Thrive By Design
“Every organization is perfectly designed to get the results it gets. If we want different results, we must change the way we do things.”
As Organization Design professionals, we bring a wealth of expertise and experience to help your organization thrive in today's ever-evolving business landscape. By partnering with us, you can expect a tailored approach to diagnosing your organization's current state, leading design projects to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, and creating alignment to ensure sustainable success. Our proven track record in guiding organizations through transformational changes sets us apart as a trusted advisors in the field.
When you engage with us, you can be confident in receiving strategic insights and actionable recommendations that are customized to suit your unique organizational needs. With a focus on fostering collaboration, enabling innovation, and driving growth, we are dedicated to empowering your organization to reach its full potential.
Let's work together to unlock your organization's possibilities and drive meaningful results. Contact us today to begin the journey towards a more optimized and aligned organization.
Thrive at every stage
Regardless of where your company is in its business life cycle, we specialize in lending our expertise and experience to help position your company successfully for its next move.
To download a list of our Core Offerings, click here
Core Offerings
At Thrive by Design we aim to provide key services that will enable you and your organization to thrive. With our core offerings we help you….
Work on the right problem
Define (or clarify) your problem statement/case for change and conduct gap analysis using our proven diagnostic process.
Align your team
Design and facilitate strategic leadership conversations to ensure alignment around purpose, strategic choices and adaptive action.
Optimize your organization
Lead/guide Organization and/or Operating Model design projects to connect your strategy to impactful results (through capabilities, structure, process, governance, metrics and talent).
Merge, integrate or divest your business
Lead/guide M&A efforts, from HR due diligence to completion and ongoing HR support of an acquisition or a divestiture.
Excel as a leader
Strengthen your capacity to lead your organization through its journey of change and transformation.
Activate change
Bring your design to life through human-centered, behavior-based change management and sustainment efforts.
Design with confidence
Upskill Strategic HRBPs and/or Business Leaders in the art and science of Organization Design through customized training.
Also available for fractional, temporary or interim engagements
It starts with a conversation
When you are responsible for leading a business, an endless list of events may trigger the need for added capacity and expertise. Contact us if…….
✅ You are stuck on a ‘wicked’ business problem.
✅ The Big Consulting firm is gone. You’re left with a pretty slide deck - now you need affordable support to implement recommendations.
✅ You worry that your organization doesn’t have the right capabilities (in people, process, or technology) to meet future demands.
✅ You are trying to make sense of emerging technology and the best way to leverage it for your business.
✅ You have made changes to your business yet you’re still not getting the results you want.
✅ You are a (new) leader looking to understand if your organization is operating effectively.
More than Boxes & Charts: Why Organization Design matters
The following has been adapted from an FAQ created by my brilliant friend Julian Chender at 11A Collaborative
Organization Design is a decision science for aligning the different parts of an organization to meet its strategic objectives. In my design work, I am primarily guided by Jay Galbraith’s Star Model although I am influenced by Socio-Technical and Human-Centered models as well. The Star Model describes what must be in alignment for an organization to succeed. It does not, however, prescribe a right way to do things. That is because each point of the Star is contingent upon the other points. Organization Design is about making the right (best) decisions based on your strategy.
When do I need Organization Design?
Organization Design is best used as a means of translating strategy into impact. Often, when people think of Organization Design, their minds immediately go to the organization chart. However, this is only a small piece of the puzzle. Organization Design offers a comprehensive strategic approach to alignment - bringing the vertical structure (the org chart) and the necessary horizontal integrations (the other points on the Star Model) in line with the strategy. Examples of when to undertake Organization Design include: when there is a new strategy, a new leader or leadership team, when an organization is experiencing significant growth or contraction, and during mergers and acquisitions.
How do I learn more about Organization Design?
Organization Design is a craft that must be practiced. There are many books on the topic by which one can glean the basic concepts. My favorite is Leading Organization Design, by Kesler and Kates. The same authors also have a LinkedIn Learning Series and a YouTube Channel. For in-person classes, I recommend the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California. For online learning, Cornell University offers a certificate program in Organizational Design.
If you would like learning support for yourself or your team, I offer several options. I teach customized, in-house training programs on Organization Design, and provide individual or team coaching support for your Organization Design projects. I also offer personalized learning journeys with 1:1 support. Last but not least, I teach by doing, engaging in Organization Design projects for organizations. Are you ready to begin?
Want to learn more about Jay Galbraith’s STAR Model? Please enter your email and you will receive an article that describes the Model in more detail.
