If every organisation is perfectly designed for the results it gets, the obvious question becomes:
How do we redesign it?
I’ve found there are seven levers leaders can pull.
1 Clarity
People perform better when they know what success looks like.
Confusion creates variation.
Clarity creates consistency.
2 Capability
Every strategy is limited by organisational capability.
You cannot execute beyond your capability.
3 Incentives
People follow incentives.
Not posters.
Not slogans.
Not values on a wall.
If behaviour is being repeated, examine what the system is rewarding.
4 Measurement
What gets measured gets attention.
The challenge is measuring the right things.
Too many organisations focus on outcomes and ignore the drivers of outcomes.
5 Decision Rights
Who decides?
Who recommends?
Who approves?
Who executes?
Unclear decision-making creates organisational drag.
6 Processes
Every organisation accumulates complexity.
Meetings.
Reports.
Approvals.
Committees.
The best organisations ruthlessly remove friction.
7 Environment
People respond to their environment.
Standards.
Culture.
Leadership.
Expectations.
Systems.
All influence behaviour.
These seven levers determine organisational performance far more than motivation alone.
The best leaders are not motivators.
They are designers.