This week we develop from where we left last week.
We are going to explore how we can create and sustain an effective organization.
Any organization that is worth its salt must approach organizational effectiveness in a wholesome manner.
Encouraging enterprise-wide collaboration is complex.
It includes the employees, leadership, processes, and culture who must work in tandem to achieve desired organizational goals.
The different areas making up the organization can be likened to pillars that support a large structure.
If there is any of those pillars that becomes weak, it threatens the stability of the entire organization.
How then can you ensure strength and cohesion across the organization?
λ Make People, Processes, and Resources A Priority
Performance depends on several factors like the quality of staff development, the work environment, work tools, and effective management.
Employees and leaders are can never be effective without efficient processes.
For an organization to be effective operations should be fast, lean, and cost-effective.
Organizational staff rely on operational efficiency for them to be successful in their work. There is genuine need for employees, management, and processes to align for them to be effective.
Gartner’s research shows that when ‘employee goals are aligned to both organizational and employee needs, employee performance increases by up to 22%.’
λ Need for Alignment of Strategy and Objectives
Many organizations go through large-scale transformations to achieve organizational effectiveness.
But many organizations don’t improve at the rate so desired because of failure to align organizational strategy with objectives.
There is need to understand the organization’s value chain, so as to adjust it to align with the organizational objectives.
λ Need For Alignment of Company Structure with Organizational Strategy
After prioritizing objectives, you can start aligning company structure with organizational strategy.
Organizational structure has an impact on the organization’s performance. For example, is the organization a top-down, autocratic hierarchy? Or is it democratic, composed of autonomous teams and individuals?
There is a need of finding the best structure and design for your model so as to become an effective organization.
The system of leadership, management, culture, and other factors contribute to system functionality.
λ Measure Results
How can an organization know if its efforts are paying off? Assessing organizational effectiveness isn’t as simple as looking at profits.
There is need for proper data analysis so as to determine efficiency, while it is equally important to focus on the human side of organizational growth.
The following questions are critical in measuring the results of organizational effectiveness:
λ What goals are your company trying to achieve?
λ Are these goals clearly communicated to employees?
λ How often will you evaluate progress?
Being transparent is the best way to engage employees so as to achieve organizational effectiveness.
There is need to set out the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved and regularly share the progress of your strategy at regular intervals, which will motivate everyone to keep pushing forward.
λ Continuously Improve
Organizational effectiveness is a continuous process. If you want your organization to commit to the process, you need support from the top.
Executive support has a trickle-down effect throughout an enterprise, encouraging everyone to get on board with change initiatives and transformations.
A clear and consistent commitment from leaders is the best way to ensure the organization continues to improve.
Remember to evaluate progress regularly and always look for areas of improvement.
Paul Nyausaru is an OD Practitioner and leadership coach. For all your OD interventions and leadership development training you can get in touch with him on whatsapp/call +263774062756 or Email pnyausaru@gmail.com
Chiedza Kadare is an OD Practitioner. You can get in touch with her on whatsapp/call +263 77 283 0986 or Email chiedza.kadare@gmail.com
