Organizational structure change: feasibility and constraints

Organizational Structure

Making Changes to an Organizations' Structure

Organization's structures reflect the cultures of the enterprises they have been created to support (Peterson, Anand, 2004). Included in these organizational structures are processes, systems, procedures and approaches to work that tend to strengthen and validate the norms, values and culture of the organization. As a result, norms, values and conformity set into an organizational culture, often through structural constraints as well (Tellis, Prabhu, Chandy, 2009). To change an organization's structure therefore requires a change to its culture too. This is no easy task, and in fact is often fought by those resistant to any change to the status quo of their organization (Flanagan, Runde, 2009) as they see change as a threat to their status and responsibilities.

Changing an organizational structure therefore entails changing an organizational culture first. The most successful approaches to completing a change to an organizational culture include senior executives to the CEO level endorsing a more customer-centric vision which often lead to debate of just what "customer centric" is and how it can be applied to a company (Flanagan, Runde, 2009). This conflict over change is actually very productive as it forces innovation into cultures (Flanagan, Runde, 2009). The bottom line is that organizational structures can be changed, and it often takes a CEO to bring lasting and significant innovation to their company as they lead. From being more customer-centered (Peterson, Anand, 2004) to embracing the need for greater innovation (Tellis, Prabhu, Chandy, 2009) organizational structures can change as the underlying cultures do. It takes exceptional effort however and often an external set of circumstances to force change over time.