Digital Strategy Frameworks: Organisational Design

Frameworks, models, charts and matrices. I love ’em!

This classic framework is a great place to start when organising teams around a digital strategy. It’s taken from Peter Scholtes’ The Leader’s Handbook. The framework defines the components of an organisational design that is focussed on an core vision or purpose.

I’ve updated some of the titles from Scholtes’ original model for the digital age by changing the wording and adding a further eighth block to define the culture required for digital excellence.

Organisational design framework

Eight components of digital organisational design

#1 Digital Vision – should be simple, altruistic (what are you doing for others), elevating and worthwhile.

#2 Processes – the organisation of events, actions, dependencies and conditions required to achieve the Vision.

#3 Tasks – the individual tasks required to fulfil the processes (e.g. testing, project management, development, user experience).

#4 Capabilities – the software, hardware, training, education and skills to adequately perform the tasks.

#5 Roles – the individual jobs that are made up of the individual capabilities.

#6 Structure – collaboration methods, reporting lines, teams and policies to organise the roles.

#7 People – the individuals who will fill the job roles within the structure created

#8 Culture – definition of the attitude and belief systems of the people

You can get hold of Peter Scholtes’ original book at Amazon:

Digital Strategy by David Sealey

For more on digital strategy and transformation check out these other posts:

• What is digital? Snake oil or panacea
• Digital strategy – Why your company needs one
• Digital debt – does your business have it?

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