| This research studied two divisions of a large department of state government as each participated in a structured, facilitated self-assessment process. The self-assessment model used was the Excellence in the Public Sector model, which is based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, adapted to the language and culture of the public sector. An organizational self-assessment is a structured communication process which can create a shared sense of where the organization is now, where it could be, its strengths and priorities for improvement, and where information gaps exist. This research studied the impact of a structured self-assessment process on participant identification and prioritization of critical issues, organizational identity, and level of organizational identification. The goal of this research was to determine if the communicative processes of information sharing, negotiation, and consensus building, as developed during the process of conducting and participating in a structured organizational self-assessment, contribute to the creation of a shared sense of critical issues and relative priorities among the participants. The data obtained during this research confirm that this does takes place by comparing the issues and priorities identified by organization members prior to and after participating in a self-assessment process. This research also determined that participation in a self-assessment process changes the perception of the participants on the organizational identity. The data obtained in this research was not consistent on the question of organizational identification at either the work group or the organizational level; therefore, it cannot be concluded that self-assessment results in stronger organizational identification. |
