How organizations work and why yours doesnt. A 7 minute guide to organizational and management troubleshooting.

1. Reed E. Nelson RENELSON@SIU.EDU REEDENELSON.COM How Organizations Work, and Why Yours Doesn’t

2. Goals: Who do we serve Boundaries: What Gets In Activity System: How Work Gets Done Three Components of Every Organization

3. Goal/Domain= Turf, Who we aim to please, or What part of the environment we want to control Domains can be broad or narrow, stable or unstable. Usually when they are broad, they are also less stable

4. Boundaries can be permeable or impermeable. Examples are: Price, Location, Breadth of Product Line, Entry and Exit Requirements, Debt, Speed of Service Boundaries: What gets into and out of the organization, and on what terms

5. Activity System Simple or Complex Flexible or Inflexible Complex= many different elements Flexible= ease of change

6. Do boundaries and activity systems fit with the organization’s domain Effectiveness= Fit