ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE WORK PLAN


The work plan for designing a partnering network comprises seven key steps:

  1. Determine design criteria for the partnering organization.

  2. Brainstorm options for the partnering network.

  3. Evaluate structure options.

  4. Build the case for the recommended structure option.

  5. Prepare new partnering organization charts.

  6. Revise or write new job descriptions to include a Partnering profile.

  7. Prepare an implementation road map.

Let's examine each step in detail.

Step 1: Determine Design Criteria for the partnering Organization

As suggested earlier, the first step in building a new organization structure is for the leadership team to agree on a set of specific design criteria for each department or function. For example, the leadership team may determine that the new organization should provide a centralized point of focus for stakeholder communications or identify a clear point of accountability for cost reduction and cost control, and so on. These specifications constitute the design criteria against which the options developed in step 2 will be evaluated. To arrive at this set of design criteria, we recommend that the leadership team conduct a series of facilitated discussions to consider the following factors:

  • The organization's Strategic framework: vision, mission, and Strategic directions

  • The Six Partnering Attributes: Self-Disclosure and Feedback, Win-Win Orientation, Ability to Trust, Future Orientation, Comfort with Change, and Comfort with Interdependence

  • Business parameters and constraints and other external drivers such as competition, technology, legislation, and community impact

  • Internal drivers such as entrenched operational practices, sunk costs, and legacy Systems

  • Benchmarks and best practices

An organization's purpose is the most important driver of an organization's structure. Typically the organization's leaders, usually with coaching, prepare a structure team Charter outlining the team's scope, objectives, and so on. One of the key elements in this Charter is a list of initial organizing principles, givens, and constraints that in effect draw the basic operational boundaries—what's on the table, on the table, what's off the table.

Step 2: Brainstorm Options for the partnering Network

Once the leadership team has agreed on a set of design criteria, we suggest that it Sponsor a steering committee to Charter a structure team. This team performs the analyses required to determine how the jobs and functions of the organization would be best organized. The structure team may recruit additional employees (creating subteams) for their subject matter expertise to assist in the development of options. Structure team members will then brainstorm a variety of options for aligning the entire organization with the Strategic framework and with the principles of smart partnering, consistent with the set of design criteria identified in step l. Whether an organization chooses to do process improvements before, during, or after shaping a new structure depends on the organization's total portfolio of drivers for change, including core and enabling business processes, among others. In any event, the interconnection of structure with core and enabling processes is paramount, in that the old adage "form follows function" still applies. If not addressed before a structure team is chartered, process control, improvement, or design must be addressed once the structure team has completed, its work.

Step 3: Evaluate Structure Options

The structure team next evaluates each alternative against the Strategic framework, the principles of smart partnering, and the design criteria previously established. From this Strategic analysis, the optimal organization structure will emerge.

Step 4: Build the Case for the Recommended Structure Option

To support the recommended Option for a partnering network, the structure team prepares a business case to present first to the steering committee and later to the entire leadership team. The business case should include elements such as

  • Opportunity synopsis

  • Scope, assumptions, constraints

  • Recommended structure(s)

  • Targeted results and benefits

  • Evidence: quantitative, qualitative

  • Measures

  • Risk assessment

  • Initial implementation Steps

Step 5: Prepare New Partnering Organization Charts

After the optimal organization structure has been developed, structure team members will recommend the size of each unit in the newly realigned organization.

Step 6: Revise or Write New Job Descriptions to Include a Partnering Profile

For first-level and second-level positions, the structure team will draft new job descriptions, including a Partnering Profile or a Partnering Summary (as described earlier).

Step 7: Prepare an Implementation Road Map

In assessing the proposed changes, the structure team must prepare a plan for successful transition and identify transition challenges—especially those that may directly affect immediate implementation of the new structure. For example, which units will experience the greatest change during the transition? Which critical business tasks may fall through the cracks during the transition if not appropriately addressed? Here are some categories of transition challenges that may need to be addressed in the implementation road map:

  • Leadership: personal visibility, desired behaviors, commitment

  • Workload: interim resources required, cross-functional support, nonimmediate tasks and objectives

  • Morale: employee support, employee communication, leadership changes

  • Land mines: major changes, hard-hit functions, critical business tasks, key employees, displaced employees, early warning signs

  • Staging areas: nonimmediate implementation, phase-in plan, phase-out plan

  • Customers and other stakeholders: customer information needs, internal stakeholder needs, external stakeholder needs, community impact, political ramifications




Powerhouse Partners. A Blueprint for Building Organizational Culture for Breakaway Results
Powerhouse Partners: A Blueprint for Building Organizational Culture for Breakaway Results
ISBN: 0891061959
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 94

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