Why I Created the Open Assessment: a holistic approach to employee performance, retention, and satisfaction

The concepts of #PsychologicalSafety and #GrowthMindset have gained widespread recognition as critical factors for organizational success. Yet, despite the increasing awareness, many organizations continue to struggle with fostering an environment where these two elements coexist and thrive together. This struggle is what led me to develop the Open Assessment—a tool that not only measures an organization's level of openness but also provides a concrete, evidence-based pathway to meaningful and sustainable change.

What is Openness?

#Openness represents the space where psychological safety and growth mindset come together. It’s about creating an environment where employees feel safe to express ideas, take risks, and learn from mistakes, all while maintaining a belief in their ability to grow and develop over time. Inspired by the groundbreaking work of Amy Edmondson, I draw upon the the ideal of Psychological Safety, which ensures that employees do not fear retribution for making mistakes or taking interpersonal risks. I then integrate Growth Mindset, a critical habit of mind introduced by Carol Dweck, which drives continuous learning and improvement, increasing individual creative self-efficacy, and encouraging teams to extend the boundaries of their own performance.

The concept of Openness requires more than coupling these two concepts together. It requires an understanding of the similarities, differences, and complementary nature of Psychological Safety and Growth Mindset. I'll include more on this below my signature line. To keep things simple, Psychological Safety can be seen as the soil in which the seeds of a Growth Mindset are planted, nurtured, and allowed to flourish, leading to a resilient, innovative, and high-performing organization. That's as humanistic as Organization Development can get!

Integrating these two concepts in a meaningful, practical, and change-oriented way demands a holistic approach that considers various aspects of organizational design, team dynamics, leadership practices, and learning culture. This is where the Open Assessment comes into play and the fundamentals of Organization Development are incorporated.

What the Open Assessment Measures

The Open Assessment is designed to evaluate four key dimensions that contribute to an organization’s openness: leadership, teams, design, and learning. By examining these areas, the assessment provides a comprehensive view of how openness is functioning within the organization and identifies specific areas for improvement.

1. Organizational Design: This section assesses how well the department encourages bold ideas, facilitates collaboration across teams, and keeps policies adaptive to feedback. It also evaluates how effectively a department addresses issues impacting employee well-being and whether innovative suggestions are encouraged and rewarded through specific channels.
2. Teams: The team section focuses on openness within teams, where new ideas are encouraged, mistakes are treated as learning opportunities, and collaboration is prioritized. It examines how team members support one another, respect differences, and create an inclusive environment for all ideas.
3. Learning: This section measures how deeply embedded continuous learning is within the team’s culture. It looks at how knowledge is shared, how all voices are considered when implementing new strategies, and how experimentation and thoughtful risk-taking are encouraged.
4. Leadership: The leadership section assesses how leaders foster openness by encouraging unconventional ideas, addressing conflicts proactively, and modeling vulnerability and ethical decision-making. It also looks at how leaders seek and value feedback, and how they empower their teams to innovate and improve continuously.

What the Open Assessment Correlates

One of the unique aspects of the Open Assessment is its ability to correlate openness with key organizational outcomes such as performance, retention, and satisfaction. By understanding these correlations, organizations can better predict how improvements in openness will translate into tangible benefits.

• Performance: The Open Assessment identifies the specific factors that contribute to this increased performance, allowing organizations to target their efforts where they will have the greatest impact.
• Retention: The Open Assessment helps organizations pinpoint areas where openness is lacking, enabling them to address these issues before they lead to turnover.
• Satisfaction: Employee satisfaction is closely tied to both psychological safety and growth mindset. The assessment provides insights into how well the organization is meeting employees’ needs for openness, helping to create a more engaged and motivated workforce.

A Real-World Example: Openness in Action

To illustrate the power of the Open Assessment, let me share a real case study from a client of mine who is responsible for the health and safety of traditionally marginalized populations. Despite their important mission, the department was facing significant internal challenges. These included a lack of clarity regarding decision-making criteria, a pervasive rumor mill, uneven handling of conflict, and sharp periods of unsustainable workloads that made growth and innovation nearly impossible.

Through the Open Assessment, the organization identified four key drivers of openness that are statistically correlated with performance, retention, and satisfaction in their unique context. Armed with these insights, I utilized the Open Approach to guide department members in forming affinity teams consisting of both leaders and staff to co-create solutions.

Here’s what my client is now accomplishing through the Open Approach:

• Decision-Making Playbook: They are developing a playbook that provides clear, accessible decision-making criteria so that anyone can understand how leaders make certain decisions, and model their own decision making after these espoused values. This approach to transparency is designed to improve trust and ensure that decisions are more inclusive and aligned with the organization’s values.
• Rumor Transformation System: The department is also developing an open system that transforms rumors into real-time learning opportunities. By addressing misinformation promptly and openly, they are creating a culture where employees felt more informed and engaged.
• Conflict Handling Practice: A new standard practice for handling conflict is being established, ensuring that all disputes are managed consistently and fairly with growth and well-being in mind. This practice is designed to reduce tension and foster a more collaborative environment.
• Workload Flex System: They are developing a workload flex system that transforms debilitating workloads into opportunities for talent development. This is not only setting the department up to improve productivity but also enhance job satisfaction and retention.
• Regular Convenings: The department is also poised to hold regular employee-led convenings to address what Chris Argyris called “the undiscussables”—complex issues that, if left unaddressed, could undermine the department's effectiveness. These open, brave discussions will allow this department to tackle challenges head-on and fostered a culture of continuous improvement.

As a result of these initiatives, the organization is doing much more than solving immediate problems—they are fundamentally improving its own health. The results are striking, including an observable increase in employee engagement, collegiality, creativity, and self-efficacy. Openness is also transforming this department's employee value proposition, differentiating “what it is like to work here” with a practical plan that’s introduced to all new employees and continuously led and improved by the staff. Bottom line: by cultivating a more open department through practical improvements to design, leadership, teams, and learning, this department is transforming its ability to serve its constituents from the inside-out.

Who Can Use the Open Assessment and How?

The Open Assessment is a versatile tool that can be integrated into the strategies of various professionals, including:

• OD Consultants: For OD consultants, the Open Assessment offers a data-driven approach to diagnosing organizational challenges and developing tailored solutions that spring from transformative dialogue. It can be used as a baseline for facilitating large-scale change initiatives or for addressing specific areas of concern within teams or departments.
• HR Business Partners: HR professionals can use the Open Assessment to align their talent management strategies with the organization’s broader goals for openness. By identifying areas where psychological safety and growth mindset need to be strengthened, HR can design targeted interventions that improve employee retention, satisfaction, and performance.
• Organizational Effectiveness Professionals: For those focused on improving overall organizational performance, the Open Assessment provides a comprehensive view of how well the organization is functioning in terms of openness. This insight allows for the development of strategies that enhance collaboration, innovation, and adaptability.
• Organizational Design Practitioners: Practitioners in this field can use the assessment to evaluate and redesign organizational structures and processes that may be hindering openness. Whether it’s improving decision-making processes, redesigning roles, or enhancing communication systems, the Open Assessment provides the data needed to make informed decisions.
• Executive Coaches: Coaches can integrate the Open Assessment into their leadership development programs, helping leaders understand the importance of openness and how to foster it within their teams. This approach not only improves individual leadership capabilities but also enhances overall team performance.
• Change Management Experts: For professionals leading change initiatives, the Open Assessment offers a powerful tool for assessing readiness and resilience. By identifying key drivers of openness, change management experts can develop strategies that reduce change fatigue and enhance adaptability.

The Power of Automation

One of the key benefits of the Open Assessment is its automation. The assessment is designed to be user-friendly and efficient, with calculations automatically generated and emailed in an individual report (for free!), and access to Team Reports for those who are certified to use it. This means that professionals can focus on interpreting the results and leading the collaborative dialogue process, rather than getting bogged down in data analysis.

The automated system also ensures consistency and accuracy, providing reliable insights that can be used to drive meaningful change. It allows users to compare their perceptions of openness to all participants who have taken the assessment as well as the department they belong to. For those using the assessment with internal or external clients, this automation frees up valuable time, allowing you to focus on what matters most—facilitating positive change.

Why This Approach is Different, Concrete, and Effective

The Open Assessment stands out from other tools in several key ways:

1. Holistic Measurement: By evaluating leadership, teams, design, and learning, the Open Assessment provides a comprehensive view of organizational openness. This holistic approach ensures that no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of meaningful change.
2. Evidence-Based Correlations: The assessment goes beyond diagnosis to identify correlations between openness and key outcomes such as performance, retention, and satisfaction. This data-driven approach allows organizations to target their efforts where they will have the greatest impact.
3. Actionable Strategies: The Open Assessment isn’t just about identifying problems—it’s about creating solutions. The assessment leads directly to concrete, customized strategies that are tailored to the unique needs of each organization. This ensures that the changes implemented are both effective and sustainable.
4. Automated Efficiency: The automated nature of the assessment makes it easy to use, providing consistent and accurate results with minimal effort. This allows professionals to focus on leading the change process, rather than getting bogged down in data analysis.
5. Real-World Impact: As demonstrated by the case study shared earlier, the Open Assessment has a proven track record of driving meaningful change in organizations. By addressing the specific challenges that hinder openness, the assessment helps organizations create environments where employees can thrive.

My Invitation

The Open Assessment represents a new approach to Organization Development—one that is grounded in evidence, tailored to the unique needs of each organization, and focused on creating sustainable, meaningful change. Whether you’re an OD consultant, HR professional, executive coach, or change management expert, the Open Assessment offers a powerful tool for enhancing your practice and driving positive outcomes.

If you’re ready to explore how the Open Assessment can benefit your organization or clients, I invite you to take our free individual assessment and receive a customized report. For those interested in taking their expertise to the next level, our inaugural certification cohort offers an exclusive opportunity to become a leader in driving organizational openness.

Certified Open Facilitators gain advanced training on administering and interpreting the Open Assessment, leading collaborative dialogue processes, and implementing concrete, customized strategies that enhance performance, retention, and satisfaction within teams, departments, and organizations. Participation also supports the mission of OpenSourceOD to democratize OD knowledge and skills for anyone who wishes to facilitate positive change.

Together, we can transform the way organizations approach openness and change—creating environments where psychological safety and growth mindset thrive, and where employees are empowered to perform at their highest potential.

As always, I'm curious what your thoughts are!

Thank you for reading!

Dr. Bill Brendel

How Psychological Safety & Growth Mindset Complement Each Other!

Psychological Safety and Growth Mindset are both crucial concepts in creating thriving, innovative workplaces, but they stem from different theoretical frameworks and address different aspects of organizational behavior.

Similarities:

1. Encouragement of Learning and Development: Both Psychological Safety and Growth Mindset emphasize the importance of learning from mistakes and viewing challenges as opportunities for growth. In environments where psychological safety is present, employees feel safe to express ideas, ask questions, and take risks without fear of negative consequences, which aligns with the Growth Mindset's focus on learning and improving over time.
2. Positive Impact on Performance: Both concepts have been shown to positively impact individual and team performance. Psychological Safety fosters an open environment where team members can collaborate and innovate more effectively. Similarly, a Growth Mindset encourages individuals to persist through challenges and seek out continuous improvement, leading to better performance outcomes.
3. Cultural Foundations: Both theories underscore the need for a supportive culture where individuals feel valued and encouraged to develop. Psychological Safety ensures that employees feel secure in sharing their thoughts, while a Growth Mindset promotes the idea that abilities and intelligence can be developed, which both contribute to a culture of continuous learning and adaptability.

Differences:

1. Focus and Application: Psychological Safety, as conceptualized by Amy Edmondson, primarily focuses on creating an environment where employees feel safe to take interpersonal risks. It is about the group dynamic and the collective experience within teams or organizations. Growth Mindset, on the other hand, originated from Carol Dweck’s work and is centered on individual beliefs about learning and intelligence. It emphasizes the idea that abilities can be developed through effort, learning, and perseverance.
2. Origins and Scope: Psychological Safety comes from organizational behavior research and is deeply rooted in the dynamics of teams and their ability to function effectively in uncertain or high-pressure environments. It is often discussed in the context of leadership and management. Growth Mindset, while applicable in the workplace, originated in educational psychology and focuses more on individual attitudes toward learning and self-improvement.
3. Outcome Emphasis: Psychological Safety is fundamentally about reducing fear—fear of judgment, failure, or negative repercussions—which leads to increased engagement, creativity, and collaboration. Growth Mindset, however, is more about fostering resilience and a proactive approach to learning, with the belief that failure is not a reflection of one’s abilities but rather a stepping stone to greater competence.

Integration in the Workplace:

When integrated, Psychological Safety and Growth Mindset can create a powerful environment where employees are both encouraged to take risks and believe in their ability to grow through those experiences. Psychological Safety provides the necessary foundation for employees to feel comfortable engaging in behaviors that Growth Mindset promotes, such as embracing challenges, persisting in the face of setbacks, and learning from criticism.

In practice, leaders who foster psychological safety in their teams create the conditions under which a Growth Mindset can thrive. Employees in these environments are more likely to take ownership of their development, be open to feedback, and pursue continuous learning, leading to both individual and collective success.