Networks are what act as the glue in organization structures. This article describes network-building practices such as co-location, communities of practice, annual meetings/retreats, training programs, rotational assignments and technology and e-coordination.
White Papers
Matrix Organization Designs: How To Combine Functional And Project Forms
A classic article that still applies today. It describes matrix organizations, and how to move from a functional to a matrix form. It also describes alternatives to a pure matrix form, as well as factors involved in determining those choices.
International Transfer of Managers: Some Important Policy Considerations
This article discusses the impact of the international transfer of managers on an organization’s structure and other organizational processes.
Designing the Innovating Organization
Innovating organizations – those that are designed to do something for the first time – call for unique structures, information and decision processes, and reward and people-selection systems. This article discusses how such organizations can be created.
Designing a Reconfigurable Organization
“Change Management” takes enormous time and effort. This article describes how companies can design their organizations to be rapidly changeable to meet environmental and competitive challenges.
Integrated Speed and Flexibility: Delivering Customer Solutions
This article describes how Sun, Nokia and IBM have created organizations that are simultaneously fast, flexible and integrated.
Building Organizations Around the Global Customer
Global customers – those who want a consistently high level of service from suppliers in all countries where they do business – are increasingly more demanding. This article describes how global companies can build new capabilities to service the customer dimension, in addition to business units, countries and functions.
Beyond the Business Unit
This article describes how large multi-national companies such as IBM and British Petroleum have organized to realize the benefits of size and breadth as well as entrepreneurial spirit and responsiveness.
Organizing to Deliver Solutions
This article sets forth the notion of customer-centric business units that are used to deliver packages of systems or solutions to customers. It describes how to create and integrate a customer-centric unit into the existing organization. Nokia and IBM are provided as examples.