Organisational Analysis

This short article has been written to highlight why small and medium sized organisations can benefit from conducting an organisational analysis of their business, or a part of their business, and how Total Excellence Centre can support you in both the analysis and the implementation of any agreed recommendations.

What is organisation analysis?

At a practical level it is an exercise to review and evaluate how an organisation or part of an organisation is functioning, with a specific focus on the people element of the business. It is designed to provide you with an insight into areas where you might make changes to improve the performance of your people and therefore your business.

Why would we undertake such an exercise?

Many SME’s simply don’t have access to the resources and skillsets needed to carry out an organisational analysis and therefore continue to operate the way they always have done. Whether you are a successful business, or are facing challenging times, there are many reasons why you might conduct an organisational analysis. You may be dissatisfied with the performance of the organisation or a particular functional area, or you may be planning some future changes and need to develop a strategic plan to align your people resources and organisational structure to meet that long-term business goal. You may be considering reducing the size of your team, or may need to increase the team in order to deliver future growth.

In our experience, many organisations rarely take time to review their organisational structure, their specific job roles, and the individual accountabilities that exist in their business. When somebody leaves an organisation generally the natural step is to recruit an immediate replacement, and the opportunity is missed to ask the questions “do we need to replace?” and “is there a better way of organising our work?” The organisational structure is not always well defined and job descriptions are often just lists of tasks and don’t ensure that accountability sits with the right person. That can result in a lack of organisation and levels of performance that are not as high as they could be.

An organisational analysis exercise can help you identify the action you can take to identify and implement the most appropriate organisational structure for your business taking full account of the forward business plan and commercial environment. In addition, during the exercise, valuable insight is gained about the culture of your organisation and about the working practices that may be adding real value, or on the other hand may be limiting your effectiveness and efficiency.

Who carries out the analysis?

A number of our Associates have substantial experience in this type of activity, gained as senior HR professionals in industry. They are quickly able to understand how an organisation is functioning, and where opportunities might exist for improving the organisational structure, working methods, and the culture within the business. As well as having specific knowledge and experience of leading and organising people, they have a sound general management background and a high level of commercial astuteness.

Each of our associates are skilled at conducting the analysis with integrity and professionalism, and will work with you to ensure you get the most out of the exercise.

How is the organisational analysis conducted?

Every exercise takes account of the specific circumstances of the organisation undertaking the analysis and the programme of work is therefore tailored to meet your specific needs. The programme of work will be developed with a senior internal stakeholder and will be supported by a communication plan to ensure that the programme is conducted in a way that does not generate a negative impact within your team.

Typically a programme will involve a series of internal discussions and interviews to gather information and insight into the culture, organisation, and working practices of the business or specific function. The internal interviews will be supported by a review of all relevant HR and employment documentation, and internal processes including working practices.

Our associate will use all the information to ensure they have a good understanding of the business, which will allow them to use their experience to offer an insight into areas that could be improved or which can form the basis of a strategic plan going forward.

What are the outputs of an organisational analysis?

Having completed the organisational analysis exercise you will receive a formal report from our Associate that will explain the process followed, the key findings, and recommendations of changes that could be made to improve the overall performance of your people and the organisation. The report will be presented face to face to ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the findings, and to give you the chance to voice any questions you may have.

We believe that we can add real value to your organisation through this process, and can provide you with access to clients who have gone through this process to give you the confidence in our service. If you would like to learn more about how organisational analysis can help you, or to get a better understanding of the process, please give us a call.