Top management often seek our assistance when they recognize that their resources are being exhausted from activities that consume time and energy but yield inadequate results and value. Employees’ work fails to deliver the desired outcomes for the company.
The underlying reasons may vary, but the prevailing sentiment, whether among the CEO or regular staff, is that their efforts lack a clear focus on specific results. Chaotic processes within the organization pose significant obstacles to its growth and development.
In many cases, the main internal motive of people who come to us for help in this matter is to create a balance of power and responsibility in their company, to organize the main processes and to make the work of all members of the organization focused on specific outcomes.
Before we start working directly on the formation of the structure, it is very important to diagnose the organization at the level that is enough to see and objectively evaluate the current situation –
Among other things, we will request and familiarize ourselves with internal documentation: existing staff, documents of internal processes, financial data, internal studies, etc. Most importantly, we conduct individual interviews with the company’s employees – according to the predetermined list agreed with the management. From individual interviews with employees, we get all the necessary information, based on which we can already see the company’s goals, vision, and main challenges facing it.
After analyzing the collected information, we are ready to prepare for the working meetings.
We conduct working meetings with a dedicated Project Team, consisting of predetermined members approved by management. Alongside C-level executives, middle managers may also be part of this task force.
During the initial meeting with the Project Team, we typically delve into the company’s mission, the 3-year vision, and the key strategic challenges it confronts. Using the insights gathered from diagnostic assessments pertaining to these matters, we generate various options for each challenge. The Team members then engage in discussions to determine the most suitable options for their organization. Through a voting process, they ultimately reach logical conclusions and decisions.
At the same meeting, the Team members determine the priorities of the list of main strategic challenges prepared by us – which 3 tasks are the most priority for the company first in 1-year, then in 3-year terms.
We are preparing for the second meeting and together with the Project Team we will discuss the approaches to the systematic solution of the prioritized strategic challenges – what sub-challenge each of them consists of; what roles and systems the structure may need to ensure the perfect solution of all these challenges.
After that, we develop a general model of the structure – how responsibilities should be distributed at the management level and with what key meetings the company should be managed. Typically, this model prioritizes the pressing tasks identified for the organization in the short term, directing management’s focus towards these areas as much as possible.
We devote one working meeting to discussing this model as thoroughly as possible and allow the Team members to ask any questions related to it.
After the general model of the structure is critically distinguished, we move on to the elaboration of the detailed model, which implies the formation of the necessary roles below; Here too, the focus is on ensuring that all the pressing tasks and their constituent components are covered as fully as possible in the structure and that no gaps remain.
After presenting the unified model, we allow the members of the working group to understand the proposed model and its advantages, which can be critically looked at and adapted to the reality of their organization, to better perceive the results of the transition to the new structure.
Along with binding a whole model of the structure, it is important to formulate a transition plan – at what stages and in what sequence should the transition to the new structure be made. This includes both staffing the management team, scheduling key meetings, and planning for staffing new roles.
There are roles that must be filled at the initial stage, but there may also be roles whose emergence may not be critical from the beginning and become more relevant in 2-3 years. In any case, it is important to get this plan right and communicate it to the working group, so that they can see that the transition to the new structure is a flexible and gradual process, and trying to make radical changes all at once can even jeopardize the proper functioning of the model.
Meanwhile, we are preparing detailed descriptions of all the necessary roles – what should be the purpose, tasks, functions of each one, so that this information will help all people who will take on the relevant task to understand the main results, on which they should be focused on and with the help of an appropriate guideline easily get by through their daily routine.
Once the transition plan to the new structure is agreed with the Project Team and the role descriptions are worked out, the main part of the project is now complete and the implementation process begins.
For the new structure to work effectively in the organization and not remain only on paper, it is very important from our side to provide the necessary support to the process of its introduction at the initial stage.
We designate a specific person in the organization (this is usually one of the members of the main Project Team), who we define a clear task to organize all the meetings / work related to the development of the new structure according to the agreed plan; Including, but not limited to, communicating the new structure to employees, launching key meetings, maintaining their regularity, etc.
Of course, we are also involved in all of this, where and to the extent that our involvement is necessary – we explain to all employees their new roles, work approaches, answer their questions; We attend the first meetings of the key formats. We reduce our involvement in the implementation only after we see that the structure has largely started working and no longer requires additional pushes from our side.
Ultimately, each structure is customized and tailored to fit the specific purpose, goals, and strategic priorities of the organization at hand.
Once the organization starts operating with a structure that is specifically adapted to its needs, it often initiates the much-needed changes that are crucial for achieving its primary objectives.
Within a few months, the organization begins to progress along the right path, with a concentrated focus and mobilization of all relevant resources in the required direction.
For any inquiries, you can schedule an appointment with us, and we will be delighted to assist you in accomplishing your goals.
Helping Organizations to unlock their purpose, agree on the strategy and align their structure according to this.