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Organization structure is one of the managerial components with significant impact on organization capability and performance. People in an inappropriate organization structure may not experience an immediate, acute pain, but the cost of an ineffective structure is in fact very high - as it can undermine the organization s value proposition and desirable culture, obstruct work processes, upset customers, wreck havoc on people-related issues, e.g., workplace interactions, competency requirements, career opportunities. Smart organizations thus design their structure carefully to capitalize on their inherent strengths, and review it occasionally to ‘stay ahead of the game . Structure review/redesign is particularly necessary when external or internal organization context has significantly changed, rendering the existing structure ineffective to serve the organization s desired goals.
Despite the high cost of an inappropriate structure, a lot of organizations still adopt designs that undermine their own capabilities, performance and potential. Blunders we have witnessed in this area include:
- Structure as a sub-optimal solution allowing compromise of the organization s performance in order to circumvent unresolved issues concerning ‘turfs ;
- Structure resulting from poor ‘bundling of processes, activities due to fixation on a certain approach, in a situation where a more customer-focused approach would have led to more effectiveness and better performance;
- Structure as a convenient answer to people problems: piecemeal adjustment of the structure to suit arising people s needs, e.g., to accommodate a new promotion to senior management level, to respond to people s cries of limited career path;
- Structure as a trendy answer to unidentified problems: blind adoption of fashionable models touted as huge successes by the latest business magazines - without a real attempt to understand own organization needs.
- Etc.
In an organization structure design/review exercise, the most obvious goal should be the transformation of the organization s vision, mission and strategy into a formal structure that enables accomplishment of the work in the most effective and efficient way. At the same time, because people count, the design of organization structure as well as related systems and processes should be undertaken with consideration also given to values deemed important in the organization, e.g., perception of fairness, dignity. An organization structure, therefore, should also serve as a platform for people in the organization to unleash their potentials and proudly present their best accomplishment. The challenge for organizations, however, is how to balance these two requirements - to achieve both objectives under one single structure.
StructureChampion – An integrated organization structure design methodology by Signature Solutions
StructureChampion consists of conceptual framework, processes and tools to help organizations in the design/redesign of their organization structure to optimize performance effectiveness and efficiency without neglecting the ‘softer side concerning people s values and morale. It comprises 7 key steps as follows:
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StructureChampion - How does it differ?
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StructureChampion - offers a total solution based on our holistic approach to issues and problems concerning organization structure. Our work thus covers the entire range of organization structure design activities - starting from in-depth study of the organization to understand its internal and external context, macro and micro-level structure design/review - to helping organizations in identification of job-specific requirements and expectations. We take this integrated approach based on our extensive experience and strong belief that in matters concerning organization structure, quick-fixes and piecemeal adjustment could do more harm than good to organizations.
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StructureChampion - offers a customized solution in response to each organization s unique value proposition, capabilities and needs using our well-researched methodology in this field. We believe that, for such a strategic topic like organization structure, standard/patterned responses are inadequate, and intervention without in-depth understanding often causes more damage than non-action.
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StructureChampion - does not only deliver structures but also works with the client team to help highlight issues central to survival and excellence of client organizations. During the process, other inherently related issues can also be surfaced and taken into account in the design. This is how a new organization structure can make a difference to an organization – as it is the fruit of collective wisdom and insights resulting from a joint effort between internal and external sources of knowledge, understanding and inspiration.
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StructureChampion - in full application also provides coaching and advice to help clients transition through the organization change process and achieve the desired organization structure. Advice at this stage includes fully customized implementation plans, change management and pilot team preparation workshops, coaching and hands-on assistance on pilot-launch steps, recommendations on communication to win staff s buy-in, as well as tools to monitor progress and evaluate success.
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