Avoiding the ‘overlap trap’: Poor organizational structure can sabotage results

Organizational design is a forgotten art and science. This supervision has a negative effect on today’s companies. Sherlock’s Law states that ‘structure makes results possible’. I’ve chosen to put the positive spin on this concept, but the reality is that poor structure can cripple results. What I have seen is that in order to address the rapid change and complexity in today’s business environments, leaders have created overly complex organizational structures.

Teams, leaders and employees want and need clarity. They scream about it. One of the main problems today is overlapping executive roles. My research shows that a lack of clarity around overlapping roles negatively impacts workplace climate and reduces productivity by 22%. To increase efficiency, we must pay more attention and attention to organizational design.

Peter Drucker famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” The best-formulated strategy usually cannot be executed if employees are disengaged or if there is pervasive negativity in a corporate environment. I build on that adage by saying, “Structure eats culture for lunch and dinner,” because a lack of organizational clarity destroys culture. Infighting, turf wars, budget disputes and competition are often the source of cultural discontent. If you follow Sherlock’s law, a clear, coherent structure can support culture, strategy and results.