Organisational Design’s Past, Present and Future

Organisational design sounds like a really complex concept to an inexperienced, prospective new business owner, who wishes to set up a viable enterprise from scratch, with virtually nothing in place but a few innovative ideas.

However, Orgro will break everything down for you, into targeted, manageable and measurable steps, through which we’ll guide you and your people, the backbones of your newly-formed (or existing) company.

Complexity is a perception that we at Orgro have come across amongst new clients from time to time, but hand-in-hand with our professional specialists, who have years of experience in our field that covers the wide world of business, we’ll be with you as partners in your quest to find the optimal strategy, plan and fit.

Nonetheless, it is crucially important to have a structured plan in place, since operating randomly and haphazardly is a recipe for disaster and doom. Before a business model or plan can be implemented, it must be designed and structured to best fit and suit the organisation, irrespective of its size and field of endeavour.

An effective organisational design takes the status quo into account, studies and evaluates it and also makes room for immediate and at least medium-term structured changes, should the need arise to include and implement them, without unnecessary, potentially costly delay.

Thus, the desired concept allows for some flexibility, which may become necessary due to changes in market and/or operating conditions, economic factors, expansion, evolving trends and emerging customer demands.

Design

Broadly speaking and in general, design is both an art and a science. The concept may be tangible, theoretical or more abstract in essence.

The artistic aspect of this element usually applies to useful or aesthetically pleasing decorative items and objects, whilst the scientific part of design enables whatever has been planned for and produced to appear and function, as originally intended by the designer.

Italian Excellence

Known for design excellence since the time of the ancient Roman Empire, Italians are still considered to be masters of the art and science of design. Today’s famous, much-admired and sought-after Italian designs include high-end furniture, vehicles, exclusive clothing, jewellery, fashions and shoes, very different from Italian design that dates back some 2 000 years and longer.

Affluent ancient Romans had running water, underfloor heating and heated pools or baths in their villas. Their famous aqueducts brought fresh, clean potable water across vast distances and challenging terrain, right into their cities and towns, which featured a multitude of fountains, public baths and water features.

Organisations

Roman armies and the Roman system of government were both highly structured organisations, with hierarchies and ranking systems to which citizens and slaves adhered strictly. Punishment for failure to comply was exceptionally harsh; it was safer to observe the rules pertaining to organisational structures.

However, when greedy, self-serving dictators came to power, organisational structures collapsed and disappeared, eventually leading to the decline and collapse of the once-great Roman Empire and its inventive, ground-breaking culture of innovative design. Fortunately and for the most part, today’s structured concerns have moved far beyond those that prevailed during bygone millennia.

Modern Enterprises

Many a more modern organisation initiated its structure by designing an organogram, typically in a pyramid form. The organogram was seen as a blueprint and was almost always included in induction and orientation sessions, which were held to schematically introduce and familiarise new employees to the company they’d just joined.

Organograms illustrate the organisation’s structure and its hierarchical order of seniority, order and levels of authority. They also graphically depict how inter-organisational associations are intended to relate to one another, and where the new incumbent’s role fits into the scheme or overall plan. Nowadays, however, an organisational design and development function is wider and comprehensively goal-focused. We break it down into steps.

• Organisational design
• Performance management
• Change management
• Conflict and mediation
• Surveys
• Team intervention
• Job profiling, evaluation and grading
• Strategy, vision and mission
• Well-being and resilience

Last, but by no means least – we include the positive potential for goal-focused success and achievement throughout your group.

The Future

If, at any stage in the future, your company requires restructuring and re-engineering, Orgro can be of invaluable assistance. Orgo itself was rebranded. Formerly called FWA Organisational Development, we’re now known as Orgro, a team of dedicated, transparent and upfront professional psychometrists, psychologists, analysts and business specialists.

We look forward to assisting you with effective organisational designs that are geared to promote optimal productivity and performance in your workplace and field, now and in the future.