Formal organization structure gets a lot of attention from leaders and organizations, but an often under emphasized aspect of structure is linkages. Linkages are the informal mechanisms or structures that facilitate decision making, resource sharing, and work coordination across organizational boundaries. They are often necessary because the formal structure of
The idea of “passing the baton” in a relay race is often used as a metaphor for the handoffs that occur as work moves from one person or function of a business to the next. These transitions are critical junctures in organization transformation; being able to manage organization design “baton
Recently, I was with an organization that was doing some benchmarking, and we visited the sites of several companies with strong capabilities in supply chain systems and analytics. As I observed the analytical capabilities and listened to the discussions, I thought about the Information & Metrics side of the organization
Learn how bringing together a team with different backgrounds and experiences can increase your chances of organization design success.
When we are involved in major transformations, one of the first discussions leaders are eager to get into is the structure discussion . . . the new organization chart. Leaders also give enthusiastic consideration to the major business processes of the organization. In fact, leaders easily see the wisdom of
Every organization likes to build muscles around their ability to facilitate organization transformation. Internal capability building in disciplines such as organization design, change management, and program or project management is an excellent way to do this. However, we must take care to bridge the gap between theory and practice when