The Building Blocks of Structure:
the science of designing high-performance organization charts

Abstract

A well-designed organizational structure dramatically improves performance by empowering staff as entrepreneurs, focusing them on professional excellence, and supporting dynamic cross-boundary teamwork.

Unfortunately, in many organizations, structure has evolved over the years in haphazard ways. Confusing boundaries and disempowering job definitions put people in impossible jobs, create conflicts of interests, and even pit people against one another. The result: a loss of customer focus, innovation, teamwork, cost control, and quality.

After nearly two decades of research and practical experience, a comprehensive science of structure has emerged. It identifies the basic building blocks -- the lines of business present in any organization -- and provides clear principles for assembling them into an effective organization chart. It also describes mechanisms for cross-boundary teamwork that gather just the right people on every project at just the right time.

This session gives leaders a practical overview of the science of structure, and of a participative implementation process that engages a leadership team in designing a structure that works for them.

Outline

* Why organizations exist: the fundamental science
of structure

* Structures that fail: learning from case studies

* The basic building blocks of structure

* How to design a healthy organization chart: the principles of structure

* Practical mechanisms of cross-boundary teamwork

* A participative process of structural change

Contact us to discuss your specific interests and requirements.