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Organization Transformation (cont'd.)
As a “living and integral entity,” IT organization transformation begins with understanding the company’s goals and objectives. IT strategy and subsequently, IT organization, are built to achieve those goals and objectives. As company goals and objectives change, so must the IT strategy and organization that support them. Effective companies review organization structure and performance at least annually.
Once the organization structure is created and clear roles and responsibilities are defined, job descriptions must be written. While writing job descriptions is tedious, they are vital in establishing the organizational framework. Job descriptions provide a basic means of understanding job responsibilities and are where managers describe their expectations. Employees can also refer to them if the need for clarification arises.
Additionally, job descriptions define the skills needed to fulfill IT strategy and objectives. The required skills are then mapped against the staff’s skills and gaps are identified. A skills upgrade program can then be defined and training plans can be implemented.
Once the family of job descriptions is completed and approved, annual objectives are developed. While job descriptions mirror the organization structure, they are relatively ‘fixed’. Annual objectives are developed with the employee to set appropriate expectations against which to measure employee performance. Objectives should be modified during the year if changes in responsibilities or priorities occur.
Finally, a well-defined and executed performance review process enables employees’ performance to be measured impartially against their specific objectives to gauge success and determine areas for improvement.
Oftentimes, the building blocks of the Organization Ladder are weak and ill-defined in an organization, leading to misunderstandings, discontentment and under-performance. Believing that your organization “knows what you want” is not conducive to ensuring organizational excellence.
Frankly, poor organization structure is like building a house with incomplete blueprints. The carpenters, electricians, and plumbers work hard doing what they think is right, but the outcome is unpredictable and likely won’t meet your expectations or business needs.
Transition Partners will work with your staff to rapidly update your organization structure and develop meaningful job descriptions. On that foundation, we will help you build the other critical elements of your Organization Ladder to create a high performance organization. We do not start from a blank canvas - we have best-practice organization structures and linked job descriptions in our database, ready to go to help you quick-start the organizational structure development process. We deliver results quickly so you can focus on the strategy decisions that help maximize the return on your IT investment.
Aon, Crystal Cathedral, EDS, E&J Gallo, Regal
“Transition Partners says … ‘You need to carefully manage expectations. (There’s) too many cases where a company expected the poor CIO to be a miracle worker. If a company lets its infrastructure become outdated and fragile, a person coming in can’t provide updated business support overnight. It’s not going to happen.’ ”—CIO Insight