Heather Beairsto, Program Manager, The Regional Municipality of York
When I was tasked with leading the development of York Region's 2011 to 2015 Strategic Plan, I sought out the Queen's Industrial Relations Centre's (IRC) Essentials of Organizational Strategy program. While I had completed components of organizational strategy process in the past - namely, organizational assessment and environmental scanning - I had no experience in the entire process and was interested to have some sense of theory and practice to rely on, as I undertook this project on behalf of the organization, Regional Council, and the residents of York Region. York Region is a confederation of nine municipalities, each having their own strategic plan. It was extremely important that the Region's strategic plan aligned with our local municipalities; therefore, confidence in a thorough planning process was essential. (More)
By Brenda Barker Scott
"We trained hard but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we would be reorganized... I was to learn later in life that... we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be of creating the illusion of progress while producing inefficiency and demoralization." (Charlton Ogburn, (1957), reflecting on his experience as a soldier during WWII). (More)
By Brenda Barker Scott
In today's fast paced world, organization design is an essential competency. As leaders strive to become more efficient, customer focused, and/or innovative, organizational forms must necessarily adapt in support. Paraphrasing Gary Hamel and Bill Breen in The Future of Management (2007), expecting a traditional bureaucracy to be speedy and flexible is like asking a dog to dance the tango - it simply is not in the dog's, or the organization's, DNA. Good design, therefore, defines more than the structural boxes and lines found on an organization chart. While those lines and boxes describe an organization's basic frame, they reveal very little about the nature of the core work, protocols for how work gets done, and the social expectations for how units are meant to relate. What are the performance drivers? What capabilities need to be developed and honed? How do resources need to be shared? Who needs to link with whom? What mindsets and protocols are required? Who decides? Good design incorporates these relational, procedural, and social elements - the DNA so to speak - to ensure that people are grouped and linked, as well as led and supported, to focus on the core work. (More)
By Dr. Carol A. Beatty, Senior Research Fellow, Queen's IRC
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
— Albert Einstein
People management professionals are often exhorted to become more knowledgeable about business strategy but many are discouraged by the jargon and the apparent complexity of the field. While it is true that a radical rethink of your organization’s strategy involves creativity and specialized skills, most regular strategic planning exercises do not require that level of sophistication. In this article, I will follow Einstein’s advice and aim to demystify the organizational strategy process by removing the jargon and boiling it down to five simple questions. Answer these questions and you will be able to meet the challenges of most strategic planning situations.
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At the City of Regina, two related factors have been driving the successful restructuring of its Community and Protective Services Division.
The first is the Queen’s IRC Blueprint for Diagnosing Organizational Effectiveness, which has provided the map for change. And the second is the enthusiasm for the Blueprint tool from the City’s senior management. (More)
By Brenda Barker Scott, Queen’s Industrial Relations Centre
Last month, Brenda discussed how diagnosis enables changeleaders to uncover what is really going on - and how that knowledgeyields both the best solutions and the energy for change. In part twoof her article, she elaborates on how diagnosis actually works tomobilize change, and how to make an accurate diagnosis. (More)
By Brenda Barker Scott, Queen’s Industrial Relations Centre
At its core, facilitating organizational change is aboutenergizing the right people to design and execute smart strategies. Associologist Philip Selznik says: "Strategies take on value only ascommitted people infuse them with energy." Read on for part one of anarticle that details how diagnosis lights that flame. (More)
Christina Sutcliffe, Queen's IRC Research Associate, chats withProf. Nick Turner of Queen's School of Business on the link between organizational design and health and safety.
“You can't direct people into perfection; you can only engage them enough so that they want to do perfect work”
--- Margaret Wheatley, consultant, author, and President of The Berkana Institute
The truth so aptly expressed by Margaret Wheatley was the crux ofit. “It” was the epiphany I experienced in understanding the relationship between organization development and occupational safety, between an organization's culture and people's want and commitment to work safely. (More)
Bonus Plan Rx: First Aid for Short-Term Incentive Plans
By Jackie Goldman of Toronto-based Buck Consultants and Arden Dalik of Calgary’s RainTree Consulting.
Is your bonus plan feeling tired and run down? Is it stuck in a rut? If it’s any consolation, your plan is not alone. There appears to be an epidemic of company short-term incentive plans desperately in need of some first aid (and in some cases, major surgery). In this article we explore some of the common bonus plan ailments and how to diagnose them. Then we look at a number of steps you can take, depending on the condition of your plan, to get it back on its feet —or more importantly, back to helping drive and reinforce your business strategy. (More)
Dr. Mark Huselid is an authority on return on investment (ROI) for HR practices since long before ROI became a rallying cry. He will be among the top educators leading the Queen’s Industrial Relations Centre (IRC)High–Impact People Practices program this September. Dr. Huselid is Associate Professor of HR Strategy in the School of Management and Labour Relations at Rutgers University, and has form any years been doing original research in the linkages among HR management systems, organizational strategy, and firm performance. He is co–author of the best seller "The HR Scorecard: Linking People, Strategy and Performance." (More)
An Organization Development Model for Good Form and Function
By Brenda Barker
Queen’s University Industrial Relations Centre
It is a simple truth that people have an organicconnection to the space in which they live and work. No matter how harda host may try to steer his or her guests to the formal living room,everyone eventually ends up in the kitchen, and as they do, the realparty begins. The kitchen is where the action is, and whether we are ata house party or our workplace, we all need to be within our own centreof action. Because people live and work in what is created, we at theQueen’s Industrial Relations Centre have adopted the concept oforganizational architecture to define the art and practice of“organization development.” Architecture encourages us to think abouthow form follows function, and how function follows form. (More)
