Organisational design ensures that the performance of all work activities align with the strategy of the organisation. All members of the workforce of an organisation must know and clearly understand the design they make use of.
To achieve this, several principles must be adhered to;
Focus on the Future: Do not dwell in the past, focus on how to forge ahead; the past should be for reflection purposes. Be clear on what the goals/objectives are and the expectations of the design. Ask the right questions to maintain a forward-looking view.
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Build Blocks of Change: Here, the right framework is deliberated on and chosen to prioritise the necessary elements. Conduct an analysis and decide on the type of building blocks to be used for your organisational design.
Design Proper Structure: This should be the last stage of the process to ensure sustainability. When creating/upgrading the organisational design, you must take the organisational chart into consideration because it is important. It clearly defines reporting relationships which might be emotional for some.
Utilise Top Talent: All job positions should be designed in favour of the strengths and skills of the employees assigned to them. For effective results, it is ideal for there to be an optimal span of control for all senior/key positions in the organisation while the organisational design is on-going.
Identify & Focus On What You Can Change/Control: Identify all the obstacles and challenges that your organisation faces and how to avoid/solve them. Compiling this list will give you the right pathway in your design and help you perform better. The organisation will be able to focus on what can be changed.
Encourage Accountability: Encourage accountability within your workforce; employees should be able to perform their job duties without being micromanaged at every step. This should be encouraged and nurtured constantly so that it becomes part and parcel of the organisation’s culture and the lifestyle of the employees.
Benchmark Sparingly: It will also be helpful to know what your competitors are also implementing that knowledge in the creation of your organisational design. Tailor this to your capabilities, unique features and strengths.
Identify the Golden Mean: Every organisation has a favourable pattern of lines and boxes, known as the golden mean. It entails the strategy, capabilities and unique features they implement. Therefore, two organisations cannot have the same golden mean.
Highlight the Informal Elements: Organisations are drawn to formal elements like information and structure. This is because they are valuable and easy to define and evaluate. They end up ignoring the informal elements like commitments, mind-sets, and norms which are very important for the smooth running of an organisation. Goal-oriented organisations strive to make sure there is a balance; the formal and informal elements are in sync.
Build on your strengths: It is always advisable to focus on the positive than the negative. This applies to organisational overhauling; focus on the strengths that can be developed rather than the weaknesses. Doing this will encourage a positive atmosphere within the organisation. Do not be the boss that only notices mistakes, acknowledge victories/wins no matter how little.
