In the last year I have had a few posts on Workday’s redesign of the organization structure in their HCM application. They have done a great job at giving us something new and more usable. In fact, we’ve been struggling for years over organization structures. They are hard to implement within existing HCM configuration limitations, and often the organization does not agree on the appropriate organization structure. Finance, HR, performance, ect… often use different organization hierachies. Perhaps all of this discussion is rather a moot point.
Most of us like looking at organization charts because it gives us a clear picture of how an organization does its work. But in reality, the org chart is almost completely useless in portraying that picture realistically. I’ve been writing a lot in the last year about collaboration and innovation networks, and if we really think about how work gets done, it is not in the rigid structures of the organization hierarchy. Rather, the connections that are not displayed in the org chart – connections existing within the white space between the boxes – is where all the work is happening. ((Rummler, Geary A.; Alan P. Brache (1995). Improving Performance: How to Manage the White Space in the Organization Chart. Jossey Bass Business and Management Series. Jossey-Bass.)) The best way to get to understand that white space? In my opinion it’s the collaboration network. The collaboration network attempts to depict the communications and connections between people regardless of the org chart. By examining these interactions, an organization can see who is doing the work, how much of the work burden they actually have, how much influence they have.
The org charts are nice to look at, but indeed, it is the collaboration network that really helps us understand the work happening within our organizations.
8 responses to “The White Space Behind the Org Chart”
The White Space Behind the Org Chart
of Microsoft’s Origami Project. It’s selling for around US$900 now, and a few specs are: -Mobile TV expansion modules -30 Gig hard drive -Special software for thumb-typing -Optional GPS Check out the full specs at the Samsung site01425sz1i12632800.jpgSamsung though has just announced the Q2, and a preview can already be shown at Engadget Plus, now that Windows Vista has launched, I’m hoping to test it out on my UMPC first. So I also joined the Microsoft Origami Project community to check out the latest on t
I fully agree with the article, however it makes me really curious on what kind of tools and applications would support this. What tools can make these collaboration org charts visible in a usable way? You mention Workday, but then I assume you need the full HR suite. What about applications and tools that can be add-ons to ERP packages, or stand-alone?
[…] of factors are involved… Tags: recruiting,talent,employee relations,blog • The White Space Behind the Org Chart The White Space Behind the Org Chart Source: systematicHR – Human Resources Strategy […]
The org chart is almost completely useless…
I’ve been writing a lot in the last year about collaboration and innovation networks, and if we really think about how work gets done, it is not in the rigid structures of the organization hierarchy. Rather, the connections that are not displayed in …
[…] The White Space Behind the Org Chart SystematicHR, January 26, 2009 […]
The email corpus of Enron was brilliantly analyzed by a bunch of different folks- it really demonstrated those ‘white spaces” in interesting ways.
[…] Matt Lafata , HRchitect … HR Technology Vendor News – Saturday, May 23, 2009 READ MORE The White Space Behind the Org Chart In the last year I have had a few posts on Workday’s redesign of the organization structure in […]