Changing Organizational Structures

The structure of your organization might need to be changed. The rule of thumb, according to Tom Morris, is keep it as simple as possible for as long as possible. 

When do you know you need to add another level of structure to your organization?

Here are the three tell-tale signs it's time to add structure:

1)   Bottlenecks and back-ups- Are there bottlenecks & back-ups in the system? Do leaders need to jump through so many hoops to implement an idea, that they become discouraged and stop trying all together?

2)  Burn out and burden carrying- Are there people in your organization that are burning out? They appear to have lost their passion and have no more energy. Do they look like they are carrying around the weight of the world with no hope of change in the near future? They arrive late for meetings, they no longer stay late because they love their job, they stay late because they are less productive.

3)  Broken communication and busted relationships- Broken communication can be as simple as the words we use. You will hear "I" instead of "us".  The fallout of busted relationships hinder the ability of people to work together. Leaders begin to step back from leadership without an explanation; it is easier to walk away than be honest and strain the relationship any further.

When it is time to make changes, the changes should provide clarity, accountability and exceptional performance.

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