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Org design is less about 'right or wrong' and more about 'this? or that?'

Organization Design is a craft of art and science - finding the right organizational system that best enables strategic priorities.

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Galbraith's Star Model™

Organization as a 'system'

Too often, leaders looking for 'quick fixes' think revamping org charts is the answer. Shuffling names in boxes and reporting lines is easy, but:

  • Is the strategy clear? Can people repeat it?

  • Can you clearly state the problems you are trying to solve?

  • Have you clarified the unique capabilities that distinguish you in the market?

  • Are you overlooking operating assumptions, key linkages with other teams, or assuming the organizational strategy is clearly defined and understood?

  • Can your employees articulate why you're doing what you're doing?

  • What is the incentive to buy-in to change?

It's critical to take the time to clarify who you're choosing to be and what you need to build or deliver before trying to resolve gaps by moving hierarchical boxes and lines.  ​

Blake is proud to have supported a variety of leaders in their pursuit of teams working better together, including:

  • AARP

  • Allstate

  • Ameren Energy

  • Axalta Coating Systems

  • Coca-Cola

  • Delta Faucet Company

  • Dyno Therapeutics

  • FieldRoutes

  • Funko, Inc.

  • Hydro One

  • Kaiser-Permanente

  • kdc/one

  • Kohl's

  • Lockheed Martin

  • Lowe's Companies, Inc.

  • Mars Wrigley

  • Masco Canada

  • Non-Profit (Int'l Justice Mission)

  • Panera Bread

  • PG&E

  • Quility Insurance

  • Topcon Positioning

Jay Galbraith developed the "Star Model™" framework for analyzing organizations in the 1960s. The Star Model™ is the foundation on which a company bases its design choices. The framework consists of a series of design policies that are controllable by management and can influence employee behavior. The policies are the tools with which management must become skilled in order to shape the decisions and behaviors of their organizations effectively.

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