Unpacking organizations: the practitioner's podcast

The conversation explores the relationship between the level of work and hierarchies within organizations (yes, these are two different concepts). It discusses how the wrong levels of work can lead to the manifestation of wrong types of hierarchy, resulting in micromanagement and confusion in reporting structures. The conversation introduces the work of Elliott Jacques, a Canadian behavioural scie...

This week, our guest is Amy Kates. A guiding force for all of org design practitioners and enthusiasts out there. Amy shares her impressive journey of becoming an org design industry leader and an entrepreneur as she talks about STAR model of org design, concept of Minimum Viable Structure and the importance of taking time and space to do org diagnostic. Join us to hear her talk about how a good o...

In this episode, we are honoured to have Paul Tolchinsky as our guest. Paul discusses his journey in whole-scale change management and the lessons he has learned over the years. He emphasizes the importance of speed and engagement in change efforts, and the need to involve the whole system in decision-making. Paul also highlights the trap of being preachy and thinking that you have all the answers...

In this episode, Shradha and Rupert discuss the concept of time and how it relates to organizational design and workforce planning. They explore the different time horizons of strategic, operational, and tactical planning, and the level of granularity and aggregation associated with each. The conversation emphasizes the need for different thinking styles, language and involvement of stakeholders w...

Alice Mann, founder of Mann Partners Inc., joins the hosts to discuss org design in the context of private equity firms. Alice explains the importance of understanding the strategy, value creation plans, stakeholder dynamics and need for systems thinking approach to ensure robust org design whether at a founder led firm or in a large corporation. She emphasizes the tool of considering ‘people plus...

In this episode, Rupert and Shradha are joined by Shefali Salwan, co-founder of CEO Works, to discuss the concept of talent to value. The conversation delves into aligning talent with value creation as a crucial lever for organizational success. Shefali emphasizes the significance of understanding the work and context of a role, rather than solely focusing on talent. She highlights designing witho...

Yet another organizational design trap is not identifying the strategy before embarking on the design journey. Many organizations lack a true strategy and instead have a collection of goals and objectives. Without a clear strategy, organizational design becomes fragmented and disconnected. Leaders need to design a strategy that is adaptable to the changing world, and we, as practitioners, should d...

We believe 'organizational capability' is one of the most incorrectly used (and understood) terms in organizational design. In this episode, Rupert and Shradha explore the concepts of organizational capability, competency, and strategy. Organizational capability is a combination of people, processes, technology, and ways of working that helps us translate strategy into organizational design. Join...

Let’s unpack one of the most common organizational design traps: "Designing Around People." Even seasoned professionals like Rupert and Shradha have fallen into this trap because, in the moment, it may seem easier and less disruptive. However, it inevitably leads to long-term problems. Rupert shares a personal story of falling into this trap and the negative consequences it had on his organization...

In this episode, Rupert and Shradha explore the role of power in organization design. A thoughtful organization design recognizes and rewards natural authority. Identifying and considering power in different ways leads to more effective org design. However, not all power dynamics can be addressed through org design alone; leadership behaviours also play a critical role. Join us as we discuss the f...

As we closed out the year 2023, layoffs remained top of mind. In this episode, Rupert and Shradha delve into the topic of organizational design in that context. Often, reductions in force (RIF) are associated with reorganization or organizational design, although RIF primarily serves as a form of workforce planning. A lack of discipline around systemic organizational design can help organizations...

The three dimensions of determining critical roles are relative impact, time to productivity, and number of people and positions occupying these roles. How do we determine the roles that give us competitive advantage and are creating disproportionate value for our business? Join us to discuss critical roles and to reflect on our previous episodes and look forward to what we have in store for the n...

Are we excited about AI because it is going to improve our employee experience, customer experience, and enhance the quality of our work, or are we scared of AI because we fear it is going to replace us all? Are we all only talking about AI and are too scared to do anything about it? What can we do about it? Join us to discuss how we should be looking at the work and the org design under the lens...

There is a strong interconnection between OP&A and other parts of HR such as learning and development, talent acquisition, operations, talent management, employee experience, compensation, and even interaction with the CEO and CFO offices. The more we understand these interactions, the better we will work towards building a more holistic HR function. Join us for a rapid fire round on how each...

We are biased in our opinion that HR should own this capability but we are also curious on why HR doesn't own this function the way it should? What capabilities and mindset should HR have in order to build and drive this capability? Why is it important to do organizational planning and analysis as consistently and regularly as the rest of the talent related practices? Tune in to unpack this topic...

Controls and tensions are an important part of the organization. Diverse points of view help us make better decisions. But as we start to add more approvers and decision makers in the process, we end up piling up the cost of bureaucracy. How do we measure this cost and how do we tackle the culture that encourages multiple alignments, not for making better decisions, but to simply cover everyone’s...

One can easily get lost in organizational planning and analysis if we don’t know where we need to get to (Target), what is our starting point (Actual), and how is our journey looking (Forecast). Yet another very useful three letter acronym – TAF helping you navigate progress on various organizational metrics.

Lets face it, org design practitioners are the ones behind all the layoffs, all the cost cutting and all the stuff that leads to uncertainty and unpleasantness in the organization. Why do we still advocate for this work, when there is so much “bad” around it? How do we continue to strive for doing the right work and making brave decisions? If you are an org design practitioner, please tell us your...

Shradha can't tell you how many times in her early career she's used these terms interchangeably. In this episode she invites Rupert to unpack this. What is the difference between design criteria and design principles? Why is it important to keep these two terms in mind while designing the org?

Can you ever imagine a product being launched without testing? A team playing a match without practicing? So why do we feel so confident about an organization that is designed by a select few under the hood, to work flawlessly from day 1? What may look simple and clear on a page, may feel totally chaotic and illogical in practice. Listen in to get ahead of your org design game – how will it all wo...

In this episode, we take the time to learn a little more about one of our presenters, Rupert Morrison.

In this episode, we take the time to learn a little more about one of our presenters, Shradha Prakash.

Is it RACI, RAPID, DARE or 'I want to die'? Why we love creating responsibility mapping charts but never ever use then in reality (please ping us if you actually do). Is there a better way to think about it? Yes, there is... have you tried RAD?

Rightsizing requires identifying the right approach to fit the right business context. Use the FIDRAM method of workforce planning to understand what approach is fit for different parts of the business.

Employee burnout, loss of culture and productivity, and disruption of business, to name just a few things. Org transformations are often equated with big, messy disruptions that we want to get over with as soon as possible. What if transformation is not one time craziness, but an intentional evolution towards long term capability building?