Service
People & Organization
Structures, roles and leadership teams designed around the work, not around today's jobs.
- Typical reduction in management layers and spans below five
- -20%
- Faster decisions, measured on major approvals
- 35%
- Critical roles retained through redesign
- 9 in 10
Overview
Organization design, leadership effectiveness, workforce planning and culture for companies whose structure has grown faster than their clarity about who decides what.
Most organizations were not designed. They accumulated, one reorganization, acquisition and new hire at a time. The result is familiar: too many layers, spans of three or four, overlapping roles, and decisions that climb to the executive team because nobody below is sure they are allowed to make them.
We redesign organizations from the work outward. We start with the outcomes the strategy requires and the decisions that drive them, then design roles, structures and governance around those. Only then do we look at the people who will fill the roles.
That order matters. It keeps the design honest, it makes the case for change easier to explain, and it gives leaders a structure they can hold to when the next reorganization is proposed. We stay through appointments and the first months of operation, because that is where most redesigns lose their shape.
Questions we answer
What clients bring to this practice
- 01Our organization has too many layers. How many do we actually need?
- 02Who should decide what, and why does every decision end up with the executive team?
- 03Is our leadership team set up to run the strategy we just agreed?
- 04What skills will we need in five years, and how many people with them?
- 05How do we redesign the organization without losing the people we most need?
- 06Our culture is described as collaborative, so why does nothing get done?
What we do
How the practice can help
- 01
Organization design
Structure, spans and layers designed from the work the company has to do, with clear accountability for every outcome that matters.
- 02
Decision rights
A short, explicit map of who decides, who is consulted and who is informed for the fifty decisions that drive performance.
- 03
Leadership team effectiveness
Assessment and coaching for executive teams on roles, operating rhythm and how they make and stick to decisions.
- 04
Strategic workforce planning
A model of the skills and headcount the strategy requires, compared with what you have, and a plan to close the gap.
- 05
Talent and critical roles
Identifying the roles that create the most value and making sure the strongest people are in them.
- 06
Culture and ways of working
A small number of specific behaviors to change, tied to how people are measured, promoted and paid.
Our work
Results from this practice
Industries
Where this practice works most often
Experts
Who leads the practice
Is organization design mainly about cutting cost?
Cost is often an outcome, but the main goal is clarity. A well-designed organization usually costs less because it duplicates less work.
How do you avoid a redesign that takes a year?
We design the top three layers first, appoint leaders, and let them design their own teams within agreed principles and a fixed timetable.
How do you handle works councils and consultation?
We have run redesigns under consultation rules in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and France, and we build those timelines into the plan from the start.
Do you assess individual executives?
Where the client asks, yes, using structured interviews and evidence of performance, always with the results shared with the person assessed.
Have a decision on the table?
Tell us what you are weighing. A partner will reply within two working days, and the first conversation is on us.