SMEX Organisational Diagnostic
Diagnosing Before Designing
ALTEHR supported SMEX through a comprehensive organisational diagnostic designed to understand the organisation beyond surface-level challenges. Through workshops, confidential interviews, an anonymous staff questionnaire, and organisational review, the process examined leadership, management, roles and accountability, communication, collaboration, performance, employee experience, and organisational systems, translating the findings into clear priorities and practical directions for SMEX’s next stage of development.
ORGANISATIONAL DIAGNOSTIC.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Helping a mission-driven organisation understand how it works today to shape how it grows tomorrow.
SMEX is a regional digital rights organisation whose work is driven by a strong mission, collaborative culture, and commitment to its people.
As the organisation continued to grow in size, scope, and complexity, ALTEHR was engaged to conduct an organisation-wide diagnostic across its people, management, organisational, and HR systems. Through workshops, confidential interviews, an anonymous staff questionnaire, and organisational and systems review, we built an evidence-based picture of what was working well, where greater clarity and consistency were needed, and which priorities should shape SMEX’s next stage of organisational development.
THE CHALLENGE
SMEX was entering a stage where its growth, evolving ways of working, and increasing organisational complexity were placing greater demands on how people, teams, decisions, and responsibilities connected across the organisation.
While the initial conversation centred on management development, it became clear that designing a programme too early risked treating symptoms rather than the wider organisational conditions behind them. SMEX needed a clearer, evidence-based understanding of what was working, where inconsistencies were emerging, and which areas genuinely required attention.
ALTEHR’S ROLE
ALTEHR designed and led a comprehensive organisational diagnostic spanning people, management, culture, organisational systems, and employee experience.
We combined leadership and staff workshops, confidential interviews, an anonymous questionnaire, and organisational and systems review to build a multidimensional evidence base. Rather than relying on individual comments or isolated findings, we triangulated insights across the different activities to identify recurring patterns, distinguish organisational strengths from systemic gaps, and translate the evidence into clear priorities and recommended directions for SMEX’s next phase of development.
KEY AREAS OF SUPPORT
With ALTEHR’s support, SMEX gained a clear, evidence-based picture of how the organisation is functioning today and where greater clarity, consistency, and accountability are needed. The diagnostic translated perspectives from across the organisation into prioritised findings and practical recommended directions, giving SMEX a stronger foundation for decisions around governance, management, communication, performance, and its next stage of organisational development.