Organization Design
When you decide to add capability to your organization or find that you need to adjust the structure and/or staffing, you need to design the organizational structure and job descriptions that will result in hiring people who can achieve your goals.
We use the following key principles to help guide you in this effort:
Designing and organization is an art, not a science, and there is no perfect organizational structure.
No matter what structure is created, significant effectiveness will be lost if management does not encourage, promote and facilitate communication, collaboration and learning.
When you increase staff, you increase the need for all aspects of organizational support. Not paying attention to this will surely result in impairing the effectiveness of line staff. Organizational support starts with computers, software, cell phones, additional accounting needs, safety and health issues, and beyond. Our goal is to assist you with proactive planning to address the full range of what is needed to avoid future problems. Direct involvement of key support staff when making organizational design decisions and increasing staffing. will is critical.
All new staff do not have to be full-time, permanent positions. Recognize that there will be a learning curve, especially with new programs. Start by hiring at least some staff through contractual agencies to increase your flexibility to change staffing levels and/or classifications. Contractual staffing is always a good idea when you don’t know if funding will be available for the long term.
We recommend organizing authority so that a person in charge has the resources necessary to achieve a defined goal. This may involve putting multiple “functions” together that may not have been that way in the past.
Our experience in creating multiple new department divisions and work units at the local government level can help you with your organizational goals.
