20/9/2023
As a leader of a growing organisation, you realise that things need to change, need to evolve, but where to start? How do you ensure that you make changes that don’t put at risk the very thing that makes your organisation unique and that created the success in the first place?
Growth brings with it complexity, new challenges for customers, employees, and the supply chain. You’re no longer a (virtual) room full of people who will pitch in to ‘get things done’ as everyone pitches in. And, as a leader, you can’t always ‘touch’ or influence every part of the organisation. Suddenly communication is breaking down, messages aren’t getting through, and it’s certainly not how you’d intended. And let’s not get started with growing and trying to recruit new talent. You know you need to change, but you’re fearful of adding processes & systems and adding a layer of bureaucracy that could just spell doom.
Whatever size you’re at, designing or refreshing your operating model can simplify some of these growth decisions. Anchoring back to your strategy, whether conceptual or thoroughly documented, you can set up the right operating model designed for success today but particularly for the future– something not always guaranteed (80% of start-ups fail[1]). It’s not about structures with old school hierarchies, but looking at ways to design the work, empowering teams, and individuals to take ownership and be empowered to make the decisions that sustain organisational success. It will mean different expectations and capabilities from leaders, often starting with the founding CEO.
Recently Beacon Consult has been working with clients who have inspiring success stories as they grow to the next stage. We began by clarifying their strategy and then worked together to design the operating model to meet their aggressive growth aspirations. This meant prioritising those critical areas to immediately focus on for a scaling business, and what to pause until it does need the ‘big corporate’ treatment. And we created a roadmap, which they didn’t have before. It won’t guarantee smooth sailing but it’s an organised chaos and an understanding of the precious elements that make the organisation unique so they can be protected.
If you like to take a fresh look at your operating model for future growth, please contact Mark here or call on 0431 33855.
