top of page

Organization design is less about 'right or wrong' and more about 'this or that' - or perhaps 'this AND that'...

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

Organization as a 'system'

Too often, leaders looking for 'quick fixes' think structure is the answer. Shuffling names in boxes and reporting lines might be an answer, but is it the right one?​

  • Is the strategy clear? Can people repeat it?

  • Are you addressing a root cause problem or treating a symptom?

  • Have you clarified the unique capabilities that distinguish you from your competitors?

  • Are you overlooking operating assumptions, key linkages with other teams, or how work has been grouped together?

  • Can your employees articulate the journey you are on and why?

  • What is the incentive to buy-in to change or work differently? ​

​

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.  â€‹

Blake is honored to have supported a variety of leaders in their pursuit of improving business and team performance, including:

star.png

Galbraith's Star Model™

  • 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.

© 2025 Wishbone Consulting, LLC

bottom of page