The Star Model

Today's post is dedicated to Jay Galbraith, an American organisational theorist who lives on through his Star Model framework for organisational design.

The Star Model

In reading up on the Star Model one of the main elements I connect with most is it's appreciation that you can't just pick up your desired culture off a shelf and insert it into an organisation. I believe culture is an emergent property of the organisation in which it resides and so what leaders can do instead is build the strategy, structure, processes and reward systems etc which then act as the foundational framework for a culture to form. 

One critical element is the type of people that reside inside the system. People are individuals and act with their own motivations, behaviour, skill sets as well as strengths and weaknesses (relative to the system). Part of picking the right person is 'culture fit' however from Jay's examples below it's clear that there is also a strong element of hard definable skills that contribute to suitability.

Flexible organizations require flexible people. Cross-functional teams require people who are generalists and who can cooperate with each other. Matrix organizations need people who can manage conflict and influence without authority. - Jay Galbraith

When things go wrong (or right!) it can be easy to point directly at a particular structure or process for responsibility however there is merit in considering how those elements exist inside the organisational system as a whole. Perhaps there is more than one element out of alignment or there may be other elements influencing the outcome that on the surface were overlooked. Make sure you take a moment to assess if your energies are being focuses in the right place (or places).

Most design efforts invest far too much time drawing the organization chart and far too little on processes and rewards. Structure is usually overemphasized because it affects status and power, and a change to it is most likely to be reported in the business press and announced throughout the company. However, in a fast-changing business environment, and in matrix organizations, structure is becoming less important, while processes, rewards, and people are becoming more important. - Jay Galbraith

The quotes above were from a whitepaper on the Jay Galbraith website that provides a great, high level summary of the Star Model. Also below is a short video on the model, as well as Kates Kesler's Five Milestone Design process.

The things you know...

I was fortunate enough to attend an Organisational Development meeting the other day and was once again reminded of some of the fascinating aspects of the speciality. One point I have noticed over the years is good OD often surprises you with a flash of common sense that you only notice after someone has told you. That's because we naturally take things for granted people can easily assume and create a status quo without actually testing their base thought processes.

Two points from the meeting referring to training that I found relevant to this were:

1. Don't make assumptions about succession planning / professional development plans.


Just because you think you have a good idea where you will want someone to be in 5 years doesn't necessarily mean they want to be there. There is a huge array of factors constantly having an effect on an employee's choices on career development. It may be upwards movement, sideways or even with a different company or no movement at all.

2. Don't send people for training if the environment they're returning to isn't ready to receive their new knowledge.


After studying various forms of training needs analysis when studying my degree I always keep an eye out for a lack of training as a possible cause for organisational problems. However one vital point to keep in mind is understanding the processes, culture and tools available to an employee when they return with their newly learnt skills. Without these vital elements in place you have not only wasted your time and resources but can also cause further frustration in the employee as they feel helpless to utilize their new skills.

How to create an environment back at home which fosters the integration of new knowledge is a topic for another day but these issues are definitely food for thought in the meantime.

Change management on the rise

According to the latest Hays Quarterly Report, organisations will remain focused on retention and recognise the importance of holding on to the best people as the market picks up. Therefore, HR professionals who specialise in organisational development will also be in demand in the first quarter of 2010. (http://www.humanresourcesmagazine.com.au/articles/14/0C066714.asp?Type=59&Category=917)

Organisational development / change management is a tricky subject. It involves a huge range of factors internal and external to the organisation. Quantitative factors obviously form a staple for analysis such as company and competitor statistical data. However it's the qualitative factors which can be much harder to pin down and change or even define which are equally as important. Issues of culture; organisational or otherwise, generational shifts, social norms and tacitly upheld values - all of these and many more hold tight grips on how an organisation functions and sees itself. It is these issues which I believe if effectively engaged with separate true organisational transformers from change catalysts.

You can check out current salary trends here; just search for change management.

http://content.mycareer.com.au/salary-centre/