Getting Started

Aligning an organization is like preparing for a long sailing trip. First you select your destination (the mission and goals) and your route (the strategy). Then you figure out what boat you need (the structure), how to outfit it (the systems), and the crew mix (the skills). Throughout the journey, you keep an eye out for reefs that are not on the charts .

The underlying point is that there is a logic to organizational alignment. Changing the structure before figuring out the strategy is unlikely to be productive. Also, you cannot assess the fitness of your existing crew until you have a handle on your destination, route, and boat.

1. Start with strategy. Begin by taking a hard look at how your unit is positioned with respect to the larger organization s goals and your A-item priorities. Make sure your strategy is well thought through and logically integrated.

2. Look at supporting structure, systems, and skills. Next, look at whether your group s existing structure, systems, and skills will support the changes in strategy you envision. Dig into and understand these capabilities. If one or more of them is ill-suited to the strategy you have in mind, figure out how you will adapt your strategy and build (or acquire) the capabilities you need.

3. Decide how and when you will introduce the new strategy. Armed with a deeper understanding of your group s current capabilities, chart a path for shifting strategy (if such a shift is necessary). Block out both changes in positioning (markets, customers, and suppliers) and changes in supporting capabilities. Then adopt a realistic time frame for making these changes.

4. Reshape structure, systems, and skills simultaneously . There is little point in reshaping your group s structure until you have worked out the implications of doing so for systems and for the supporting skills of your group. Avoid the temptation to deal with structure and systems in isolation; they are tightly linked.

5. Close the loop. As you learn more about your group s structure, systems, and skills, you will gain insight into the team s capabilities and its cultural capacity for change. This insight will in turn deepen your understanding of what changes in strategic positioning are possible over what time period.