Strategy and Element

New strategies or shifts in existing ones frequently require organizations to rethink how they are set up changes that are not accompanied by such a fundamental re-evaluation cannot have a lasting impact. This holds particularly true in the public sector, where organizations are regularly adapting to an ever evolving environment, realigning to new leaders, navigating new responsibilities, and collaborating across jurisdictions or political lines.

 Organization design should be at the heart of these changes in strategic direction.Yet organization design is frequently an afterthought for change related programs in both the public and private sectors.

In the public sector, change is often driven by new directions in policy and new political agendas. Whether incremental changes or fundamental reforms, these new directions are often set without much regard for the impact that they will have on government organizations. This occurs in part because, regardless of the source of the reform, leaders of public-sector organizations are responsible for adopting these changes and making them happen. Faced with constraints such as limited terms and legislative or regulatory requirements, leaders can find organization design a low priority when they are just looking to get reforms done.

But organization design can provide effective and practical solutions to many stubborn issues confronting public-sector leaders. There are three main elements of organization design structure, individual capabilities, and roles and collaboration that are essential to make change effective. In fact, there is a dynamic interplay among them. (See the exhibit below.) When structure, individual capabilities, and roles and collaboration are in alignment—and tightly linked with an organization's strategy and mission public sector reforms are more likely to succeed.