Validity and Reliability of the Psychodynamic Organizational Diagnostic Instrument SyMOA: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study

TL;DR

This study introduces and evaluates SyMOA, a new diagnostic tool for understanding complex organizational dynamics to support sustainable change.

Contribution

The paper introduces SyMOA, a novel psychodynamic diagnostic instrument for organizations based on clinical diagnostic frameworks.

Findings

SyMOA integrates clinical, organizational, and systemic psychodynamic theory to analyze organizational challenges.

The study will assess SyMOA's validity and intercoder reliability using semistructured interviews and Krippendorff α.

The tool aims to uncover unconscious organizational conflicts and provide insights for targeted interventions.

Abstract

A comprehensive understanding of organizations is fundamental for implementing successful change measures. However, to date, there is no empirically testable, operationalized systems-psychodynamic organizational diagnostic method that can capture the deeper, more complex dynamics that are crucial for sustainable transformation. To address this gap, we developed the Systematic Multidimensional Organizational Assessment (SyMOA), a qualitative instrument based on an evidence-based clinical diagnostic framework, the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnostics III. SyMOA integrates clinical, organizational, and systemic psychodynamic theory and analyzes an organization’s challenges based on invisible and unconscious aspects, that is, those lurking beneath the surface. It hypothesizes 3 organizational dimensions: (1) current challenges based on the sociotechnical integration and organizational internal functioning level, (2) internal relationship dynamics, and (3) unconscious organizational conflicts. The SyMOA dimensions are operationalized into a semistructured interview guide and coding protocols for the analysis of the content. By capturing the underlying dynamics, SyMOA aims to provide a deeper understanding of an organization’s challenges and establish a solid foundation for targeted interventions.

This study aims to evaluate the validity and intercoder reliability of the SyMOA instrument.

For this purpose, semistructured interviews will be conducted with employees of at least 3 different companies in Germany. The evaluation will be carried out by calculating Krippendorff α to determine intercoder reliability. In addition, construct validity, content validity, and external validity will also be analyzed.

Recruitment and training commenced in May 2025. Data collection is planned for the second half of 2025, with analysis to follow thereafter. As this is a study protocol, no results are available yet. At the time of submission, 46 participants have been recruited.

This study will give methodological insights into the validity, reliability, feasibility, and acceptability of the SyMOA instrument. The findings are expected to help further instrument refinement and inform the application of systems-psychodynamic approaches in organizational diagnostics.

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