Organization Design Challenges
Key findings
Interpretation
Some information is readily available to consultants and even formalized (e.g., organization charts showing the existing reporting lines). However, other types of information (e.g., informal relations, work process interdependencies, and resource utilization) are not readily available, even though they may be more important in order to support effective decisions.
The key constraint that consultants often face is that data collection is time-consuming and therefore costly. Clients may want to reduce the cost and proceed directly to the design phase. As three respondents noted:
Lack of as-is data is always a major challenge resulting in an expensive analysis and documentation phase which clients don't want to spend money on
An absence of process maps/definitions is often a challenge - there is no record of what people actually do, sometimes not even job descriptions
My answer regarding the utilization of resources is rooted in the difficulty in gathering accurate data to perform this task, especially in a large, global organization
Obtaining valid data about the current organization is not only a question of time and cost, however, but also requires a willingness to examine current practices and share information with the consultants. As one respondent noted:
These challenges are present due to the unwillingness of the institutions I work with to truly acknowledge or disclose the truths.