The role of follow‐up in achieving results from self‐assessment processes

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate follow‐up as a salient factor in achieving results from organizational self‐assessment. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 14 organizations involved in self‐assessment. Qualitative methods were used to analyze the follow‐up patterns in high and low achievers to discern key factors of follow‐up and their relationship to self‐assessment outcomes. Findings – The paper finds that high achievers appeared to engage in a consistent set of follow‐up activities. These activities included top management team dialogue that set the tone for follow‐up, a planning process that generated a large, documented action plan, and incentive and monitoring‐based implementation controls using existing structure. Research limitations/implications – Small sample size limits the generalizability of the findings. Larger empirical studies could evaluate the strength of the relationships between the factors of follow‐up and outcomes. Future research should also investigate why some organizations undertake follow‐up while others do not. Plausibly, degree of follow‐up might relate to uncertainty facing the organization, or the extent to which managers understand organizational processes. Practical implications – An organization can execute a picture perfect self‐assessment analysis and still realize little benefit if it does not effectively follow‐up on the findings. Effective follow‐up is driven by top‐management and cannot be delegated. Originality/value – This paper extends the literature by elaborating the role of follow‐up in the self‐assessment process.