If you are moving up the ladder, so to speak, your role becomes more of an organizational architect, creating the environment supportive of other achieving superior performance. If this is the case then you will find that you have strategy, structure, systems, and skills in your purview and will need to analyze organizational architecture for alignment amongst the key elements. If your position cannot alter the organization then you are in a position to influence those who can. Therefore, in the first 90 days, according to Watkins, you should diagnose and begin addressing alignment issues then begin the plan to identify areas for improvement and assess architectures. This early diagnosis should be aligned with other efforts in the first 90 days to create value and attain breakevens quickly for those early wins. If anything else understanding the organization will can aide in building credibility.
Designing organizational architecture begins by imagining yourself as an architect of your unit or group. It is never too late to begin to learn about organizational design. There are five elements to organizational design. First, there is a core approach to accomplishing goals or a strategy. Then there is structure of how people are situated and work is coordinated. Systems are the processes that communicate between structural units adding value. Meanwhile, skills of the people add capabilities. Misalignment of any of these elements can make any strategy useless.
Misalignments can happen many ways. Your job in the first 90 days is to identify potential misalignments then plan for correcting them. Common misalignments include Skills & strategy, Systems & strategy, or Structure & systems. Correcting these misalignments can be complex. Simplistic fixes can also be a pitfall which should be avoided and include:
Designing organizational architecture begins by imagining yourself as an architect of your unit or group. It is never too late to begin to learn about organizational design. There are five elements to organizational design. First, there is a core approach to accomplishing goals or a strategy. Then there is structure of how people are situated and work is coordinated. Systems are the processes that communicate between structural units adding value. Meanwhile, skills of the people add capabilities. Misalignment of any of these elements can make any strategy useless.
Misalignments can happen many ways. Your job in the first 90 days is to identify potential misalignments then plan for correcting them. Common misalignments include Skills & strategy, Systems & strategy, or Structure & systems. Correcting these misalignments can be complex. Simplistic fixes can also be a pitfall which should be avoided and include:
- Restructuring the way out of deeper structural issues. Address the root causes.
- Creating solutions that are too complex. Keep it simple, Occham’s razor.
- Entrenching problem processes. Automation does not resolve problems.
- Making changes for change’s sake.
- Overestimating capacity or capabilities to absorb strategic shifts.
When getting started, start with the end in mind. Develop the strategy to get there, decide how to introduce the strategy, and align the structure, systems, and skills then foster the culture to implement and sustain the end state.
A well thought out logical strategy will enable your unit, group, and/or organization to achieve the goals and contribute towards the organizations competitive advantage. Typical strategic questions involve customers, capital, capabilities, and commitments. Your strategic effort should focus on coherence, adequacy, and implementation. You’ll need to develop further skills with strategy through self study. A common challenge with strategic implementations is the discovery that the strategy must change due to a flaw, external factors, or other reasons. Making strategic course corrections depends on your STaRS model posture and your ability to persuade people.
Once you’ve made course corrections, often changes or alignments need to be made in the other areas; structure, skills, culture, and systems. You’ll need to juggle tradeoffs, conduct further analysis, and strengthen skills and systems. Adjusting culture is the greatest challenge. There are innumerable resources on managing cultural changes. Most cultural changes come down to perceived power and value added.
Getting aligned means identifying misalignments, developing a corrective plan, fostering a supporting culture, and a willingness to adjust mid-stream. You should already know the organizations STaRS model and prepare to operate in that environment earning your early wins!
A well thought out logical strategy will enable your unit, group, and/or organization to achieve the goals and contribute towards the organizations competitive advantage. Typical strategic questions involve customers, capital, capabilities, and commitments. Your strategic effort should focus on coherence, adequacy, and implementation. You’ll need to develop further skills with strategy through self study. A common challenge with strategic implementations is the discovery that the strategy must change due to a flaw, external factors, or other reasons. Making strategic course corrections depends on your STaRS model posture and your ability to persuade people.
Once you’ve made course corrections, often changes or alignments need to be made in the other areas; structure, skills, culture, and systems. You’ll need to juggle tradeoffs, conduct further analysis, and strengthen skills and systems. Adjusting culture is the greatest challenge. There are innumerable resources on managing cultural changes. Most cultural changes come down to perceived power and value added.
Getting aligned means identifying misalignments, developing a corrective plan, fostering a supporting culture, and a willingness to adjust mid-stream. You should already know the organizations STaRS model and prepare to operate in that environment earning your early wins!
I will explore in the next several blogs postings, Proving Yourself on Your New Job. The steps are:
01. Promote Yourself
02. Accelerate Your Learning
03. Match Strategy to Situation
04. Securing Early Wins
05. Negotiate Success
06. Achieve Alignment
07. Build Your Team
08. Create Coalitions
09. Keep Your Balance
10. Expedite Everyone
Should you have any comments or questions please feel free to post or email me; james.bogden@gmail.com.
01. Promote Yourself
02. Accelerate Your Learning
03. Match Strategy to Situation
04. Securing Early Wins
05. Negotiate Success
06. Achieve Alignment
07. Build Your Team
08. Create Coalitions
09. Keep Your Balance
10. Expedite Everyone
Should you have any comments or questions please feel free to post or email me; james.bogden@gmail.com.
References:
Watkins, M. (2003) The first 90 days: Critical success strategies for new leaders at all levels. Harvard Business School Press. Boston, Ma.
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