Organizational Structure Redesign For An Aviation Services Company - A Paper
Organizational Structure Redesign For An Aviation Services Company - A Paper
Organizational Structure Redesign For An Aviation Services Company - A Paper
Nandita Nair
29/Sep/2018
Contents
Synopsis .................................................................................................................................................. 2
Keywords................................................................................................................................................. 2
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Organizational Structure ......................................................................................................................... 3
Organizational Structure Redesign ......................................................................................................... 3
Need for Organizational Redesign ...................................................................................................... 4
As – Is: Identifying Deficiencies........................................................................................................... 5
To – Be: Efficient Structure ................................................................................................................. 6
Red and Blue Ocean Philosophy ..................................................................................................... 6
Red Ocean: Benchmarking .............................................................................................................. 6
Blue Ocean: Selecting the Optimal Organization Design .............................................................. 11
From “As-Is” to “To-Be”: Effective Leadership ............................................................................. 11
Organization Design – Grouping & Linking ................................................................................... 12
Proposed Structure: Groupings .................................................................................................... 15
Proposed Structure: Linkages ....................................................................................................... 16
Design Implications for the proposed hybrid structure.................................................................... 16
Role of Group: Global Corporate Center ...................................................................................... 16
Differentiating the Role of Group and Station .............................................................................. 17
Accountability Matrix .................................................................................................................... 17
Role of Group CEO ........................................................................................................................ 18
Administrative & Functional Reporting ........................................................................................ 18
Implementation Implications ............................................................................................................ 18
Hurdles to Execution – Red & Blue Ocean .................................................................................... 18
Organization Development ........................................................................................................... 19
Organization Culture ..................................................................................................................... 21
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 21
Figures & Tables .................................................................................................................................... 22
References ............................................................................................................................................ 22
Keywords
Organization Structure, Organization structure redesign, Blue Ocean Philosophy, Competitor
benchmarking, Leadership model, Organization design Grouping models and Linking mechanisms,
Accountability Matrix, Organization Development, Organizational Culture
The company has been working in a hub and spoke model and, is now looking to separate into a Group
and Business Units model, both legally and procedurally. The company has to take a decision on an
optimum organization structure that ensures customer centricity, performance driven culture, and
optimal resource management across the globe.
Organizational Structure
An organizational structure outlines the hierarchy within an organization. It defines how activities such
as task allocation, coordination and supervision are directed toward the achievement of
organizational goals and aims.
Organizational structure affects organizational action as it provides a foundation for its policies and
procedures, as well as the decision-making process, and becomes instrumental in shaping the
organization culture.
Many organizations overlook the importance of organizational design. When organizational strategy
changes, structures, roles, and functions should be realigned with the new objectives. An outdated
structure can result in unnecessary ambiguity and confusion and often a lack of accountability.
The best way to shape performance is to ensure proper organizational design at every level of the
organization. Leaders need to understand the concepts and skills involved in designing and aligning
organizations with evolving strategies to ensure maximization of core capabilities.
While organization design is senior managers’ most powerful tools for changing the direction of their
organizations, it can’t work without everyone being on board.2
The Leadership needs to sit down and review the Organization Design options with an open mind to:
1
(Wyman)https://www.oliverwyman.com/our-expertise/insights/1998/may/strategic-organization-design--an-integrated-
approach.html
2
Strategic Organization Design -Training for Change, By Jack Shaw on June 8, 2011, Blog: Training and Development,
managementhelp.org/blogs
Chances of failure can be mitigated by planning, close monitoring and constant management of the
implications, through detailed attention to work flows, resources, reporting relationships, business
processes and HR practices.
The redesign of the organization structure has become a priority due to:
The company has rapidly expanded in the past 5 years to various emerging economies of Africa and
Asia. One-size-fits-all solution cannot be applied here, as the challenges at every location is unique;
while, global aviation policies dictate standardized services across all locations. So there has to be a
synergy between all locations, while handling local issues locally.
The company has been trying to solve the issue of extra manpower in certain areas of work, and
shortage in others. Also, certain group of workers have had no career progression as there has been
no avenues for their vertical or lateral movement. This has to led to problems at various levels of work.
There has been instances of promotions, where the only change has been in job titles, with no
corresponding change in responsibility or job enrichment.
• Leadership – with clear vision & priorities, and cohesive leadership team
• Decision Making & Structure - clear roles, accountability and structure that supports objectives
• People – Performance and incentives aligned clearly to objectives
• Work Processes & Systems - effective and efficient support systems in place
• Culture – with high performance behaviours, adaptability and flexibility
Based on the five components, the organization was evaluated on various symptoms of
ineffectiveness:
The results collated showed that there was indeed a need for a change in design of the organization
structure.
The structure to replace the current one may not solve all the problems, but should be able to resolve
a majority of the highlighted issues, based on the priority for the organization.
4
Source: The Bridgespan Group: Designing an Effective Organization Structure, January 2009; Bain & Company
organizational toolkit and Bridgespan analysis
For Red Ocean, we shall look at competitors and their structures to understand the current
organizational models being practised in the industry.
Blue oceans, in contrast, denote all the industries not in existence today – the unknown market space,
untainted by competition. In blue oceans, demand is created rather than fought over. There is ample
opportunity for growth that is both profitable and rapid. In blue oceans, competition is irrelevant
because the rules of the game are waiting to be set. Blue ocean is an analogy to describe the wider,
deeper potential of market space that is not yet explored.
In Blue Ocean, we shall develop a structure based on our strategy and stage of development. We shall
strive to manage trade-offs, by building a hybrid structure based on the “best” options to help
organization manage its inherent weaknesses.
1. Swissport6
No. of 61,000
employees
Servicing 280 in 48
Airports countries
5
Reference: www.blueoceanstrategy.com
6
Source: http://www.swissport.com/nc/en/corporate/corporate-profile/
No. of
21,000
employees
Turnover:
£1,999.9m
FY 2014
Profit Before Tax:
£25.7m
Servicing
149 in 31 countries
Airports
3. DNATA8
No. of
27,500
employees
Revenue:
AED 10,305m
FY 2014 -
15 Operating
Profit:
AED 1,005m
Servicing 131 in 21
Airports countries
7
Source: JOHN MENZIES PLC, ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2014
8 Source: https://www.dnata.com/en
No. of
4,000
employees
Servicing
2
Airports
5. SATS10
No. of
14,500
employees
Turnover: $1,753 m
FY 2014 -15
Operating Profit:
$178 m
Servicing
44 in 12 countries
Airports
9
Source: https://www.bangkokflightservices.com/home/staff/
10
Source: https://www.sats.com.sg/AboutUs/Leadership/ManagementTeam/Pages/ManagementTeam.aspx
11
Source: http://www.airporthandling.eu/who-we-are.asp
12
Source: http://www.pagss.com/our_people.html
13
Source: http://www.ras.com.pk/corporate/management/
14
Source: Organizational Effectiveness: Organization Design – Oliver Wyman
15
Source: From Blue Ocean Strategy to Blue Ocean Leadership, HBR Webinar by Renée Mauborgne
The Key Leadership Activities, along with the time and effort required for the activities needs to be
mapped for every level. The activities then need to be assessed through the ERRC model to ensure
the right leadership profile for the organization.
Leaders at every level needs to ensure focus on strategy, vision, and direction, and should be trained
empower their teams to deliver results.
The right leadership can now steer the organization through the structure redesign process.
An optimal structure balances differentiation (through grouping) with integration (through linking)16.
Grouping
• How individuals, jobs, functions or activities are differentiated and aggregated
Though Grouping optimizes information flow within the group, but creates barriers with other
groups
Functional
Geographic
Grouping Models
Program
Matrix
Figure 13: Grouping Models
Linking
• Mechanisms of integration used to coordinate and share information across groups
Linking enables leadership to provide guidance and direction across the organization.
Liaison
Linking Mechanisms
Integrator
Dotted
Figure 14: Linking Mechanisms
Grouping decisions are usually the essence of the change in structure (new units or reconfiguration
of old units). Changes in hierarchy and job roles comes through Grouping decisions. Usually, most
organizational problems are assumed to be caused by having the wrong grouping, but could also be
because of incorrect or complicated linking17.
We now need to look at the possible grouping models and linking mechanisms options available to
the company for redesigning its structure:
16
Source: Designing an Effective Organization Structure - January 2009, The Bridgespan group; Strategic
Organization Design: An Integrated Approach, Mercer Delta Consulting (2000)
17
( The Bridgespan Group, 2009): Bridgespan’s organization diagnostic data reveals that coordination and linkages are the
#1 structural problem facing nonprofits
Program/Product model works best when product/program are very different from one another
(e.g. different customers, economics, etc.), along with different resource requirements, and these
factors are similar across geographies.
In this model, it is of critical importance to decide the priorities and focus on organization core
competence, and manage the tradeoffs.
Program Model
Group COO
This structure ensures advisory control of the Group over the Business Units as well as gives local
stations the dynamics to modify business as per local conditions. The program model allows for
Corporate centre for driving Individuals unclear who they Define Administrative and
strategic initiatives report to Functional Reporting
18
Source: Reinventing the global corporate center: Pascal Baumgarten, Suzanne Heywood; McKinsey & Co., 2012
Headquarters
• Upholding Organization values
• Developing Corporate strategy
• Managing portfolio of business in line with the values and strategy
• Managing the performance and health of company via continuous dialogue with Business
Units
Support/Shared Services
Supply world-class low cost “backbone” processes and functions to internal customers, including HR,
Finance, Supply chain, Legal, Communications, Marketing and Sales.
Centers of Excellence
• Expertise centrally for use of all business
• Link and encourage collaboration between Business Units, especially on operational
efficiency, innovation or brand management
The staffing at the Global Corporate Center is also important, as it requires employees with right
skills and knowledge to guide the organization through its business strategy, as well as be able to
communicate effectively across the organization.
Accountability Matrix
Accountability matrix helps in avoiding duplication of tasks performed at global, regional and country
levels.
We identify the key decisions and define clear accountability, so that decision making is explicit and
not removes the room for ambiguity. The decision parameters are set and the roles for Request,
Recommend, Review, Consult, Approve and Inform are decided.
New behaviors and culture (informal organization arrangements) that supports the new structure
needs to be encouraged. Strife that may arise from new structure needs to be managed, and Group
CEO has to ensure any internal conflict is secondary to maintaining effective external relationships.
The Group CEO should also ensure training and information flow of changes happen across the
organization, so that the leadership and employees are ready to adapt to the changes.
The reporting relationships need to be explicitly defined, and Performance Management system has
to record the proper structure. The system has to be attuned to the new structure and help in
identifying both performance gaps and superlative performance.
Implementation Implications
We need to now analyze the hurdles to execution and devise methods to counter them to ensure
successful transition.
19
Reference: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE: Problems of Matrix Organizations, By Stanley M. Davis and Paul R. Lawrence,
HBR MAY 1978 ISSUE
20
Reference: (https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/tools/four-hurdles-to-strategy-execution/)
Blue Ocean: Represents a significant departure from the status quo; implement tipping point
leadership - Builds on the rarely exploited corporate reality that in every organization, there are
people, acts, and activities that exercise a disproportionate influence on performance.
Organization Development
Organization development can be used to overcome the hurdles. The planned ongoing efforts shall
ensure talent management practices support the transition.
Phase 1
• Manpower plan
The manpower requirement was studied and finalized as per the cost allocation and budget analysis.
The existing roles were detailed in detail to ensure restructuring of roles as per the new design. The
common and unique tasks of roles have been mapped. Common roles across organization will have
common job task tasks along with location specific unique tasks
Job Analysis has become important as job changes have happened due to changes in structure, and
new roles created as a result of the changes into Group and BU. Job Analysis Questionnaire has been
used to study the new jobs and job changes.
Job Descriptions have been prepared for unique positions. This exercise has also been used to revise
Job Descriptions of common roles across Business Units for the express purpose of management and
assessing performance across the organization.
• Competency framework
Ensure review of competency dictionary as per the changes. Competencies and the desired level of
proficiency has to be mapped for all roles.
Job Leveling has been done to ensure alignment of jobs in different geographies, and creating a
framework after the structural change. Job evaluation has been done to determine, define and weigh
compensable factors and identify relative worth of unique jobs, and grouping jobs of similar nature
and impact into job families. The current grading structure has been revised to suit the changes in
organization structure.
Internal & External Benchmarking: Match Job evaluation with labour worth/ demand and supply, and
determine pay rates for jobs as per the new structure.
Phase 3
• Enhancing Performance Management system
Ensure individual KRAs as per role and competency as per job family. Ensure Training needs/ Job
rotation needs/ Level of competency determination to decide on suitability for current/higher role.
• Succession Planning
Identification of critical positions as per new structure and shortlisting potential candidates for
critical positions for building talent pool.
Measures of effectiveness
The measures of effectiveness need to be defined to ensure success of transition to a structure as
per the business need:
21
Reference: Job Redesign - Meaning, Process and its Advantages, https://www.managementstudyguide.com/job-
redesign.htm
Organization Culture
Organization change efforts mainly fail because of a lack of understanding about the strong role played
by culture, or the informal organization. Strategic values paly as much importance as mission and
vision.
A network of teams22: Any form of organization is only a means and should never become an end in
itself.
Conclusion
Organizational structure redesign is a massive exercise, but a well-executed redesign pays off quickly
in the form of better-motivated employees, greater decisiveness, and a stronger bottom line24. It is
imperative that the organization communicates the importance of the need for redesign, get
leadership buy-in for the exercise and ensure employee skills and capabilities are built to handle the
changes.
Performance need to assessed not just at the individual level, but at team, Business Unit and
organizational level to ensure that the structural changes remain on the right track.
22
Source: Organizational design: The rise of teams, Tiffany McDowell, Dimple Agarwal, Don Miller, Tsutomu Okamoto,
Trevor Page; Deloitte, February 29, 2016
23
Source: New Research Shows Why Focus on Teams, Not Just Leaders, Is Key to Business Performance, by Josh Bersin,
Deloitte Human Capital Trends 2016
24
Source: Getting organizational redesign right by Steven Aronowitz, Aaron De Smet, and Deirdre McGinty; McKinsey
Quarterly, June 2015
References
The Bridgespan Group. (2009). Designing an Effective Organization Structure. January.
Bersin, J. (2016). New Research Shows Why Focus On Teams, Not Just Leaders, Is Key To Business
Performance. Deloitte.
Corkindale, G. (2011, February 11). The Importance of Organizational Design and Structure. HBR.
Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2011/02/the-importance-of-organization
Karell, D. (2018, February 15). 4 Types of Organizational Structures. Retrieved from Point Park
University Online: https://online.pointpark.edu/business/types-of-organizational-structures/
Mauborgne, R. (2014, July 5). From Blue Ocean Strategy to Blue Ocean Leadership. Harvard Business
Review, Webinar.
Pascal Baumgarten, S. H. (2012). Reinventing the global corporate center. McKinsey & Co.
S, S. (2015 , October 8). Difference Between Job Enlargement and Job Enrichment. Retrieved from
https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-job-enlargement-and-job-enrichment.html.
Shaw, J. (2011, 06 08). Strategic Organization Design -Training for Change. Retrieved from Blog:
Training & Development, https://managementhelp.org/blogs/training-and-development/:
https://managementhelp.org/blogs/training-and-development/2011/06/08/strategic-
organization-design-training-for-change/
Steven Aronowitz, A. D. (2015, June). Getting organizational redesign right. McKinsey Quarterly.
Tiffany McDowell, D. A. (2016, February 29). Organizational design: The rise of teams . Deloitte.