HOW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL
“...Organization is not absolute. As such, a given organizational
structure fits certain tasks in certain conditions and at certain times.”
—Peter Drucker, “MANAGEMENT’S NEW PARADIGM,” FORBESMathematicians know that modeling a seven-body, mutually interacting system like the one
shown here is a daunting task. Ultimately, the seven boxes will need to be balanced by trial
and error. To get started, jot down your first ideas for the design or redesign of your part of the
organization. (You’ll need a pencil and eraser!) A suggested process is:
- Refine the captions of each box to suit your organizational culture.
- Work from the big picture and givens to details and the less-understood.
- Jot in the data as you think it ought to be for the redesigned organization. Start a list
of information that you need to add to the data and measurements. - Next, step back and assess how each box fits with and supports every other box. Adjust
your data and expectations to make the whole work. Remember the principle of sys-
tems thinking illustrated in the performance of a great car: It doesn’t have the world’s
most powerful engine. Rather, it has the engine that best integrates with all the other
characteristics of the vehicle, and thereby maximizes the overall performance design
features of the car as a whole. - Unless you want to design a top-down organization, involve others early and often to refine
your assumptions, add new ideas and data, and build commitment to the final design.
SECTION 4 TOOLS FORDESIGNINGPRODUCTIVEPROCESSES ANDORGANIZATIONS 103