Good design always starts with a clear picture of the problem you want to solve. Structural change is often over-relied on or is misguided because the business problem is not well defined.

Organization structure is a powerful but blunt instrument for change. Changes in processes, people, rewards and measures are nearly always critical complements to re-alignments in structure.

Organization design is both art and science. The best design include smart, practical judgments, rooted in a business case, supported by facts, and often developed through a series of hypotheses to be tested.

It is impossible to change culture directly. Culture is the result of decisions made regrading structure, processes, metrics and talent.  When the environment changes, they will change their behavior.

A primary purpose of an organization is to make decisions. Understanding power dynamics and how to shape them is essential to organizational design.

Organizations should be designed with the expectations that great leaders will run them. Talent and organization work together to make a whole. Organization design work is not complete until the new structure has been staffed with the right leaders.

Organization design is an opportunity to grow leaders. Usually it is best not to organize around personalities. But often it does make sense to define roles that will stretch and grow talent.

Organization change, like most systematic change, has more impact when leaders engage the right cross-section of players in the design and the implementation process.

Design is a leadership responsibility –  not a consensus activity.  Design decision-making should not be delegated.

Kate Kesler LLC