Relationship Issues Diagnostic

Relationships are absolutely critical in successfully navigating today’s Complex, uncertain, volatile and ambiguous commercial environment.

But commercial relationships are in trouble.

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Too many of these critical commercial relationships are stuck: missed outcomes, rising tension, mounting frustration.  Despite everyone’s best efforts:

  • 80% of these relationships fail to realize expectations
  • Value leakage can reach 20%

Teams are exhausted. Outcomes are slipping. Trust is wearing thin.  And CCM professionals are feeling it:

  • Blindsided by disconnects they didn’t see coming
  • Caught-up in misunderstandings and inefficiencies that often lead to conflict
  • Increasingly weighed-down by a heavy sense of disillusionment

This is more than inefficiency. It’s a quiet breakdown.

Everyone is overwhelmed by busyness. Everyone knows that this isn’t sustainable.

Not financially. Not operationally. Not emotionally.

And it’s not currently getting any better.

We’re not even aligned on what the issues are!

You know the feeling: you’re doing everything expected of you.

Meetings, KPIs, escalations.

Establishing rapport with your counterparts. 

But still the outcomes aren’t there. Frustration builds. Deadlines slip. Trust frays.

And no one can agree on what’s really going wrong or what to do about it.  Hence the influx of more training, tighter standards, and smarter tech.

But none of these things can deliver the results so many hope for – or expect – because none of them directly addresses the real issue.

It isn’t capability.  It isn’t behaviors.  And it won’t be solved by creating more breathing space with AI.

Critical relationships are faltering because people are working from different assumptions about what matters, how to prioritize, and what success looks like.

And what isn’t aligned quietly becomes misaligned, leading to misassumptions, misunderstandings, risk, waste and – all too often – failure.

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The solution: the Relationship Issues Diagnostic

The old world is defined by Contract Management – focused on obligations, compliance, and firefighting after the deal is done.

The new world is defined by Value Management – a proactive, participatory approach that engages and aligns people around what truly matters, empowering them to act on it.

But if you’re not even sure of what the issues are and how painfully they’re felt, then this is a great place to start.

Clear benefits

Here’s what the Relationship Issues Diagnostic‘s clear, data-driven report will give you:

  • Clarity on what’s really getting in the way of success – not vague ideas or repackaged best practices, but an unflinching look at the areas you’re not currently measuring or managing
  • A shared view of what matters most – everyone involved gets the chance to evaluate what they think is happening, often in areas you’ve never been able to focus on before
  • Early warning signals you’re missing – by spotlighting areas invisible to your KPIs or systems, you’ll see problems you didn’t realize were forming, before they escalate
  • Specific areas for targeted improvement – you’ll get a roadmap for turning things around and see clearly how and where to act to move the needle on your most important goals, fast
  • Hard evidence to support better decisions – use the results to influence upward, make the case for investment, or even renegotiate how the relationship is being run

Whether you’ve been burned by the contract, overwhelmed by operational complexity, or frustrated by capability gaps… this cuts through the noise.

It gives you a way forward — grounded in the truth of what’s really happening inside your most important commercial relationships — to raise the bar across the board.

And do it all without the need upfront for training, workshops, or systems integration. 

Don’t let relationship issues cost you even more.

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Contractual policing overrides partnership

Outcomes constantly threatened, revised or pushed back

KPIs viewed as manipulated or irrelevant

Staff don’t follow processes and no enforcement

Disconnect between rhetoric and reality

Difficulty attracting and motivating staff

Poor integration across IT platforms

Toxic behaviours go unaddressed

Communication mostly top-down and one-way

Operational overload and overwhelming busyness

Fragmentation between operational and leadership levels

Change is top-down and reactive

Regularly blindsided by external disruption

Site-level leaders more effective than central ones

Local teams not empowered to adapt

Leadership promises not followed through

Collaboration inconsistent and person-dependent

Frontline needs ignored in strategic decisions

“Them and us” culture undermines collaboration

Staff feel disempowered and disengaged

Lack of joint communication initiatives

Engagement of front-line personnel superficial or too late

Mutual distrust and blame entrenched

Lack of aligned purpose or mutual commitment

Short-term fixes trump long-term sustainability

Senior leaders remote and disconnected

Blame and defensiveness are default modes

Third parties brought in to attempt to resolve delays

Engagement varies wildly between sites

Micro-management and centralized control

“Cost first” mentality undermines quality and value

Meetings lack purpose, clarity, and outcomes

Solutions pursued only after cost implications considered

Poor rollout of IT systems hinders progress

No shared understanding of value between parties

Siloed teams and lack of cross-functional collaboration

Culture of “doing it my way” over standardization

No consistent strategy for information sharing

Cultural differences erode trust

Meetings perceived as performative, not productive

Systems not fit for operational needs

Performance reporting lacks transparency

Processes inadequate, inconsistent, or outdated

Fragmented leadership without unity or shared vision

Over-reliance on mass emails

Poor mutual understanding of roles and responsibilities

Too many redundant and unfocused meetings

Feedback not listened to or acted upon

High staff turnover and retention issues

Disconnect between leaders and operational realities

Adverse impact on staff morale and well-being

No shared vision or stability in leadership

Poor communication flow from leadership

Leadership doesn’t model unity

Local relationships stronger than systemic ones

Low morale due to overwork and poor recognition

Power imbalances prevent fair engagement

No learning or improvement from metrics

Joint ownership of issues rare

Culture of blame dominates discussions

Lack of leadership ownership and accountability

Not enough shared objectives across organizations

Systems contribute to inefficiencies and increase risk

Blame culture dominates problem-solving

Overburdened leaders struggle to prioritize people

High leadership turnover disrupts relationships

Widespread lack of trust in leadership

Unclear roles and decision-making authority

Assurance processes seen as tick-box exercises

Little cross-communication on issues

Poor planning, preparation, and follow-through

Stated high-level objectives don’t guide the day-to-day

Disconnect between corporate and operational messaging

No shared identity or ethos

Problems ignored or solutions take too long

Decisions perceived as financially motivated

New IT systems poorly implemented and not user-friendly

Fear-based culture suppresses initiative and collaboration

Statements perceived as corporate lip service

Lack of feedback or corrective actions

Personality clashes hinder teamwork

Contractual compliance works against relationship quality

Senior leaders seen as distant or invisible

Crisis management replaces structured planning

Staff feel unsupported and isolated

Communication chaotic, unclear, and untimely

Need for consistent presence and clarity

Culture of fear undermines effective decisions

Centralized decisions override local needs

Lack of effective and relevant training and user guidance

Staff unaware of or disconnected from mission statements

Blame-shifting instead of problem-solving

Misalignment between expectations and outcomes

Adversarial relationship dominates interactions

Staff don’t believe metrics reflect real work

IT systems cumbersome, slow, and confusing

Change fatigue widespread among staff

Disconnect between targets and end results

Inconsistency in auditing and follow-up

Contracting parties have fundamentally conflicting goals

Value perceived through profit, not impact

Important messages often lost or ignored

Disconnect between values and leadership behavior

Relationship Issues Diagnostic

Gather and report back on the diverse perspectives on key issues:

  • Inadequate Performance
  • Financials Dominate
  • Resource Constraints and Challenges
  • Meeting External Requirements
  • Accelerating External Disruption
  • Contractual Disputes
  • Ineffective Issue Handling
  • Ineffective Communications
  • Lack of Directness and Openness
  • Technology and Data Problems
  • Diverse Sites and Stakeholders
  • Unclear or Mismatched Governance Structures
  • Restricted Empowerment
  • Cultural Inconsistencies
  • Resistance to Change
  • Unclear and Misaligned Expectations
  • Contracts vs Relationships
  • Aspirations vs Actuality
  • Value Not Recognized
  • Unfairness and Blame
Proven Benefits

Engage with the diagnostic to begin unlocking these real-world benefits

Alignment reduces waste, streamlines processes, and boosts productivity:

  • Improved productivity and reduced waste
    Alignment minimizes resource drain and focuses efforts on priorities
  • Resource efficiency
    Organizations achieve more with fewer resources when aligned
  • Smoother value delivery
    Processes flow efficiently from customer to supporting teams
  • Realized synergies
    Stalled efforts gain momentum, and friction decreases

Alignment fosters collaboration, trust, and engagement across the organization:

  • Stronger collaboration and teamwork
    Shared goals foster a unified working environment
  • Clearer communication
    Alignment ensures everyone understands priorities and objectives
  • Increased trust and better relationships
    Shared values build sustainable connections
  • Higher morale and engagement
    Employees feel connected to a meaningful purpose

Alignment enhances adaptability, resilience, and cohesive decision-making:

  • Enhanced agility and adaptability
    Alignment enables quick, purposeful responses to change
  • Greater resilience
    A cohesive system withstands uncertainty and pressure
  • Improved consistency and coherence
    Efforts align across the organization for a unified approach
  • More effective decision-making
    A shared focus streamlines choices and actions
  • Sustained strategic and operational strength
    Clarity, efficiency, and cohesion drive success

Alignment drives innovation, responsiveness, and customer satisfaction:

  • Boosted innovation
    Valuing insights leads to practical, creative solutions
  • Improved market responsiveness
    Alignment sharpens anticipation and speeds delivery
  • Better customer satisfaction
    Focus on customer needs improves outcomes.
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Begin to Gauge Alignment

identify where there is and isn’t convergence of perception

Start to Diagnose Issues

spot potential issues before they turn in to serious problems

Indicate Strengths

find apparent areas of best practice that could be shared to improve outcomes

Trusted by Leaders

“It’s been really fascinating, gratifying and surprising to not only uncover misperceptions but also empathy, and the desire to fix those misperceptions. It’s been really extraordinary.”
Sally Guyer
Global CEO
WorldCC
“To understand reality, we needed to understand the perceptions first. It allowed us to capture perceptions efficiently so we could begin to investigate reality.”
Bernie Hannon
Senior Director, Strategic Alliances
Citrix
“It was such a difficult start to the contract… [The diagnostic] was absolute confirming evidence that we needed to do something… you’ve got proper evidence… our relationship measurement scores from them have [since] continued to go from strength to strength”
Mick Harris
Operational Relations Manager, Amey

More from Mick Harris on wider use of Diagnostics – full interview / highlights here.

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Align around things that matter

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use the Access Code you were provided

Frequently Asked Questions

We get it — there are many “silver bullets” out there.

This diagnostic isn’t a quick fix or a generic tool.

It’s a rigorous, collaborative process that uncovers hidden misalignments and overlooked value drivers that contracts and KPIs miss.

It helps your entire team see what’s really going on, so you can act with clarity and confidence:

  • It’s proven to scale — but feels deeply personal.
  • It builds insight before demanding action.
  • It fits how people naturally learn, decide, and engage.
  • It doesn’t impose or instruct — it invites and unlocks.
  • Most importantly: it works where other efforts haven’t.

This is not just another survey.

We understand people get “survey fatigue”, but aside from some superficial similarities, the purpose, nature and outcomes of this diagnostic are entirely different to a survey:

This is a structured diagnostic tool for synthesizing, comparing and highlighting differences in perspectives.

It will not only reveal misalignments you wouldn’t otherwise see, but it will clarify them through the specific detail of the Value Codes – focused areas you will be evaluating.

Alignment is a necessary foundation for success.

But it is very difficult to achieve and very difficult to know how far away you are from achieving it.

This diagnostic will give you an idea of where things really are, and establish a benchmark which you can return to later, to track change and evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken.

If everything is looking good, and if everyone agrees, then the diagnostic will start to substantiate this.

More likely, though, you’ll uncover areas of opportunity, where the diagnostic and report will:

  • Provide a constructive outlet to surface concerns regarding some key things that matter, and prepare to reorient around solutions
  • Encourage and support individuals that want to take a lead in understanding and making progress in developing alliancing capability
  • Clarify where to focus, which may include discussing and resolving different perspectives

True alignment doesn’t happen by accident.

Alignment happens when teams see their differences, discuss them openly, and take action together.

Absolutely.

Think of this as a powerful diagnostic lens that complements and enhances your current initiatives — helping to align efforts, prioritize actions, and avoid wasted time or conflicting approaches.

You’ll be asked to set a password to keep your responses secure (nothing will be shared with any third party).

After you’ve submitted your response, you can invite up to 6 other people to share their perspective.

Most participants complete it in under 30 minutes, and immediately after submitting their response, they each receive a personalized report that presents back and highlights aspects of what they have said. 

When all participants have submitted responses, a more detailed report is generated that synthesizes and analyzes all the data to identify:

  • Overall trends.
  • Specific areas that seem agreed to be of concern (and areas that seem to be going well).
  • Areas with a diverse spread of opinion, suggesting division or perception gaps to resolve.
  • Patterns amongst what has been surfaced.
  • Frequent terms used, which can be the beginnings of a shared language.
  • Recommended next steps.

Not at all.

While it’s especially valuable for high-value, high-importance relationships, any contract or partnership where outcomes matter can benefit. The approach scales to fit your needs.

Absolutely.

Your responses are 100% confidential, and results, not attributed to a named person, are only shared within your participating team.

Benchmarking is fully anonymized to protect your privacy at every stage.