Is your organization well designed?
Before you answer, consider this – what does “well designed” even mean? Is it about having the right people? The right reporting lines? The right job titles?
In our consulting work with NPOs, we’ve learned that poor organizational design doesn’t always announce itself. It creeps in slowly. One position at a time. One workaround at a time. One compromise at a time. Until suddenly, the structure that once served your mission now hinders it.
The scary part? Many NPOs don’t even realize their design is broken.
How Do You Know If Your Design Is Failing?
The first step to fixing the problem is recognizing it. Below are eight common warning signs of poor organizational design, drawn from real-world experience.
1. Multiple Boss Syndrome
Staff report to more than one person, receive different instructions, and get caught between competing priorities. This usually stems from a lack of clear authority or accountability, and it’s one of the most common symptoms we encounter.
2. Duplicated Efforts
When two (or more) departments are doing similar work, or worse, the same work, something’s wrong. Duplication is usually the result of unclear mandates and siloed operations.
3. Decision-Making Bottlenecks
Everything needs senior sign-off. Simple decisions get escalated unnecessarily. Staff become frustrated. Deadlines slip. This often signals that authority has not been delegated appropriately, or worse, that leadership doesn’t trust the system.
4. Shadow Structures
The formal org chart is one thing. The real power dynamics are another. Informal networks take over when formal design fails. People go around processes because it’s the only way to get things done.
5. Misaligned Resources
Are people working on what matters most? Does your org chart reflect your current strategy or your past one? If resources aren’t matched to goals, you’re running in place.
6. Low Morale and High Turnover
Design impacts experience. When staff don’t understand their roles, don’t know where they fit, or feel unsupported, engagement and retention suffer.
7. Overlapping Roles and Unclear Job Descriptions
Everyone’s responsible… so no one is. Confusion over roles leads to dropped balls, duplicated work, and unnecessary tension between teams.
8. Reactive Growth
Many NPOs grow one hire at a time, adding positions as needed without stepping back. Over time, this leads to structural inconsistency, unclear reporting relationships, and inefficiency.
Why Don’t We Fix It?
Because we’re human. Because redesign is scary. Because we hope the problem will go away. Because we don’t know how things got this bad. Because the person who designed the structure still works here. Because “we’ve always done it this way.”
We hear it all the time:
- “It’s not the structure, it’s the staff.”
- “It’s not the design, it’s the market.”
- “We’ll fix it when things slow down.”
Spoiler alert: they never do.
So, What Should You Do?
The answer is simple, if not always easy.
- Recognize the signs.
- Flag them.
- Document them.
- Identify the impact.
- Propose change.
- Be a hero.
Our Experience
In our consulting work, we’ve seen this play out in dozens of organizations. The trigger is usually one of the following:
- Organic growth (one role at a time).
- External pressures (mergers, funding changes).
- New leadership (whose vision doesn’t match the current structure).
- Technology changes (e.g. implementing a new CRM or ERP system).
- Strategy shifts (adding or removing programs, adjusting priorities).
- The structure that got you here may not be the one that takes you forward.
Bottom Line
If you’re experiencing even a few of these warning signs, it’s time to take a serious look at your organization’s design. Don’t wait for a crisis to force your hand. Good organizational design doesn’t just make life easier; it makes your mission achievable.