Whether leading a small team or running a huge organization, chances are at some point you thought “There’s gotta be a better way to organize.” Maybe you’ve even sketched out org charts at your desk exploring different ideas. If that sounds familiar, this is worth your time.

Trying to solve structural challenges in isolation rarely works, and asking your team for individual ideas on how to reorganize often leads to scattered input that lacks context. It’s a tough challenge, and a better approach is needed.

Restructuring an organization is sometimes done as part of deliberate and thoughtful leadership. More often though, organizations are forced to restructure because circumstances demand it. Either way, common obstacles to effective restructuring are bias, subjectivity and misunderstanding or misapplying what it means to be task organized. For nearly 25 years, we’ve addressed these challenges using a proven approach that’s fast, objective AND task focused. It works across all industries with organizations large and small, and it starts with validating your current structure before moving toward an optimal one.

Our process delivers five core structural diagrams that help you clarify alignment, ensure the organization is built around delivering its products and services (task organized), and identify the resources needed to support that work.

Component Structure:

• A nameless and billet-less diagram that reflects ONLY the functions required to meet the organization’s strategy. It accounts for and demonstrates the alignment of your Products & Services, and all the business and leadership functions required to deliver them.

Current State Organizational Chart:

• Reflects how you function today, not how you’d like to be functioning. Provides a realistic reflection of how your organization is operating with all its bumps and warts. This critical step in the process allows the appropriate pathways to be mapped for the transition from current to optimal.

Optimal or Target Operating Organizational Chart:

• Defines how to most effectively organize the resources you have (or can reasonably acquire) to execute the validated structure. This step requires determining the capabilities required and how much of each you need to posture the structure for effective planning, standup, growth, execution and evolution.

Minimum Viable Structure Organizational Chart:

• Reflects the minimum capabilities and capacity requirements to execute with zero margin for ancillary tasking. Designed specifically to provide clear understanding of the trade space requirements when negotiating for organizational resources, and is critical during standup, revision and growth of any organization.

Organizational R³ Diagrams

• R³ is the organization’s template that identifies and formally documents each key Role, its associated Responsibilities and its Relationships (R³) with other key roles both internal and external to the organization. R³ is manifested in diagrams that illustrate the bilateral communications required between roles and describes the nature of the relationship required to effectively execute the structure.
• Org charts only show that some hierarchical relationship may exist between boxes, but leaves the details up to the imagination. R³ diagrams remove ambiguity by reflecting the actual intended nature of those relationships. They compliment and provide clarity to org charts but do not replace them.
• Intra-operability R³ diagrams define internal relationships required between roles, and Inter-operability R³ diagrams reflect relationships external to the organization required to effectively execute the structure. Both are strongly recommended.

The key to building these essential organizational tools quickly and effectively is sticking to a proven method. Shackleton Group has spent almost 25 years refining and improving this approach with enormous success. Most organizations struggle with refining structure at some point, and very few firms provide deliberate and effective approaches to addressing this challenge…BUT WE DO! Today, our Organizational Systems Engineers can guide your team through the development process in just a few days.

Across all industries, the need to present a clearly understood, product & service-oriented structure that was built using an objective, systems-engineering approach, and preserves resources and profit is no longer optional. This is a matter of readiness, productivity, accountability, and money…and it’s not a question of IF you restructure, but WHEN.

Our process isn’t just about charts and diagrams. It’s about enabling better decisions, clearer roles, effective identification and use of resources, and stronger alignment with mission objectives which translate directly into profit. If your team is preparing for restructuring, planning growth, or simply seeking clarity, these tools offer a practical and definitive way forward.

Shackleton Group is standing by and happy to assist in your endeavor. We are also more than happy to discuss or answer any questions regarding the process at your convenience.

Ed Gillcrist-Co-CEO (303) 908-7103/9187 [email protected]

Mike Westman-Co-CEO (865) 384-3614 [email protected]

For additional information www.shkgrp.com