Growth changes an organization faster than an org chart can keep up with. A team of 20 becomes a team of 80. A second location opens. Roles are created quickly to accommodate the work. Leaders still sign off on decisions that should have moved down levels a long time ago.
Signs your structure has fallen behind:
- One manager has too many direct reports while another has too few.
- Decisions wait until one person has time to make them, creating a bottleneck.
- Confusion around project and task ownership.
- Lack of preparedness around succession planning or turnover.
- An acquisition or a new line of business has employees overlapping on the same job.
EANE helps you work out what should change and what should stay. We assess how your organization is set up today, design the structure you need now and in the future, and help your people through the transition. Organizational design is part of Beacon Executive Services, our executive consulting practice, backed by a team that has worked with New England employers since 1932.
Talk with us about your structure or call 877-662-6444
Organizational Design Services
Some clients need a full redesign. Others need one piece of it, like a fresh look at the leadership team or a single department that has grown faster than the rest. We scope the work to what you’re dealing with.
Assessing your current structure
We map your roles, reporting lines, how many people each manager leads, and where decisions get made or stall. We interview your leaders and a cross-section of employees, and we check whether you have the skills and headcount the next few years will call for, using a workforce assessment where it helps. You get a written report that puts the issues in priority order.
Designing the new structure and operating model
We work with your leadership team to design the new structure. That covers the org chart and the operating model underneath it: who owns each process, who decides what, and how information moves between teams. We lay out the options and their trade-offs before anything changes.
Leadership roles and success profiles
A new structure changes what you need from your leaders. We write a role definition and success profile for each leadership role, so the people in those roles, and anyone you later promote or hire, know what’s expected. Role design often leads into succession planning, or into an executive search when a new role needs an outside hire.
Planning the communication
We work out who’s affected and how, then build a communication plan that sets what leaders say and when, with talking points managers can use when their teams ask questions. We update your pay structure when roles change pay levels. If positions are eliminated, we plan the separations with you.
Rollout and transition support
You get a rollout plan listing each step, who owns it, and when it’s due. We stay involved after launch, checking in with your leaders and adjusting whatever isn’t working.
Who We Work With
We work with organizations that have grown, merged, or changed direction across New England, including manufacturers and distributors, financial institutions, healthcare and human services providers, nonprofits, and professional services firms. You don’t need to be an EANE member to work with us. Members receive preferred member pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What does an organizational design consultant do?
An organizational design consultant helps you decide how your organization should be set up: which roles you need, who reports to whom, and who makes which decisions. At EANE, that ranges from a review of one department to a full redesign with a rollout plan.
Do we need a full redesign?
Often not. Many clients start with the leadership team or one department. The assessment shows how far the changes need to go before you commit to a bigger project.
What’s the right span of control for a manager?
It depends on the team. A manager leading experienced people who do similar work can handle more direct reports than one whose team is new, spread across locations, or doing varied work. A better test is whether each manager has time left to coach their people and do their own job. We look at span of control role by role during the assessment.
Will our employees know we’re working with you?
That’s your call. Early assessment work can stay with a small leadership group. When the work includes employee interviews, individual comments stay confidential and come back to leadership as themes.
Do we have to be an EANE member?
No. Organizational design work is open to members and non-members. Members receive preferred member pricing.
EANE’s Board Consulting Services At a Glance
| What it is | Organizational design consulting from EANE (Employers Association of the NorthEast): assessment of your current structure, design of a new structure and operating model, leadership role design, change communication planning, and transition support. |
| Who it’s for | CEOs, owners, executive teams, and HR leaders at organizations that have grown, merged, added locations, or are preparing for a leadership change. |
| Problems it solves | Managers with too many or too few direct reports, decisions that bottleneck at one person, overlapping or unclear roles, duplicate teams after an acquisition, and roles built around people who are leaving. |
| Geography | New England |
| Delivery model | Scoped project engagements, delivered on-site and virtually. Part of Beacon Executive Services, EANE’s executive consulting practice. |
| How it’s different | EANE is an independent organization with no stake in who ends up in which role, and it brings workforce assessment, compensation, succession, and search work under one roof. |
| Pricing | Scoped and priced up front. Open to members and non-members; EANE members receive preferred member pricing. |