Organizational diagnosis in practice: a cross-classification analysis using the DEL-technique

In this paper, an empirical research about organizational diagnosis in The Netherlands is presented. The main research question is whether the usage of the kind of conceptual organizational diagnosis model and computer support in diagnosing problem situations is contingent upon background characteristics of management consultants and their agencies. The DEL-technique was applied to test a number of propositions among 72 respondents of a random sample of 300 Dutch consulting agencies. The results indicate that size of an agency, educational specialization, and work experience are important characteristics with respect to their usage of conceptual organizational diagnosis models. Computer support was not found to be dependent on management consultant and agency characteristics in the specific hypothesized relationships.