What is Requisite Organization?

What Is Requisite or Work Levels - Based Organization?
 

Requisite Organization (RO) is an approach to designing, staffing and managing organizations. Backed by scientific research going back over 60 years, it has helped organizations around the world reach their strategic objectives more efficiently in a manner that builds trust.

How does RO help structure ?

Most organizations suffer because work is assigned at too low or too high a level and because employees too often have managers who are incapable of adding value to their work. RO has methods for assessing the complexity of work so that:

  • strategic targets can be assigned at the right level – to someone who is capable of making the necessary judgments but not so capable that they would be bored with the work. 
  • each employee is given a manager capable of adding value to their work but not so capable as to get impatient with the employee.

Cross-functional work is a significant problem in most organizations. Matrix and dotted-line approaches are cumbersome and frequently it is force of personality, rather than strategy, which determines whether an employee gets the help they need from another department. RO has a straight-forward, effective, strategy-driven means for enabling cross-functional work.

How does RO help staffing ?

RO has methods for assessing a person's capability to manage complexity, and this ensures that employees will be assigned to roles in which they can succeed. with work they will find challenging but not overwhelming.

How does RO help the practice of management ?

RO has a system methods for managing, including practices for selecting the right person for a role, assigning tasks clearly, adjusting tasks as circumstances change, coaching and team building. In addition, managers are coached and held accountable by their own managers to practice good management.

What are the business benefits?

  • Strategic targets are reached because they are assigned to managers who are capable of doing the necessary work, exercising the necessary judgement.
  • They are reached efficiently because the employees accountable for them have a manager more capable than they are who assigns the work clearly to them and coaches them along, and because they have the authority to get needed help from other departments.
  • Trust is built because expectations are reasonable and each employee has a manager who adds value to their work.

While the various methods and templates of RO work best when implemented as a complete system, they also add great value when applied individually or in a single department.

Where can I learn more?

 

Major organizations and consulting firms that provide Requisite Organization-based services

A global association of academics, managers, and consultants that focuses on spreading RO implementation practices and encouraging their use
Dr. Gerry Kraines, the firms principal, combines Harry Levinson's leadership frameworks with Elliott Jaques's Requisite Organization. He worked closely with Jaques over many years, has trained more managers in these methods than anyone else in the field, and has developed a comprehensive RO-based software for client firms.
Ron Capelle is unique in his multiple professional certifications, his implementation of RO concepts through well designed organization development methods, and his research documenting the effectiveness of his firm's interventions
Former RO-experienced CEO, Ron Harding, provides coaching to CEOs of start-ups and small and medium-size companies that are exploring their own use of RO concepts.  His role is limited, temporary and coordinated with the RO-based consultant working with the organization
Founded by Gillian Stamp, one of Jaques's colleagues at Brunel, the firm modified Jaques;s work-levels, developed the Career Path Appreciation method, and has grown to several hundred certified assessors in aligned consulting firms world-wide recently expanding to include organization design
Requisite Organization International Institute distributes Elliott Jaques's books, papers, and videos and provides RO-based training to client organizations