Organizational Health was initially defined by the late Matthew Miles from Columbia University as an organization's ability to function effectively, to cope adequately, to change appropriately, and to grow from within. He theorized that the level of Organizational Health was very important because it would:

• Help determine the level of success of any planned change effort


• Help predict the productivity of organizations

Furthermore, he identified ten key dimensions of Organizational Health. With Matthew Miles' permission and words of encouragement, Fairman and associates embarked upon a rigorous three-year, three phase process for operationally defining this important organizational concept. The Organizational Health Instrument (OHI) consists of 10 specific dimensions.