This cluster of methods is sometimes synonymous with the term organizational development. It is more properly labeled a different OD – organizational design.
This discipline focuses on ensuring that teams get formed and reporting relationships defined in ways that maximize the organizations chances for strategic success. Classically, this involves designing organization charts. However, more recently the discipline also designs teams so that members of one team also belong to other teams, ensuring better communications among teams. Other design methods include indirect reporting relationships (A reports to M, but A also keeps P involved and informed about his or her work), and formally defining communications processes/channels, especially data transfer across information technology networks. Organizational design and architecture often attempts to strike a balance between maintaining functional reporting relationships (finance and accounting reports to the CFO; purchasing agents and contract managers report to the head of procurement) and ensuring process-oriented workflow and communications. |
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