Whether in subtle ways or blatant ways, one issue that is bound to come up in nearly every organization is that of control. People rarely admit they want to be the one in control, but in reality it’s an ongoing undercurrent in nearly every human interaction – especially in organizations.
Precision in language and clarity of thought go hand in hand. A few months back I was speaking with a leader about some work we were planning for his organization, and he said, “what I really see when we’re done is some kind of hybrid design.” While this appears to
In the organization design field, we often use the phrase, “Organizations are perfectly designed to get the results they’re getting.” In other words, if you want different results you have to change some aspect of your organization design. This principle has led to some big trends in the marketplace that
Working virtually is no longer the wave of the future. Readily available technology has made virtual work environments ever more prevalent, both within and between organizations. Virtual, networked organizations offer many advantages. For instance, holding a meeting on Zoom is cheaper, more convenient, and has a lower environmental impact than
Digitization has become a must for organizations that want to stay relevant in today’s marketplace. Digitizing streamlines many of the day-to-day operations of a business, allowing it to offer seamless delivery of value both internally and externally with customers. To digitize an organization is simple in concept, but that simplicity
Resource availability is one of the built-in challenges of managing organizational change. For successful change transformation to occur, leaders and teams must learn to work effectively within the constraints of resource limitations. Limiting resources vary from one organization to the next, but the scarcest resource of all for many is
Using the key principles of Agile in your organization design work can help you quickly produce customer-centric, flexible results.
As an organization grows, internal support structures evolve to handle certain services that are needed throughout the company. It needs HR to manage hiring and employee relations. It needs IT to keep the company’s technology assets running efficiently. It needs an accounting department to handle day-to-day financial functions. Teams across
The times of “stasis” in organization life are nearly gone, and the notion of being “Always on” transformation has gained more traction than ever (BCG). New frameworks, improvement approaches, and ways of working (such as Agile and digital transformation) are helping companies in very specific areas and markets manage constant
Deals are happening all the time – many with lots of hype from investors, analysts and executives. The right acquisition can combine break-through capabilities to deliver distinctive capabilities to the market. However, too often the promises of the deal never pan out. Each week I talk to executives who are