A short but highly effective presentation on the use of empathy in Business Analysis.

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The Empathic Business Analyst

2. Introduction
• It is easy to measure ‘something’.
• It is hard to measure the ‘right thing’.
• Knowing what you are not measuring is very
important because it can define things that you
may not take into account.
• Stakeholders’ feelings and attitudes are
extremely important and hard to measure; they
can only be revealed to a Business Analyst if the
stakeholders trust her and also trust what she
will do with that kind of information.
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3. Introduction
• Stakeholders’ feelings and attitudes are strongly
connected to the following concepts:
– Climate
– Culture
– Morale
– Identity
– Mission
• Climate and Morale are experienced at the
individual stakeholder level.
• Culture, Identity, and Mission are defined at the
organization or team level.
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4. Concepts Map
–Adapted from Kurstedt (2000)
Scope Concept Question Definition
Stakeholder
Climate
How do I fit in the
organization in relation to
other people?
The individual’s feelings, attitudes,
and perceptions of their current
relationship or alignment with the
larger organization.
Morale
How committed am I to
my organization and my
associates?
The dedication or commitment of the
individual to the organization and
what it believes.
Organization or
Team
Identity
-What do we do?
-Who are we?
What the organization is and does.
Culture
-What do we believe in?
-What do we stand for?
Collective shared feeling of or belief in
the organization and what it stands
for.
Mission
-Why do we do what we
do?
-Why do we believe what
we believe?
The purpose of the organization.
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5. Empathic Business Analyst
• The Business Analyst must seek to deeply understand
an organization’s Identity, Culture, and Mission.
• That initial understanding should carry into a better
empathy for a given Stakeholder’s Morale and
perceived Climate.
• Showing Empathy is a prerequisite for being trusted.
• By gaining trust the Business Analyst stands a much
better chance of learning important information about
any project or organization and what its members truly
think and expect.
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6. More on Culture
–Adapted from Kurstedt (2000)
• Culture is normative.
• Culture encompasses norms and expectations
that influence the way members of organizations
think and behave.
• Culture is something shared by members of an
organization.
• Values (what is important) and beliefs (how
things work) are central components of culture.
• Culture is deep and transcendent
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7. More on Climate
–Adapted from Kurstedt (2000)
• Climate is descriptive.
• Climate reflects the way the organization feels to
the people inside it.
• These perceptions include for example:
– Communication between superiors and subordinates
– Leadership style
– Interactions with co-workers
– Decision making processes
– Organizational effectiveness
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Consulting
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Consulting
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For Comments and Questions contact didier@pragmaticohesion.com
References:
• Kurstedt, H. (2000), Management Systems Theory, Applications,and Design,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - ISE Department,
Blacksburg VA. PP 1283-1306