What's Your Role?

"The achievement of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.”

Vince Lombardi - Professional Football Coach

Does your company use a traditional org chart? If so, have you ever asked yourself why? Have you ever evaluated how useful it is? This is an example of how leaders question everything. Many times it’s challenging things most organizations look right over. Everyone has an org chart right?

The typical org chart is focused on the business from a hierarchical perspective. It contains everyone’s “place” in the business. But is it the most effective way of organizing to accomplish what a business needs to get done?

Among the most effective companies I’ve seen or worked with, many have gotten rid of the traditional org chart. So why would a company do that and what replaces it? If you recall from previous articles, once organizations develop a strong understanding of their purpose it becomes much easier to identify what the structure of the company needs to be in order to achieve the company’s goals. If the company has taken the time to hire the right people instead of just, “filling open positions”, the roles required become obvious. Those roles describe what needs to be done by each individual position, by each sub-group in the company and by the company as a whole.

Companies that have abandoned the traditional org chart have different names such as role descriptions or accountability descriptions for each position and group. While it may seem a subtle difference between these and an org chart, that subtly is often the where the magic comes from that takes a company from average to great.

Here are some of the advantages companies glean from this approach:

1. Discourages egos. When there are defined roles within a business that need to be done, they are owned by individuals and groups of people within the organization with a clear understanding of how it moves the organization forward. Job titles then become unnecessary.

2. When role descriptions are clear, everyone knows the part they play in building a great organization.

3. The company ends up with better accountability and alignment. People know specifically what part they and the groups they work with play in the overall success of the business. That leads to a sense fulfillment and satisfaction in their job. Employees that achieve this rarely leave these types of companies. Are you having any problems with turnover or finding good employees lately?

4. By clearly understanding what structure is required to achieve the company’s goals, it’s much easier to identify what type of people the company needs.

5. Role descriptions allow a greater degree of flexibility. As situations change, it’s much easier to figure out what roles need to change allowing a company to adapt faster than their competitors.

6. Role descriptions force a level of clarity upon management. If a role’s description is nebulous at best, maybe the role isn’t necessary in the first place.

7. For a company to truly be great, every person with a role description must minimally outperform his or her counterparts in their competitor’s organizations. A company with this structure and the attitude it exudes are the companies that consistently outperform their competition.

8. Maybe the most important, is a sense of comradery develops to a level that’s hard to create in command and control, org chart organizations. When everyone is clear on their role and the company is clear on its purpose a fellowship around being accountable to each other develops.

With this model, over time, companies develop the internal capabilities for devising and carrying out plans for achieving objectively measureable goals no matter what obstacles get in the way. A strong internal pride develops along with true sense of being on a great team. This is the secret sauce organizations that understand this get. Unfortunately most leaders of companies will never spend the time understanding the subtly. They will happily continue on with an organizational structure that doesn’t inspires anyone yet complain about competitors who always seem to be two steps ahead. Of course it’s not their fault. They just don’t have the right employees or enough capital or,,,<insert excuse of the moment here>.

Imagine if your company was one great team with the full capability and readiness to achieve any goal that was set, no matter what happened? Ownership of planning and execution “throughout” an organization, because everyone was clear on the goals of the business, (not just at the top) is the real key to organizational greatness.

As Mr. Lombardi stated in our opening quote: “The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.” Are each of your employees crystal clear on their role in your organization? Are they clear how their performance, good or bad, affects company outcomes? If so, congratulations. You are a rare leader. If not, why not and what’s the cost to your organization for not doing it?