Shifting requirements and/or resources typically brings about the need for change in the structure of an organization. Customer needs may be changing, projected revenues may be decreasing, or both.

When this type of change is contemplated, whether it is at a unit level or across the company, paying attention to the culture is wise. Culture is shaped by the beliefs and values of the people within it and it affects how people interpret experiences (change) and behave, individually and in groups. Understanding what people affected by a restructure expect can help guide how to involve them, and this can have a significant effect on the success of implementation.

Be clear about your purpose and vision. Some good initial questions are:

• Why is the restructure necessary?
• What is the overall goal or target? (What is the problem that needs to be solved?)
• What customer or client needs are driving, or will drive, the decisions?
• What financial (budgetary) assumptions are driving, or will drive, the decisions?
• What personnel changes are driving, or will drive, the decisions?
• What organizational values and priorities need to be maintained? Changed?
• What is the desired future state for the organization?
• Who should be included in the planning? (Cross-section of staff, external stakeholders?)
• How and when will the communication begin?

When formulating a project plan to manage the assignments and activities for restructuring and a transition plan to lead the people through the change, consider these cultural dimensions and the degree to which they apply to your organization.

Directness. Are people conditioned to receive messages that are to the point or are implied messages the norm?
Hierarchy. Do people expect to follow orders from leadership (centralized) or are decisions encouraged and expected to be made at all levels (decentralized)?
Consensus. Do people expect to have their opinions heard and understood before decisions are made or is conflict and disagreement generally discouraged?
Individualism. Are people driven more by self-interest or are they more focused on the organization’s needs?

Remember to see before you do.

© 2011 Jim Delia

There are three primary areas where managers should focus their attention in order to impact how well the people in their units are working together. Many problems and issues that are found in the workplace can be attributed to one or more of these realms. Good supervision and oversight requires continually noticing what’s going on in each realm in order to make timely adjustments and changes when and where necessary.

The first is the technical realm which involves whether or not employees “can do” their jobs at the level required. Does each worker have the skills or competence necessary so that they can do their job? Would they benefit from additional training, direction or other developmental assistance?

The second area of importance is the realm of “will do”. Does each worker have the necessary motivation and attitude so that they will do their job and be a positive contributor? Are there obstacles in their way that are preventing them from being fully committed while they are at work such as personal issues, problems with co-workers, fear of change, coping with shrinking resources, or frustration with the current work process?

The root of all workplace problems does not always stem from employee issues directly. These people problems can sometimes be symptomatic, with the underlying cause traced to the third “how do” realm. The “how do” realm is defined by the business processes along with the reporting structure. Is the work organized so that people can work smart? Are all of the tasks necessary? Do the policies and procedures in place still make sense? Are more policies and procedures necessary to help achieve more consistent outcomes? Involving employees in examining work flow design and in making the right changes may result in helping individual workers better use their strengths and abilities. This can support increased motivation and commitment to the work as well as to customers and co-workers.

Keep in mind that workplace problems, like most problems we encounter, are often interrelated with no clear indication of where they originated. The best solutions can be in finding ways to prevent problems from occurring in the first place. This is particularly true when making the most important decisions a manager makes – who they should hire.

The hiring process is the time to determine the level of importance to be placed on the “can do” vs. the “will do” realms. Traditionally, employee selection practices have placed an over emphasis on technical experience and not enough on screening for interpersonal characteristics, motivation, and positive attitude. Yet the most common and difficult employee relations problems typically involve misconduct or misbehavior and not lack of job knowledge and skill. No one wants to hire an incompetent worker. However, is it easier to train an employee to do a particular job task or is it easier to train them how to take initiative and be flexible?

Good managers support their employees by paying attention and asking good questions. By understanding the interconnection between these realms, managers can develop and apply more targeted, timely and effective solutions in response. Step one is hiring the right people, for the right jobs, at the outset. When this happens managers also benefit as units and teams develop faster and are able to solve many of their own problems. This allows for more time to spend addressing the strategic issues that frequently get neglected.

“Change
it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from the fall that’s all
But the world looks just the same
And history ain’t changed…”

-Pete Townshend

And so it goes… or does it?

History is changing, right under our noses. Maybe it was a fitting coincidence that the dot-com revolution peaked in January 2000. A nice clean start to the 21^st century. Yes, this is the 21^st century. Almost ten years into it, doesn’t that still have a far away, tomorrow-like ring to it? Thanks to the hyper-changes brought about by the speed and reach of the web, what worked yesterday isn’t working today, and likely won’t work tomorrow. There are enough lessons around us to make that point (see GM). We got the call. Some of us got the early wake-up call. For the rest of us, the alarm has definitely gone off and it would be a mistake to hit the snooze button this time.

Leaders, in any field, at any level, would do well to consider the benefits of organizing around a different set of precepts to fulfill their purpose and continue to thrive and deliver products or services. Now is the time to really do something about getting people out of their mental and organizational silos and not just sit around in meetings talking about it. If you continue to be a slave to artificial constructs like your existing org chart, don’t be surprised if you find yourself and your organization behind the curve once again, continuing to play defense when threatened by increased competition or diminishing revenue. We keep hearing that an improved economy won’t mean we can go back to business as usual. Instead of staying in your bunker, hoping the smoke will clear, you have an opportunity to plan now so that you can charge forward later.

We hear the call to “Take risks. Innovate. Change.” Sounds smart doesn’t it? Have you really figured out what this means? Are you stuck trying to figure out what the boss really wants? Don’t wait because the fundamentals are more important now than ever. As a 21^st century leader you might start by doing these simple things:

1. Focus on what your core business is. What are you good at? Is there still a need for what you offer or how you offer it?
2. Evaluate your talent. Who is good at doing what? How motivated are they to help come up with new ideas and solutions? Who isn’t adding value?
3. Spend time determining how best to get your talent focused and aligned. What should they be doing? How should they be doing it? What support do they need?
4. Take a look at the reporting structure. Does it still make sense? Look at the individual units or even departments. What would happen if you blew up the boxes and started over?

This should be Management 101, right? Then how come you, your boss and your organization aren’t really doing it? Granted, it isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be too complex if you plan, take one step at a time and make the effort a priority. This is leading. Do you still want to wait for permission?

“To Change something, build a new model…”

- R. Buckminister Fuller.