Coming soon · Book Profile
Leading Organization Design
A practical, five-milestone process for business leaders to make deliberate organization design decisions that translate strategy into executable capabilities, balanced power relationships, and the right talent.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
Leading Organization Design argues that in a world of complex, global, matrixed strategies, organization design has become an essential leadership competency rather than something that comes naturally. Drawing on forty years of consulting experience and building on the foundational work of Jay Galbraith, Walt Mahler, Robert Simons, and Dick Axelrod, Greg Kesler and Amy Kates offer a clear, scalable, five-milestone road map—Business Case and Discovery, Strategic Grouping, Integration, Talent and Leadership, and Transition. They equip leaders with concrete frameworks (the Star Model, the six design drivers, the strategy canvas, governance levers adapted from Simons's levers-of-control, the leadership pipeline, and the design charette) that marry the art and science of design while engaging the right people in the process. The book shows leaders how to define the real problem to solve, choose and blend basic structures, govern the inevitable matrix through balanced power, design and staff critical roles, and lead the transition all the way through—turning accumulated experience into applied wisdom and building organizations that competitors cannot easily copy.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- A general manager, business leader, or HR/OD professional who wants to execute a complex strategy and build organizational capabilities that competitors can't easily copy.
- The problem
- A misaligned organization structure that creates barriers to execution, slow decisions, role confusion, and an inability to build the capabilities a new strategy demands. Feeling that they know change is needed but are unsure how to make the best design decisions, fearing they'll solve the wrong problem or lurch from one reorganization to another.
- The plan
- Build a business case: clarify strategic priorities, define the case for change through assessment, and set design criteria.
- Choose a basic structure through strategic grouping using the six design drivers.
- Tie the pieces together and allocate power through integration and governance levers.
- Design and staff the critical leadership roles and define the work of the executive team.
- Lead, measure, learn, and adjust through a deliberately paced transition.
- The payoff
- Aligned decision making against strategy with high consistency and speed. · Built differentiating capabilities that are difficult for competitors to copy. · Talent placed in the right roles and leaders grown through stretch experiences.
See our guide
Related profiles we’ve built
- A Theory of Human Motivation →
- Anxiety at Work_ 8 Strategies to Help Teams Build Resilience, Handle Uncertainty, and Get Stuff Done →
- Applied Multivariate Stats Social Sciences Stevens →
- Assessing Change in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy of Children and Adolescents (Psychology, Psychoanalysis & Psychotherapy) →
- Basics Qualitative Research Grounded Theory Corbin Strauss →
- Bayesian Multilevel Models for Repeated Measures dаta A Conceptual and Practical Introduction in R →
- Beyond Hr Boudreau Ramstad →
- Compensating Your Employees Fairly →
Additional reading
- The Organism · Kurt Goldstein
Maslow sources the term 'self-actualization' from Goldstein and builds upon his holistic view of the organism.
- Explorations in Personality · H. A. Murray, et al.
Cited as providing an 'excellent discussion' on the basic principle of centering motivation theory on goals rather than instigation or behavior.
- Social Interest · Alfred Adler
Maslow credits Adler and his followers for stressing the importance of the 'esteem needs,' which he felt were neglected by Freudian psychoanalysts.
- Wisdom of the Body · W. B. Cannon
Provides the foundational concept of 'homeostasis,' which Maslow uses as the starting point for his discussion of physiological needs.
- Multipliers · Liz Wiseman
Explores how leaders can either amplify ('multiply') or diminish ('diminish') the intelligence and capabilities of their teams, a key concept for creating a positive, low-anxiety environment.
- The Fearless Organization · Amy Edmondson
Provides the foundational research and practical steps for creating psychological safety, which the book identifies as crucial for reducing interpersonal anxiety and encouraging people to speak up.
- Mindset · Carol Dweck
Explains the difference between a 'growth mindset' and a 'fixed mindset,' which is presented as a key tool for helping employees manage perfectionism and see failures as learning opportunities.
- Crucial Conversations · Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, et al.
Recommended as a resource for employees to learn how to navigate difficult, high-stakes conversations, directly addressing the book's theme of moving from conflict avoidance to healthy debate.
- Better Allies · Karen Catlin
The author is quoted on specific, actionable steps for allyship, making her book a practical guide for implementing the principles in Chapter 7.
- Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People · Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald
Explains the science of implicit bias, which is central to the book's argument that leaders need to be proactive allies because 'not being racist/sexist' isn't enough.