Organisational Design

Organizational design is the process of aligning an organization's structure, roles, systems, and processes with its strategy and goals to optimize performance and efficiency.

Why It's Important: It ensures that the company's structure supports its objectives, promotes clear communication, enhances accountability, increases productivity, and enables the organization to adapt to change while embedding continuous improvement into the culture.

Course Title: Organizational Design for High Performance

Course Objectives:

  • Understand the principles of organizational design.

  • Learn how to align structure with strategy to drive productivity and growth.

  • Develop skills to design adaptable organizations that embed continuous improvement.

  • Explore techniques to foster collaboration, accountability, and innovation through effective design.

Course Modules:

Module 1: Introduction to Organizational Design

  • What is Organizational Design?

    • Definition and scope

    • Key components (structure, roles, systems, processes)

  • The Role of Organizational Design in Business Success

    • Aligning design with strategy

    • Impact on performance, efficiency, and culture

  • Case Study: Successful Organizational Designs

Module 2: Aligning Structure with Strategy

  • Understanding Organizational Strategy

    • Defining business objectives

    • Translating strategy into actionable design

  • Choosing the Right Organizational Structure

    • Functional, divisional, matrix, flat, and network structures

    • Pros and cons of each structure

  • Designing for Scale and Flexibility

    • Structures for growth and innovation

    • Adapting to changing environments and markets

  • Activity: Map an organization’s strategy to its ideal structure

Module 3: Roles, Responsibilities, and Accountability

  • Defining Roles and Responsibilities

    • Role clarity and its impact on performance

    • Ensuring accountability across teams

  • Delegation and Empowerment

    • Creating layers of ownership for greater engagement

    • Balance between autonomy and control

  • Building Cross-functional Teams

    • Encouraging collaboration across silos

    • Best practices for team dynamics

  • Workshop: Redesign team structures to enhance accountability

Module 4: Designing Communication and Decision-Making Processes

  • Communication Flow in Organizations

    • Designing channels for information exchange

    • Avoiding bottlenecks and miscommunication

  • Decision-Making Models

    • Centralized vs. decentralized decision-making

    • When and how to delegate decisions

  • Facilitating Collaborative Problem Solving

    • Techniques for better cross-departmental coordination

    • Leveraging digital tools for communication

  • Group Exercise: Design an effective communication and decision-making process

Module 5: Embedding Continuous Improvement into the Design

  • Organizational Design for Continuous Improvement (CI)

    • How structure impacts CI culture

    • Embedding feedback loops and performance reviews

  • Change Management and Adaptation

    • Designing flexible structures for rapid adaptation

    • Overcoming resistance to change

  • Sustaining Improvements through Design

    • Long-term accountability and maintaining momentum

  • Activity: Create a structure that embeds continuous improvement

Module 6: Designing for Innovation and Growth

  • Creating an Agile Organization

    • Agile principles in organizational design

    • Designing for speed and flexibility

  • Innovation Through Structure

    • Building teams that foster creativity

    • Structuring for rapid experimentation and iteration

  • Scaling Organizational Design for Growth

    • Adapting design for expansion and internationalization

  • Workshop: Redesign an organization for growth and innovation

Module 7: Organizational Culture and Its Role in Design

  • Linking Organizational Design to Culture

    • How structure influences behaviors and values

    • Designing to promote collaboration, trust, and performance

  • Culture and Performance

    • Embedding a high-performance culture

    • Strategies for shifting culture through design

  • Activity: Design a structure that enhances a high-performance culture

Module 8: Evaluation and Iteration of Organizational Design

  • Assessing the Effectiveness of Organizational Design

    • Key metrics for performance evaluation

    • Identifying when redesign is necessary

  • Iterating and Evolving Design

    • How to continuously assess and tweak the structure

    • Tools for redesigning over time

  • Case Study: Organizations that successfully evolved their design

Module 9: Practical Application

  • Redesigning Your Organization

    • Apply principles to redesign an existing organization

    • Addressing challenges and presenting solutions

  • Final Project: Present a comprehensive organizational design proposal for a case study company or your own organization.