Ambition Without Structure Leads to Disappointment

Photo by Xavier von Erlach on Unsplash

Ambition

The drive to accomplish, overcome and gain.  We all have ambition.  Whether it is to run that first 10K, save more (spend less) for that next vacation, or earn that Ph.D.  Ambition can also inspire you to start a business.

When we think about a business we focus on the product (or service), the brand (what it means to us or others) and its success (financial performance and resilience).  In focusing on these external elements, we can ‘miss’, unintentionally, the importance of what has enabled the creation of something of value, a connection to something meaningful and an investment that provides returns.  We may not consider the internal systems - structures - that have enabled the business to recognize these achievements.

• Organizational Design (the technical term) focuses on how a business should be structured, based on, amongst other factors: it’s strategic positioning in the market, the complexity and uncertainty in the industry and the culture it intends to foster.  Without a structure for how to coordinate the organizational assets to meet its strategic objectives, disappointment is certain, and failure is imminent.

• Structure can be synonymous with bureaucracy, and bureaucracy is often synonymous with excess, red tape, lacking innovation, archaic and stifling. 

• The reality is that structure needs to be applied based on internal needs in relation to external factors.  As the needs of the organization evolve (grow) and industry forces have an increased impact on the business, internal systems need to be developed to efficiently plan, allocate and manage how the organization responds.

• Effective organizational structures are designed in proportion to the needs of the organization. You may ‘over-correct’ or ‘under-correct’, but you can always correct.  Without these controls, the response becomes disorganized, reactive, capital-intensive and disruptive to employees and customers.

Is your organization’s structure aligned with your strategy?  Does the structure enable the culture you are trying to foster?   Is your organization suffering from structural misalignment?

The ‘bottom line: “Power is nothing without control.”