Task Navigator™

internet tool supporting organizational development

Management historians report that the first references to task-oriented management, and rather to evaluation of how effectively the tasks were implemented, date back to the 3th century B.C. This was when the Chinese Wei dynasty assessed its subjects using a nine-level scale. It is interesting that even then doubts were expressed about the rationale and quality of that assessment – the uncovered materials tell us that “under the Royal Nine-Level Scale a person is rarely assessed for his service, but rather for popularity”. Other documents reveal that in spinning mills in Scotland belonging to Robert Owen, a social reformer and pioneer of the cooperative movement at the beginning of the XIX century, there was a building block made of wood and for every employment post. The building block was painted in a color denoting the employee’s service, so that everybody knew the level of service of everybody else.

Employees’ responsibilities as the nature of their work are to the organization what the dialogue is to a film or a thread to fabric, but who can write dialogues for self-guiding employees in a changing, unpredictable environment? How can work of which the essence is the continuous solving of new problems that are constantly arising be assessed? In order to answer those questions we need to leave behind us the myth of the just and omnipresent leader who shows every step that needs to be taken and correctly assesses every effort or failure. It is worth acquainting oneself with the ideas of self-organizing systems.

Task Navigator Methodology

Organizational development processes conducted by consultants using the Task Navigator help all members of the organization to single-handedly manage their day-to-day work and to adjust it to account for the changing needs in their environment. Organizations are after all in constant motion. Each of us has limited resources of time and energy, and the ever-changing circumstances require from us flexible management of those resources. If we are dedicated to one issue, there might not be space for another. When the circumstances and priorities are constantly changing it is worth making sure, on a regular basis, that our choices with respect to what is most important in our work are balanced with the views of persons making use of our work product. Therefore it is worth regularly finding out whether they consider what we are doing to be adequate.

The processes of updating employees' ranges of tasks and mutual assessment of performance of tasks are key for an organization's adaptability. The more frequently organizations redefine their goals and strategies, the more frequently they should review and modify employees' ranges of tasks. After all an organization’s objectives are realized through the performance of tasks. If we change the strategic objectives and the tasks remain the same, the new objectives will remain a list of pious desires. It is therefore worth restructuring the processes of updating employees’ ranges of tasks so that they can be conducted frequently and with little effort. By doing this organizations obtain much greater flexibility and maneuverability.

Consultants using the Task Navigator methodology will find it easy to guide a Client's organization through the dual-stage process comprising the updating of employees’ ranges of tasks and mutual assessment of performance of tasks conducted using the 360 degree method.

Task Navigator Internet tool

With the methodology provided by Advisio for updating ranges of tasks and assessing the way they are performed comes the Task Navigator internet tool, due to which this complex logistical process can be conducted quickly and without large administrative input. Task Navigator is a set of internet questionnaires and reports leading the consultant through the entire process step-by-step: from distribution of forms on which employees can describe their current tasks, through automatic sending of these descriptions to superiors to be checked, to generation of final Reports with an assessment. You will perform the 360 degree method using the innovative Advisio Contextual Scale©.

Use of the Task Navigator methodology and tool

Only certified organizational development consultants have access to the Task Navigator methodology and tool. If you interested in conducting strategic dialogue in the organization you run, you are welcome to do business with a selected consultancy and training firm licensed to use the Synergia tool. If you are a consultant, you can obtain access to the Synergia tool by taking part in one of Advisio’s certification programs.