Graham Group Ltd

Note: This information was produced using AI analysis of the video presentation transcript and has not yet been reviewed and approved by the client or the consultant.

Using Levels Strategically Graham executive will discuss their design of project management structures to handle complexity in public-private-partnerships, infrastructure, industrial, heavy civil, and commercial construction projects. Additionally they will share how their Talent Management system aligns managerial capability with managerial challenge.

The Issue:

The project was initiated due to a recognition of growth and scalability challenges in the organization. The management realized the need for a fundamental shift from being a mid-sized company to becoming a larger one. This realization came about as the company's annual revenues grew significantly over the years, highlighting a gap between the company's current operational capacity and what was needed to sustain and manage its growth effectively. The company was at a stage where it was too big to be small yet too small to be big, prompting a need for structural and strategic changes.

The Intervention:

The project involved applying the concepts of Requisite Organization (RO) and Stratified Systems Theory (SST) to realign the company's structure and workforce capabilities. Key interventions included:

  • Evaluating existing management capabilities and understanding the current organizational level.
  • Establishing criteria for determining project levels to match projects with appropriate organizational capabilities.
  • Building a matrix organization to accommodate different areas of expertise and management capabilities across multiple levels.
  • Developing and empowering employees to match the requirements of higher-level projects through training and capability enhancement.
  • Implementing a cultural shift from an opportunistic approach to a more strategic one, and from a collegial style to a more formal management approach.

Results:

The implementation of these strategies led to significant improvements and results:

  • Enhanced alignment of project requirements with employee capabilities, improving project success rates.
  • Growth in the company's scale and capabilities, moving from mid-sized to larger projects.
  • Increased organizational efficiency by establishing clear levels and responsibilities.
  • Successful shift to larger, more complex projects (level four projects), leading to an expansion in business scope and improved financial performance.
  • Improved human resource management and development, aligning employee growth with organizational needs.
  • The company's reputation was strengthened, both nationally and internationally.

Project Information:

Industrial sector Types of organization Governance RO Stratum of the organization Number of Employees Labour relations Region Country
Engineering services, Construction
Construction
Private
6
Shareholders
North America
Canada
Types of interventions Specific functions targeted if any Strata in which RO interventions were used Approximate Years of project interventions
Levels-based strategic planning and or competitive analysis, Senior management orientation to concepts, Time-span interviews, CIP - Complexity of Information Processing - Employees, CIP - Complexity of Information Processing - Recruitment, Assessment interviews for introduction to some RO concepts, review of career, preferences and styles, and talent pool dev, Levels of work complexity, Training in effective managerial leadership practices, Cross functional accountabilities and authorities, Manager - once - Removed Authorities and Accountabilities, Talent pool review - calibration and gearing, Compensation, RO Skills Transfer to the Organization, Human capability assessments of external recruits, Coordinating RO concepts and approaches with other organization improvement programs
CEO & general management, Finance, accounting, & audit, Human Resources, Information technology, Marketing, sales & customer service, Operations or production, Research & development
6, 5, 4, 3, 2
1999 to 2015 and perhaps longer

Link to other project-related information on the site:

Project principals

Profile picture for user grantbeck
Grant Beck
President and CEO
Graham group
Profile picture for user patrickschmidtz
Patrick Schmidtz
Senior Vice President Corporate Resources
Graham Group Ltd
Profile picture for user donfowke
Donald V. Fowke
Managing Director
New Management Network

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