“All organisations are perfectly designed to get the results they get.”
— Arthur W. Jones
Arthur, an organisational design expert who worked for Procter & Gamble in the UK, understood something fundamental: input dictates output. You can’t expect excellent results while relying on a structure built for yesterday’s problems.
When short-term fixes cost more than they save
Too often, businesses opt for a ‘quick fix’ – usually framed as a cost-saving measure, but rarely a sustainable solution. This might deliver a temporary boost, but over time leads to fragmentation, duplication, and organisational fatigue.
According to recent McKinsey research, 44% of organisational redesign efforts lose momentum before completion, and a third fail to improve performance at all. Often, core ‘support’ functions like HR, Finance, or Marketing are among the first to be trimmed, placing undue pressure on revenue-generating teams who are then left to navigate complex systems without the expertise or infrastructure they need.
Designing for performance, not patchwork
The most successful redesigns share one trait: they take a whole-of-business approach. Rather than tweaking at the edges, a well-executed redesign reviews the full organisational structure to uncover duplication, inefficiencies, and opportunities for automation or outsourcing.
This integrated approach allows businesses to:
- Align roles and resources with strategic priorities
- Improve accountability at all levels
- Enhance collaboration across functions
- Streamline for both cost efficiency and customer experience
It’s the difference between placing puzzle pieces randomly and deliberately building the full picture.
Avoiding the ‘drip-feed’ trap
Redesigning piece by piece not only increases the risk of misalignment, it can also breed change fatigue. Employees disengage when change feels constant, disconnected, or never quite finished. They begin to wait for the next restructure before fully committing to the current one.
Worse still, systems that don’t serve the business or the customer are left untouched simply because they weren’t within scope, leading to frustration and underperformance.
Why 2025 is the right time to reset
Many Australian organisations are emerging from years of economic pressure, industrial relations reform, and digital disruption. From HR compliance obligations, updates to Awards and emerging AI technologies, the demands on structure, people and processes have changed – and the structures of five years ago won’t hold up under today’s conditions.
Now is the ideal time to step back and ask: Is your current organisational design fit for the future you’re building?
With the right scope, timing, and intent, a big-picture redesign can unlock not only better performance, but a more resilient, focused, and energised workforce.
