Defining Organizational Design

For most leaders, the term "organizational design" conjures job titles, supervision lines, and unwieldy organizational charts. It sounds like traditional human resources work. At JustOrg Design, we mean something very, very different by the term.

We define organizational design as: the intentional and ongoing co-activation of organizational strategy, structure, and decision-making. In other words, strategy, structure, and decision-making are not separate issues or concerns; indeed, when we address them separately–a new strategic plan here, a group of new positions or an ad hoc committee there– the results are nearly always dissatisyfing, if not harmful.

Organizational design, as we are using the term, is strategic leadership work. It cannot be maintained in a static chart or a powerpoint deck. It is an active and ongoing set of choices that leadership makes to ensure everyone is engaged in the most important work the organization can be doing in its movement or field right now.

Because justice strategies are inherently emergent and dynamic, our structures have to be fluid enough to hold and advance them. Because decision-making is how strategy is actually activated, it has to be conscious and skillful across the organization. Organizational design is about making sure there is a strong and elegant relationship between your active strategies, your active structures, and your active choices.

The JustOrg Design application is purpose built to deepen an organization’s collective capacity to:

• Define and orient everyone to bold justice strategies

• Configure people to activate these strategies together

• Empower people to make transparent, accountable decisions

• Visibilize and celebrate progress on the organization's most critical strategic work

Now, we’ll take a deeper dive into each of these core areas of the JustOrg Design system. Read on!