyone is essential to define and reveal new paths that would hardly be explored otherwise because of mental laziness and inertia.
Suggested Path: Creativity >>

Rejection crisis

Description: rejection crisis can happen in those areas of the organism that do not feel directly responsible for the problems and situations that required a change. A healthy part of the organism might face difficulties to adapt and to accept something that is perceived as alien. The rejection crisis can lead to dangerous imbalances and cause identity crisis.
Common symptoms: Infections | Bipolar behaviours | Aggressive behaviours | Phobias
Possible causes: Inner changes
 Parts involved: The main parts involved are the middle management and the first-line managers who often perceive change as an obligation decided and imposed on them by top-level managers. Changes in top management are seen as a threat by those who have organisational and managerial responsibilities as the change may put their positions and their working habits at risk.
Suggested Path: Change >>

Autoimmune disease

Description: These are disorders that affect the immune system causing reactions against parts of the organism itself, leading to major dysfunctions in the affected areas.
Autoimmune diseases may be caused by physiological conditions during the organism’s life-cycle (identity crisis, neuromotor coordination deficits, creative inertia, rejection crisis) that can lead to much serious conditions if not properly tackled.
Common symptoms: Infection | Bipolar behaviours | Aggressive behaviours | Phobias
Possible causes: Genetic or environmental factors
Suggested Path: Conflict >> o Diagnostic >>

Stress syndrome

Description: Stress is an adaptation to any external strain – also called the ‘stressor’ – that in some cases can have pathological consequences.
Stress related conditions arise from an inefficient adaptation system.
Stress may happen together with rejection crisis and may lead to to neuromotor coordination deficits or it can cause autoimmune diseases.
Common symptoms: Infection | Temperature | Insomnia | Aggressive behaviour | Headaches
Possible causes
Suggested Path: Stress Management >> 

Psycho-motor efficiency maintenance

Description: To maintain the psycho-motor system fully efficient, the organism needs to constantly perform activities that activate all its parts, testing its emotional reactions in everyday’s ordinary situations. Avoiding the risk to move from routine habits to indifference and then to apathy requires a constant psycho-motor exercise.
Directions: prevention of operational apathy, strategic abulia, fatigue and creative inertia or prior to demanding activities.
Part to be involved: psycho-motor efficiency exercise should be performed by all parts involved in the concept of a project, from managers to executors. Each part of the organism, beside sharing long and mid term strategies and the overall values, needs to fully understand their specific contribution to the activities required to achieve the results and their impact over time.
Suggested Path: Concept >> 

Metabolic efficiency maintenance

Description: The intake of external elements is a fundamental step to grant organisms’ survival. The quality of these elements determines the overall wellness of the organism. Evolved and self-aware organisms do not just check out the balance between the different nutrients or the caloric intake: processes’ and the traceability of the materials’ source is equally important for those who care about higher values, i.e., ethical issues. Senses – like the taste – are also an important factor to be considered when planning the right diet.
Directions: prevention of metabolic disorders
Part to involve: the intake of new elements represents a very important moment for the organism, as it enhance tissue renewal (the turn over), supports growth and leads the physiologic changes. Middle managers, who are in charge of teams’ internal dynamics and are responsible for the people they work with, define both the incentives to motivate people and the performance indicators: this means that they need to make sure that new elements are compatible with the organism and can bring in benefits and advantages for all.

Suggested Path: Human Resources >>