Structure, teamwork, outsourcing, decentralization....

Synopsis: The Science of Organizational Structure
how to design entrepreneurial, customer focused, team-oriented organization charts
(the basic concepts in just two pages)

Case Study: A CEO Who Has Applied the Principles of Structure
by Sergio Paiz, CEO, PDC

Case Study: From Venture to Growth Company
by Jessica Rovello, CEO, Arkadium

Case Study: Transformational Organizational Structure
how restructuring IT led to breakthrough performance and value
by Dr. Bryson Payne, CIO, North Georgia College & State University

Case Study: Building a High-performance IS Team at Sonoco Products Company
building a high-performance IS team
by Bernie Campbell, VP, Information Systems, Sonoco Products Company

Case Study: Restructuring a Large IT Organization
theory, model, process, and initial results
by Mark Luker and Tad Pinkerton, University of Wisconsin Madison, Educause, Summer, 1995

Provocative article: The Evils of "Roles and Responsibilities"
staff need clear job descriptions; but traditional "roles and responsibilities" can confuse accountabilities and seriously hamper performance

Org Charts Designed to Fail: GROUPS DEDICATED TO CUSTOMERS
this approach to aligning with one's customers comes at a high cost

Org Charts Designed to Fail: GROUPS DEDICATED TO CLIENTS' BUSINESS PROCESSES
an ineffective way to get staff to think about delivering value to the business

Org Charts Designed to Fail: GROUPS DEDICATED TO YOUR INTERNAL PRODUCTION PROCESSES
optimize your processes while undermining your effectiveness

Org Charts Designed to Fail: PROCESS OWNERS
giving one person power over another's processes is doomed to fail

Org Charts Designed to Fail: THE "INFRASTRUCTURE" (OR "OPERATIONS") GROUP
a good way to slow innovation

Org Charts Designed to Fail: COMBINING CLIENT LIAISONS AND DELIVERY FUNCTIONS
assigning the client-liaison function to delivery groups fails at one mission or the other

Org Charts Designed to Fail: COMBINING CLIENT LIAISONS AND PLANNING FUNCTIONS
mixing the client-liaison function with planning functions builds in inappropriate biases

Org Charts Designed to Fail: COMBINING CLIENT LIAISONS AND GOVERNANCE FUNCTIONS
giving the client-liaison function responsibility for governance is a conflict of interests

Org Charts Designed to Fail: SAFETY GROUP ACCOUNTABLE FOR SAFETY
holding a safety function accountable for safety is expensive and dangerous

Org Charts Designed to Fail: CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER ACCOUNTABLE FOR COMPLIANCE
making a compliance officer accountable for compliance (or cyber-security for security) introduces big risks

Org Charts Designed to Fail: A PMO THAT MANAGES PROJECTS
when a Project Management Office (PMO) actually manages projects, the collateral damage is severe

Org Charts Designed to Fail: PLAN-BUILD-RUN
an organization designed to quell innovation

Org Charts Designed to Fail: NEW VERSUS OLD
the dark side of splitting development and maintenance

Org Charts Designed to Fail: QUICK VERSUS SLOW (BI-MODAL)
treating unresponsiveness with a quick-response group creates all kinds of chaos

Org Charts Designed to Fail: ORGANIZING ENGINEERS BY PRODUCT LINES
structuring all your engineers by product lines leaves out some essential specialists

Org Charts Designed to Fail: THE "POOL"
putting staff in a pool available to any project is a very expensive way to be flexible

Org Charts Designed to Fail: THE "SILO" ORGANIZATION
giving up on the synergies of being one organization

Org Charts Designed to Fail: HOLACRACY
an organizational fad is destined to fail when it ignores fundamental principles

Org Charts Designed to Fail: A FEW WORDS IN A BOX
announcing an organization chart with just a few words in each box is bound to create confusion

Executive Summary: Decentralization Versus Shared Services
C-level overview of the trade-offs, and how to consolidate shared services

Analysis: Chief Digital Officer
what is a CDO, and where does it fit in an organization?

Analysis: Chief Technology Officer
a confusing title that means different things to different companies

Provocative article: Outsourcing
how to ensure that vendors work for your shareholders

Provocative article: Dotted Lines
how to coordinate a decentralized function without ineffective dotted lines

Provocative article: Relationship Managers
relationship managers are an essential element of a healthy IT function; but all too often, they fail to achieve their potential and create a new set of problems

Provocative article: Team-building and High-performance Teamwork
team-building is rarely the answer to problems with teamwork

Provocative article: Project Teamwork
it doesn't take a project management guru to manage complex projects

Provocative article: Where IT Reports
is it really that important to report to the CEO, not the CFO?

Video Interview: Transforming Finance: Principle-based Organizational Structure
refocusing on value creation by building a high-performance finance organization
(with principles that apply to any functional area)
SmartPros Financial Management Network, August, 2017 (32 minutes)

Article: Structuring Corporate Training as a Business Within a Business
Training Industry, June 5, 2017.

Audio Interview: Organizational Structure: Engine for Growth
the basic principles of structure, along with some personal insights
Operationally Speaking with Sergiu Simmel, June, 2017 (57 minutes)

Interview: Four Steps to Creating a High-performing IT Organization
how to structure an organization to be customer focused
Sprint Business, September 19, 2017

Webinar (free): The Science of Structure
how to build a customer-focused, entrepreneurial, team-oriented organization
CIO Index, October 22, 2013 (60 min)

Online Course: Structural Cybernetics
view trailer of five online classes which give you a detailed understanding of the Principle-based Organizational Structure, how to assemble the building blocks of structure into entrepreneurial, empowered, team-oriented organization charts, and a proven change-management process for implementing new organizational structures.
SoundviewPro (2:19)

Interview: Structured Success: Get Your Org Ready for Change
how do you make the newest technology flourish in your enterprise? Make sure your organization is at its best and ready for change.
HP Discover Performance, January, 2014