The key for successful organizations
is how well the organization
is organized!
An apt analogy for the organization structures of many family businesses is that they are akin to an old country house that was built one room at time.
As the family grew, so did the house. At the time, little thought was given to how functional or how efficient the floor plan was - what drove the design of that old country house was expediency - not a thoughtful design process. So as the house grew in size, it became ever more inefficient.
With family-owned businesses, the awful truth is that most are very poorly organized. Many family businesses never achieve the true potential of their business because their organization simply "evolved" as the business grew.
What are some of the symptoms that the organization structures of your family business are not effective?
• Is your family business in need of change - does it need to be re-energized?
• Does it have trouble taking advantage of new business opportunities?
• Has it grown reliant on its founder's way of managing the business and remains unprepared for new leadership and new ideas?
• Have most improvement programs ended up wasting time, money, and management's credibility?
• The tricks and methodologies that used to work don't.
• Managers and employees fail to understand the strategic direction of the business - and their role in pursuing it.
• Processing an order is seldom routine because there is a lack of coordination between different departments
• Employee productivity is poor.
• Employee motivation is poor.
• Employees have poor attitudes - after all, it's just a job.
• Performance standards and expectations are seldom achieved.
• Few people strive to improve the organization. Most just don't care.
• Being at work is never fun - always stressful.
• Some departments operate like political fiefdoms.
• Customers are complaining about service...