Hello,
The company I work for has invited PWC for a organizational audit and has asked me to take part in the interviewing processes. Every function will have one person which will be interviewed.
I have mixed feelings about this. Into what extend can I give input on the organization it's strengths and weaknesses? In career tools it is always mentioned not to give feedback to your direct boss. Do have to treat the audit in the same way or am I a bit more free to say what is going on within my function and the organization?
What would you say is the best mindset or approach to take in this situation?
Focus on Results
Approach it positively as an opportunity to improve how you do business. The Career Tools advice still rings true: Don't give feedback to your boss, and don't throw anyone under the bus.
I have participated in two "quality audits" at my organization. I don't know what your organizational audit will look for, but ours looked for adequately documented processes that followed best practices. They asked questions, and we answered them promptly by providing what we thought was adequate documentation. If more was needed, they'd tell us. It was an open and honest dialog: Not us v. them, but all of us looking together towards a common goal.
At the end, the auditors would inform us of our weak areas. Don't take it personally that they'll find weaknesses. Instead, focus on delivering results to shore up those weaknesses. It may be as simple as creating some formalized documentation of existing processes.
- BJ
I know I sound like a broken record...
Yet I still recommend using the "briefing book" described in the Mergers and Acquisitions podcast. It's a fact-based means of organizing a presentation or conversation about your organization.
The "briefing book" also follows BJ's advice of being results oriented and moving the conversation away from the subjective.
http://www.manager-tools.com/2006/08/managing-during-mergers-and-acquis…
John Hack