Some people argue that industrial-age organizational models, designed for a top down, military-style management approach, will not carry most associations into the future. Others say, "Well, we've always done it that way, why change?" and just maintain the status quo. Regardless of which side you are on, most association executives would agree that many organizations have silos, either formal or informal ones, and holding staff accountable can be a challenge. Silos do not encourage information sharing or collaboration, which are both critical in the knowledge economy and critical to building more efficient and effective member services.

Designing for accountability creates an environment where everyone is swimming in the same direction and goals are easier to identify and hold people to.

Four Benefits of Properly Redesigning an Organization

1. Efficiencies. A properly redesigned staff structure builds efficiencies if done correctly. It creates a more modern team structure and identifies and supports independent contributors more efficiently.
2. Better accountability. If done well, a new structure identifies key areas of accountability for each position and for all employees within the organization. Designing for accountability creates an environment where everyone is swimming in the same direction and goals are easier to identify and hold people to.
3. Improved member services. A new structure supports better customer and member service by aggregating similar and supporting services into more efficient work teams.
4. Better identification and leveraging of individual strengths. You can identify and leverage individual strengths and put people in the right positions instead of putting a square peg in a round hole.

Key Considerations When Contemplating a Staff Restructure

1. Future vision. Be clear about the organization's vision of where you want to be in five to 10 years both in regard to size and function. Who are you serving and what are you offering in the future?
2. Key functions. There are four or five key roles in any organization: membership (i.e., sales and marketing), operations (the services and products you offer), administration (finance, HR, IT, etc). Meanwhile, coordinating these first three roles is what we call an "integrator," often the chief of staff or sometimes the executive director. About half of organizations also have a visionary, which could also be the executive director. (If you are uncertain about whether you are a natural integrator or visionary leader, check out Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman.)
3. Design the right bus and right seats first. If you believe in Jim Collins' work from Good to Great, you leverage its principles and redesign around accountability, which works like this: An organization needs to design the right bus first, then design the right seats. Each seat should have three to five primary responsibilities that do not overlap with any other seat on the bus. These are three to five functions that only that seat is responsible for. The final step in the process is putting the right people in the right seats.

Sample Accountability Chart

We call this process "designing the accountability chart" because the focus is less on the reporting structure and more about designing the right structure to take an organization into the future, grouping the right teammates together, ensuring each role is accountable to measurable goals, and getting the right people in the right positions.

Over the years, we have found that sometimes the people who are on your bus now may not be the right people to get you where you want to go. Other times, there may be seats created but no one to fill them. Both are common problems and have to be dealt with, but, by designing for accountability, you build the right framework for the organization moving forward.

While the effort to redesign an organization can feel challenging, most organizations agree that, once done, the process increases staff morale, the organization is more efficient, and individual strengths are honored and leveraged within the organization.