Training Course: Organization Design & Workforce Planning

Introduction

This course answers a simple yet critical question: "What is the best way to help organize and assist a group of professionals focus on achieving a collective objective?" The aim of this course is to enable participants to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of their organizational structure in alignment with strategic objectives, environmental complexity, and workforce availability and readiness to perform.

Organizational Development (OD) is a systematic and planned approach to improving an organization's overall effectiveness, performance, culture, and ability to adapt to change. It focuses on people, processes, culture, leadership, and organizational capabilities to support sustainable organizational improvement.

Organizational Design, on the other hand, focuses specifically on creating or redesigning the organizational structure, including roles, responsibilities, reporting relationships, functions, decision-making, and coordination mechanisms. While Organizational Development focuses on improving the organization as a whole and its ability to evolve and perform effectively, Organizational Design focuses on how the organization is structured to achieve its strategic objectives.

Understanding the difference between Organizational Development and Organizational Design is essential for HR and organizational professionals, as both disciplines are closely connected. Organizational Development can identify organizational improvement and change requirements, while Organizational Design translates strategic and organizational requirements into an effective structure, roles, processes, and operating mechanisms.

Organizational design is perceived as a collective responsibility, where Human Resources (HR) professionals facilitate and guide the process. With this in mind, the course will provide a comprehensive toolkit to enable HR staff to facilitate and guide the organizational design process systematically. The toolkit includes resources such as brainstorming charts used during the analysis stage, design templates, and facilitation guides, including agendas for working sessions. In other words, this course addresses the functional needs of participants and ensures their capability to implement the concepts learned.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Differentiate between common organizational structure archetypes and understand their impact on individual and organizational performance.
• Understand the principles and objectives of Organizational Development and its role in improving organizational effectiveness and readiness for change.
• Differentiate between Organizational Development and Organizational Design and understand how both contribute to achieving organizational objectives.
• Analyze organizational design elements, including but not limited to strategic goals, scope of operation, governance, competence, and span of control.
• Co-design or redesign organizational structures using a comprehensive toolkit.
• Improve organizational readiness for change by identifying enablers such as incentive schemes or operating mechanisms.
• Apply workforce planning methods to define workforce gaps at both the departmental and organizational levels.
• Acquire the HR skills necessary for an organizational design professional, such as job evaluation and job description writing.

Course Outlines

Day 1: The Evolution of Organizational Design Models

• Definition and objectives of Organizational Development.
• Key principles, purpose, and scope of Organizational Development.
• The relationship between Organizational Development, Organizational Design, and organizational effectiveness.
• Key differences between Organizational Development and Organizational Design, including their objectives, scope, focus, and application.
• Definition and objectives of organizational design.
• The evolution of organizational design models and the characteristics of each.
• Leavitt Diamond Model (technology, task, people, and structure).
• Galbraith Star Model (strategy, structure, processes, rewards, and people).
• McKinsey 7S Model (strategy, structure, systems, staff, skills, styles, and shared values).
• Burke-Litwin Model (McKinsey 7S factors plus external environment, performance, and feedback).

Day 2: Organizational Archetypes

Common types of organizational structures and their implications on organizational effectiveness:

• Functional.
• Geographical.
• Customer or Market.
• Product.
• Process.
• Matrix.
• Frameworks to help you position your organization and determine critical factors such as position overlap and span of control.
• Environmental complexity and stability framework.
• Work standardization framework: work variety vs internal ability.
• Classifying operating mechanisms.

Day 3: Functional Toolkit for Design and Redesign of Optimal Organizational Structures

• Who should be involved and the HR role and responsibilities.
• Elements to analyze and consider:
  • Goals: Linking structure to strategy.
  • Limits: Scoping and focusing organizational design work.
  • Activities: Defining key activities to deliver strategy and decision-making requirements.
  • Units: Separating functions into units to drive focus and specialization.
  • Links: Coordinating and collaborating across units to avoid silos and foster cooperation.
  • Shape: Defining spans and hierarchy layers.
• A comprehensive toolkit to plan and design your organizational structure.
• A radar chart to indicate change initiatives required for the success of the new design.

Day 4: Workforce Planning

• Defining workforce planning.
• Forecasting employee needs:
  • Static approach.
  • Dynamic approach.
• Keys to successful workforce planning.
• Strategic staffing processes.
• Demand analysis:
  • Trend analysis.
  • Ratio analysis.
  • Zero manning methodology.
• Capturing and tabulating data.

Day 5: Essential Skills to Master as an Organizational Design and Workforce Planning Professional

• Job evaluation: Using the Meirc job evaluation system and its implications.
• Job description writing for new or amended roles in compliance with job evaluation system requirements.
• Salary structures and incentive schemes.
• Improving staff readiness through learning and development.

Why Attend This Course: Wins & Losses!

• Gain a deep understanding of organizational design types and how to apply them in real-world business environments.
• Understand the role of Organizational Development in improving organizational effectiveness, managing change, and building organizational capabilities.
• Clearly distinguish between Organizational Development and Organizational Design and understand how they complement each other.
• Learn how to strategically plan workforce needs through effective manpower planning and workforce planning methods.
• Acquire comprehensive tools and techniques to redesign or design an organizational structure that aligns with strategic goals.
• Master the essentials of workforce planning and manpower planning, ensuring your organization is well-positioned to tackle future challenges.
• Obtain an organizational design certification recognized by industry leaders, enhancing your professional credentials.

Conclusion

This course equips you with the essential knowledge and skills to improve the design of your organization and ensure it aligns with strategic goals. By understanding Organizational Development and its relationship with Organizational Design, as well as mastering manpower planning, workforce planning, and various organizational design types, you will be prepared to face modern organizational challenges.

Register today and gain the organizational design certification that will advance your career and enhance your professional development in organizational design and workforce planning.

FAQ:

1. What is Organizational Development (OD)?

Organizational Development (OD) is a planned and systematic approach aimed at improving an organization's effectiveness, culture, processes, leadership, and people capabilities. It focuses on enhancing organizational performance and supporting change and continuous improvement.

2. What is Organizational Design?

Organizational Design is the process of creating or redesigning an organization's structure, roles, responsibilities, reporting lines, and operating mechanisms to ensure alignment with strategic objectives and business needs.

3. What is the difference between Organizational Development and Organizational Design?

Organizational Development focuses on improving organizational effectiveness, culture, people, and change management, while Organizational Design focuses on structuring the organization through roles, functions, reporting relationships, and workflows. OD improves how the organization performs, whereas Organizational Design determines how the organization is structured.

4. Why is workforce planning important in organizational design?

Workforce planning helps organizations identify current and future staffing needs, analyze workforce gaps, and ensure that the right people with the right skills are available to support strategic objectives and organizational growth.

5. What are the key factors to consider when redesigning an organizational structure?

Key factors include organizational strategy, goals, governance, scope of operations, span of control, workforce capabilities, decision-making processes, coordination mechanisms, and environmental complexity.