Blog - Webinar: Demystifying Operating Models and Organisational Design

With almost 75% of operating model and organisational redesign efforts failing, it’s critical to focus on what truly drives success. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, success depends less on reorganising structures and more on cultivating effective ways of working and strong leadership. Fancy consultant reports alone cannot drive meaningful change.

Watch a recording of our webinar as Sam Walsham and Laura Bache demystify and simplify the design and implementation processes. They share their experience and expertise on how to successfully land an operating model and organisation that will actually deliver your business goals, as they discuss:

The difference between operating models and organisation design, and why it matters
Why culture and governance are more important than sticks and boxes
How to implement your design, and stand up new functions and teams
How to empower leaders to lead the change, so crucial for your success

Speakers

Sam Walsham and Laura Bache bring a wealth of experience as Organisational Psychologists, having worked on major projects like the London 2012 Olympics and Heathrow Terminal 2. Their insights will equip you with the tools needed to create thriving organisations.

Key Topics Covered

Defining Operating Models vs Organisation Design

Operating Model: A ‘blueprint’ for how a company works, incorporating organisational purpose, governance, culture, and systems. It determines how the business is structured to deliver on its goals.
Organisation Design: Focuses on the structure, specific roles & responsibilities, capabilities and ways of working – ie the people side.

Common Pitfalls

Using large-scale reorganisations to solve problems better addressed through performance management, culture initiatives, or strategic realignments.
Underestimating how critical it is to follow through beyond moving boxes on a chart. Many efforts stall after structure changes, never clarifying roles, responsibilities, or how decisions will be made. This lack of clarity leads to confusion and undermines the benefits of any new structure.
Outsourcing the entire process to management consultants, leaving leaders detached from outcomes and accountability.

Importance of Role Clarity

Being explicit about authority levels, decision-making power, and role boundaries.

Behavioural & Cultural Alignment

Structural changes alone will not shift culture; genuine engagement, symbolic actions, and consistent leadership behaviour are also needed.

Systems Thinking

Ensuring performance management, talent processes, and other organisational systems align with any new structure.

Leader-Led Implementation

Leaders know their organisations’ context best. While specialist advice is valuable, the senior team should drive the decision-making, championing clarity on purpose, roles, and behaviour.
Successful transformations require continued leadership involvement from the project’s inception through to embedding new structures, systems and capabilities.

Capability & Complexity

Not all roles share the same level of complexity. Ensuring those leading, designing, and implementing organisational changes are able to operate at the higher level of complexity is crucial for sustainable success.

Key Takeaways

Start with the Why: Diagnose the core business or cultural issues before deciding (how) to restructure.
Clarity > Chaos: Structures should create clarity around responsibilities, levels of decision-making, and how teams collaborate.
Leader Ownership: Senior leaders must actively lead and be visibly accountable for any operating model or organisation design.
Don’t Confuse Culture with Structure: Structural changes can help, but deeper cultural or behavioural transformations demand consistent leadership example, clear communication, and realigned systems.
Follow Through: Adequate implementation work is essential—beyond a new structure on paper. This involves defining how roles and responsibilities change in practice, clarifying authorities, and supporting teams to sustain the improvements.

If you would like more detail on these topics, or you’re seeking specialist professionals to strengthen your organisation, contact Altum Consulting. As a leading recruitment consultancy in Change & Transformation, HR, Finance, Risk & Compliance, and Sustainability, we can connect you with the right expertise to ensure that any operating model or organisational design initiative delivers meaningful impact.