Optimizing Organization Design

A Proven Approach to Enhance Financial Performance, Customer Satisfaction and Employee Engagement

Publisher
Jossey-Bass

Price
$37.66 USD

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Optimizing Organization Design offers a comprehensive resource and valued guide for anyone interested in improving organization performance. The book presents an approach to optimizing organization design that is based on over 100 large scale projects and 23 research studies that have been completed by Capelle Associates over the past 25 years. In addition, the book includes insightful comments from executives on their success in using this approach. Capelle’s research and client experience reveal that optimizing organization design leads to better financial performance, customer satisfaction and employee engagement. It can provide a competitive advantage and a significant return on investment. It can also become the foundation of both strategy implementation and human resources management.

Capelle shows that organization design includes the alignment of a number of critical factors, including positions (vertical and functional); accountabilities and authorities (managerial and cross functional); people; deliverables and tasks. He shows that manager – direct report alignment is the single most important organization design variable. His research also shows that it is suboptimal nearly half the time. This is a horrendous waste of talent and capability, but also provides a significant opportunity for improvement in organization performance. 

Optimizing Organization Design clearly explains how to implement organization design improvements. This approach includes people change management, project management, and a cascading, iterative approach that is based on teams and involves education, doing real work and feedback.  In addition, Optimizing Organization Design includes special sections on the role of the Board of Directors, project management, process management and compensation. In addition, the author has included four case studies and a useful glossary. 

Book reviews

Review by Kenneth Craddock

Optimizing organization design provides a competitive advantage and a significant return on investment.  It comprises the alignment of a number of critical factors, including positions (vertical and functional), authorities and accountabilities (managerial and cross functional), people, deliverables, and tasks.  He shows that manager–direct report alignment is the single most important organization design variable.  It is now suboptimal nearly half the time.  This is a horrendous waste of talent and capability, but also provides a significant opportunity for improvement in organization performance.  This approach can become the foundation of both strategy implementation and HR management.  Four cases.  23 research studies.  

Review by Paul Lynch

Optimizing Organization Design is a timely addition to the body of literature-based organization design around…
 

Review by Don Fowke

Perfecting the Stratified Human System Ronald G. Capelle, Optimizing Organization Design: A proven approach to enhance Financial Performance, Customer Satisfaction and Employee Engagement,…

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