The Organization dimension examines the structure and alignment of your teams and processes. This involves assessing how well your organizational design supports collaboration, communication, and the achievement of strategic goals. A well-organized company facilitates smoother workflows, clearer roles and responsibilities, and a more agile response to change.
Most companies start with product discovery and delivery well before they have grown large enough to notice that organization issues have emerged. The truth is, however, that they do emerge relatively quickly, and it is important to get ahead of them as quickly as possible once the company has validated that it has discovered a customer need, can build a solution that satisfies that need, and starts to really grow. Wait too long, and these dimensions can create real serious problems that are difficult to overcome later.
This chapter encapsulates what I think are the five key dimensions in a healthy organization structure. The first two, vision and strategy, are likely familiar to you, though you may not have as clear a sense of what these really mean as you should. The third dimension, Objectives & Key Results (ORKs), is also likely something you are either already doing, well or badly, or at least something you have heard of. There is a lot already written on OKRs and I won't add much more than a general overview to the conversation. I will, however, include references for your further reading.
The remaining two dimensions of healthy organizations are talked about far less than they should be. The fourth, organization structure, deals with the both the organization chart, usually shorthand for exactly who in the company reports to whom, as well as the way in which teams are structured. These do not have to be the same, and there are many advantages to making them explicitly different.
The fifth and final dimension, sustainable workloads, is overlooked by all but the most enlightened and advanced organizations. Companies have a potentially infinite amount of work. But when teams feel as though the total amount of work is consistently beyond their capacity, their morale flags and their performance suffers. You can do a lot of good for your company by taking the time to measure and socialize your capacity to do work as a whole organization, and then set expectations around that capacity.
Deming, W.E. (1982) 'Out of the Crisis'.
Gothelf, J. and Seiden, J. (2023) '[OKR Book (in progress)]'.
Leto, K. (2021) 'Hiring Product Managers: Using Product EQ to Go Beyond Culture and Skills'.
Lichaw, D. (2023) 'The Leader's Journey'.
Rumelt, R.P. (2011) 'Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters'.
Skelton, M. and Pais, M. (2019) 'Team Topologies: Organizing Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow'.