Levers of Organization Design: How Managers Use Accountability Systems for Greater Performance and Commitment

by Robert Simons

The design of an organization--the accountability system that defines roles, rights, and responsibilities throughout the firm--has a direct impact on the performance of every employee. Yet, few leaders devote focused attention to how this design is chosen, implemented, and adjusted over time. Robert Simons argues that by viewing design as a powerful and proactive management lever--rather than an inevitable outcome of corporate evolution--leaders can...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591392837
• ISBN13: 9781591392835
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

ONE OF BEST BOOKS ON ORGANIATION DESIGN! FIRST-RATE, RICH IN CONTENT AND VALUE.

A first-rate book on the subject of organizational design. Chapters focus on: - tensions of organization design; - aligning span of attention; - unit structure; - diagnostic control systems; - interactive networks; - shared responsibilities; - examples of adjusting the levers; and - designing organizations for performance. Central to this book are four key factors that guide effective design decisions: customer definition, critical performance variables, creative tension, and commitment to others. The book offers great insights and guidance to design an organization that influences how people perform, focus their attention, and how their efforts can be aligned with strategy. Rich in content and value! Very highly recommended.

An OD book with a solid combo of theory and practice

Finally, an OD book with a solid combination of theory and practice. The theory in this book is the most comprehensive model for OD I've ever seen. Simons' model incorporates all functional areas of business. He does an excellent job of looking at the whole organizational picture. This is where many authors have fallen short with theories that only cover one or two functional areas of business leaving you to guess at how to incorporate the rest. This cross-functional approach to OD is not just refreshing; it's quite necessary in today's business environment. Simons' theory is based on levers and sliders. Easy to understand and easy to visualize. Part of the value of the book is that the theory is backed up with practical implementation examples. Like any good learning resource (a.k.a. text book) each chapter provides us with a summary and action steps. I give this book an A+ and consider it a "must read" for anyone in the OD field. It is also recommended for management teams looking to assess their organization design. Using this book will provide the understanding you need to get started.

Eloquent and Essential Practicality

Unlike subtitles of so many other recently published business books, the one for Levers of Organization Design correctly identifies its author's primary objective: to explain "how managers use accountability systems" to achieve "greater performance and commitment." Simons thoroughly and brilliantly responds to questions such as these: What are the nature and extent of tensions of organization design or redesign? How to get "span of attention" in proper alignment? What is an appropriate "unit structure"? Why? Which diagnostic control systems can be most effective? How? Why are interactive networks essential? How to establish and then strengthen them? How should shared responsibilities be determined and then managed? Then, how to sustain productive collaboration? Which "levers" of organizational design are most effective? Why? Which examples best illustrate how to make appropriate adjustment of them? What are the most effective strategies and tactics when designing organizations for performance? According to research which Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton provide in The Strategy-Focused Organization, only 5% of the workforce understand their company's strategy, only 25% of managers have incentives linked to strategy, 60% of organizations don't link budgets to strategy, and 85% of executive teams spend less than one hour per month discussing strategy. If true, these are chilling statistics which suggest that few decision-makers in any organization (regardless of its size or nature) would be able to answer, clearly and realistically, each of the questions listed previously. Hence the urgency of their reading Simons' book. I also urge them to check out the several works co-authored by Kaplan and Norton.