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Effective performance improvement starts with understanding the cause, not treating the symptom.
Diagnosis before prescription
Mythoclast is Pilsdonpen's capability diagnostic methodology. At its core, Mythoclast employs a rigorous, scientific methodology that draws upon established frameworks such as Gilbert's Behaviour Engineering Model (BEM) (Chevalier, 2003) and Cathy Moore's Action Mapping approach (Moore, 2017). These proven models provide the structure needed to analyse performance challenges with precision and objectivity.
From first conversation to a defensible diagnosis
Inspired by the discipline of professional investigation, Mythoclast systematically examines the factors influencing performance to reveal the true root causes of capability gaps. By distinguishing symptoms from causes, it identifies the business areas where intervention will create meaningful and measurable improvement, providing a clear pathway from diagnosis to performance excellence.
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Pre-engagement
Qualify
Before anything is committed, Mythoclast helps establish whether there's a real, diagnosable problem. A structured discovery, centred around 4 key pillars (Environment, Knowledge, Behaviour, Skills) surfaces the presenting issue, who's affected, and the early hypotheses about where the real problem actually sits.
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Definition
Scope & Frame
The diagnostic question is sharpened into something precise and answerable. The populations in scope, the stakeholders who matter, and the assumptions being made are all set down on the record. Everyone is agreed on what's being diagnosed before the work begins.
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Multi-source
Gather Evidence
Evidence is gathered from more than one angle: documentation, surveys, interviews, and direct observation. Each source is shaped by what the last one revealed. Triangulating across sources is what separates a genuine diagnosis from an opinion dressed up as one.
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Recommendation
Diagnose & Report
The evidence is synthesised into a clear, evidence-graded diagnosis: what the problem is, how confident we are in each finding, and a direct recommendation on whether training is the answer - and if so, exactly what it needs to address. This is what hands off to Athelion when learning is the right next step.
The four areas Mythoclast investigates
A diagnosis you can act on, and defend
Mythoclast doesn't produce a single score. It produces a set of connected artefacts, each grounded in the same body of evidence, that together make the path forward clear.
A defensible problem statement
A crisp articulation of what the diagnostic is actually trying to answer. The agreed starting point everything else is measured against.
A scoping memo of record
A document capturing the presenting problem, who's in scope, what's excluded, and the key assumptions, protecting both sides if questions are asked later.
Evidence-graded findings
Every conclusion carries an honest grade for the strength of evidence behind it, so you know exactly how much weight each finding can bear.
A clear recommendation
A direct answer on whether training is required and what it must address, or, just as valuably, the case for why a different intervention is the right call.
Built to be precise, honest, and defensible
The whole point of diagnosing before designing is to stop spending on training that was never going to move the needle. Three principles make that possible.
Precision compounds
Because every stage is grounded in the specifics of your situation, accuracy builds on accuracy. The diagnosis gets sharper the further it goes, never vaguer.
Evidence over assertion
Findings are graded by the strength of the evidence behind them. Hypotheses are held as hypotheses until the evidence earns the conclusion.
Defensible by design
Every diagnosis can be traced back to the evidence and reasoning that produced it. When a decision is questioned months later, the record holds up.
One ecosystem, three moves to competence
Mythoclast and Athelion are two halves of a single system:
Diagnose the gap,
close it, then prove it's closed.
Pinpoint the real gap before a penny is spent on training.
You are hereClose the gap with adaptive, personal learning at any scale.
Explore Athelion →Verify and report competence with hard, exportable evidence.
See the analytics →See what a real diagnosis looks like
Want to know whether training is actually the answer for your organisation before you invest in it? Request a demo and we'll walk you through how Mythoclast diagnoses the gap.
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