10.2 Resources & Organizational Structure
Key Takeaways
- Effective organizational change requires redesign or coordination on five interrelated fronts: organization and people, technology, policies/legislation/regulations, physical infrastructure, and process.
- DOTMLPF stands for Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel, and Facilities.
- Organizational design balances the need for precision — order, less ambiguity, direction followed — against the need for flexibility to adapt quickly and encourage innovation.
- A mechanistic structure is vertically arranged with heavy reliance on rules; an organic structure has horizontal and vertical communication and suits unstable, innovative environments.
- In a matrix design, team members have two bosses: the functional boss writes their performance report and schedules duty hours, and the project boss ensures the task is accomplished.
The Five Fronts of Organizational Change
AFH 1 opens with a rule: "Improving performance requires both planning and execution. For organizational change to be effective, planning and execution generally must include redesign or coordination on the following five interrelated fronts."
| Front | What AFH 1 says |
|---|---|
| Organization and People | Human resources are the key to future viability and organizational growth in a continuous learning environment. Even when processes change, focus should remain on providing workers appropriate knowledge, skills, experiences, and tools |
| Technology | A crucial enabling factor allowing compression of cycles, lead time, distance, and broader access to information and knowledge assets. It also eliminates barriers between customers and suppliers |
| Policies, Legislation, and Regulations | Changing existing policies, regulations, and legislation may be required for new processes |
| Physical Infrastructure | Facilities, equipment, and tools should be designed to support and maximize changes in workflow, information technology, and human resources |
| Process | The flow of work and information into and throughout the organization must be redesigned using standard continuous process improvement methodologies |
The word to notice is interrelated — AFH 1's point is that you cannot redesign a process without also considering the people, technology, rules, and facilities that carry it.
DOTMLPF
DOTMLPF is used by the Department of Defense "to describe a thought process that considers a broad spectrum of elements or requirements to generate informed, conclusive solutions to problems, future requirements, strategic direction, and performance improvement." It is "a process that considers solutions involving any combination of these elements" and serves as "a valuable mnemonic for staff planners."
| Letter | Element | AFH 1's military interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| D | Doctrine | The way we fight — emphasizing maneuver warfare, combined air-ground campaigns |
| O | Organization | How we organize the fight — divisions, air wings, task forces |
| T | Training | How we prepare to fight tactically — basic military training, advanced individual training, unit training, joint exercises |
| M | Materiel | All the 'stuff' necessary to equip the forces — weapons, spares |
| L | Leadership and Education | How we prepare leaders to lead the fight, from squad leaders to four stars — professional development |
| P | Personnel | Availability of qualified people for peacetime, wartime, and contingency operations |
| F | Facilities | Real property, installations, and industrial facilities that support the forces |
AFH 1 also notes that because combatant commanders define requirements in consultation with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, they can consider gaps in the context of strategic direction and influence the direction of requirements earlier in the acquisition process.
Two traps: the M is Materiel, not Manpower (manpower falls under Personnel), and the L is Leadership and Education, not leadership alone.
Precision Versus Flexibility
Organizational design "should be determined based on the organization's overall mission and strategy, taking into consideration the environment, size, and pace of technology." The central tension:
| Need | Definition |
|---|---|
| Precision | The need to maintain order, decrease ambiguity, and ensure direction is followed |
| Flexibility | The potential need to adapt quickly and encourage innovation |
Every structure below is a different answer to that trade-off.
The Four Organizational Structures
Mechanistic (Bureaucratic)
Vertically arranged; communication and decision-making begin at the top and filter downward. Characteristics: very little involvement of low-level members in decision-making, employees work in teams based on task specialty, and there is heavy reliance on rules.
| Best when | Weakness |
|---|---|
| Strategy or goals are geared toward efficiency and tasks need to be accomplished quickly and accurately; a stable environment requiring little flexibility; organizations of intermediate to large size | Job satisfaction suffers because subordinates basically do as they are told with little to no contribution to how things are done |
Organic
Has horizontal and vertical communication, allowing communication up and down as well as across departments and among co-workers without bureaucratic lines. Cross-talk and opinions are encouraged, and day-to-day flexibility facilitates technological advancements.
| Best when | Weakness |
|---|---|
| Strategy is geared toward innovativeness and creativity; the environment is unstable, with change the norm rather than the exception; organizations that are small to moderate, apply new technology through adaptation rather than compliance, and employ research and development that is creative rather than restrictive. AFH 1's example: the computer software industry. Increases worker satisfaction and produces well-rounded decisions | May slow down the implementation process, lead to low efficiency, and reduce standards |
Diverse
Because both mechanistic and organic structures have advantages and disadvantages, a diverse design incorporates both — used "when the organization needs the rigid structure of the mechanistic organization in some areas and the flexibility of the organic organization in others."
AFH 1's example is worth remembering because it is drawn from a squadron: administrative sections have specific rules for processing performance reports, decorations, and orders, so a mechanistic system fits; a training section would be hindered by a rigid mechanistic system, so an organic system allows more frequent innovation in how training is delivered.
Matrix
"The matrix design is basically an organizational design or team within a mechanistic, organic, or diverse organization." It is usually best for addressing a temporary need; therefore it is short-lived, and the overall organizational structure remains intact. A matrix brings workers from different sections or organizations together to serve a particular function.
The two-boss rule is the single most tested fact in Section 13B:
| Boss | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Functional boss | Writes the performance report and schedules normal duty hours |
| Project boss / team leader | Ensures the task at hand is accomplished appropriately |
Strength: the pooling of expertise and resources. Weakness: the confusion of who is in charge.
Quick Comparison
| Structure | Communication | Environment it fits | Main weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanistic | Top-down only | Stable, efficiency-driven, larger organizations | Low job satisfaction |
| Organic | Horizontal and vertical | Unstable, innovation-driven, smaller organizations | Slow implementation, low efficiency, reduced standards |
| Diverse | Both, by area | Mixed requirements within one organization | Requires judgment about which area gets which model |
| Matrix | Cross-cutting team | Temporary need inside any of the above | Confusion over who is in charge |
In a matrix organizational design, how are supervisory duties divided between the two bosses?
Which organizational structure does AFH 1 associate with an unstable environment where change is the norm, and what is its main weakness?
In the DOTMLPF construct, what does the 'M' stand for and what does it cover?