Organisation Design
If your current structure doesn't support your next stage of growth, you're unclear on where you need to be world-class or communication is ineffective - this page is for you. It all comes back to organisation design.
Organisation design involves an analysis of the gap between your current state and where you want to be, and the design of organisational practices to bridge that gap.
Design your business to adapt to changing circumstances to increase your chance of success.
Five steps of organisation design
1. Assess
Create a vision for the business (if one does not exist). Identify change readiness and build leadership support for change.
2. Design
Plan the implementation path - the alignment of processes, systems, structures, relevant HR policies. Define the culture and communication flows and create relevant training.
3. Design Structure
Design the structure you will need to be operating in when you achieve your ambitions and work backwards.
4. Implementation
Implementation is an ongoing process. Implement any job design/role changes and performance measures.
5. Optimise
Review, assess, tweak
Foundations
Five enablers to achieve great org design: leadership support, stakeholder engagement, change readiness, communication and involvement and training.
Organisation Structure
Have you got your structure right?
Consider:
Your growth plans
The key functions that drive growth in your organisation? (technology, sales, marketing)
The roles you have now and the roles you need in the future
Are you a multi-site business or single site, will you have a remote workforce?
What functions are outsourced, what is inhouse, will this continue?
What do your community groups and external stakeholders need from you?
Always ask: how is this structure delivering to the strategy?
Then consider the pros and cons of different structural models and design your future state.
Operating Rhythms
An operating rhythm is the process of communication between departments to ensure that operations are not interrupted.
Operating rhythms are a crucial part of organisation design, particularly relevant when a business is moving from one growth stage to the next, when communication challenges are being experienced or when the role of the founder is evolving. They exist to ensure that vital activities are performed in a consistent manner to a high degree of excellence across and within the business.
Design your operating rhythms
Why
Determine why you wish to create an operating rhythm for a vital activity
Define and Design
Identify critical activities and agree when and how often you want them to occur. Determine a “common way” about how these activities should occur.
Implement
Walk the talk. Start off with your rhythms first then roll out to the team. Reinforce through ongoing comms and activity.