The Who of Org Design: Designing Together

Organization design is a core business capability. It shapes how strategy is translated into action and how people, work, and decisions come together to deliver results. Because of this, successful organization design cannot sit with one role or function alone. It requires deliberate partnership, with clearly defined and interdependent responsibilities.

A central role in this partnership is played by those stewarding the design process. This responsibility may sit within People, Transformation, Strategy, or a dedicated Change Team, depending on the organization. Their role is to bring structure and discipline to the work, translating strategic direction into coherent design choices, applying proven frameworks, and surfacing system-wide implications that might otherwise be overlooked.

External organization design specialists often complement this role. They add capacity at moments of complexity and bring practical experience in running design processes end to end. Working alongside internal leaders, external partners help teams move beyond familiar patterns, surface the right questions, and work through complex trade-offs with greater clarity.

Senior leaders play a distinct and essential role. At the enterprise or business unit level, a steering group provides direction and sponsorship. This group sets intent, makes explicit trade-offs, and commits resources. Their role is not to design in detail, but to ensure the work remains anchored to the outcomes the organization is trying to achieve.

Alongside this, an implementation leadership group operates closer to the change. These leaders translate the design into everyday practice. They role model the intended ways of working, resolve tensions as they arise, and reinforce the design through daily decisions and behaviors. This group is critical in turning a well-crafted design into lived experience.

Organization design succeeds when these roles operate as a connected system. Design stewardship without leadership engagement risks producing elegant solutions that fail to land. Leadership action without design discipline risks addressing local issues while creating broader misalignment. Partnership across roles creates the conditions for both sound design and effective execution.

Ultimately, organization design works best when it is treated as a shared responsibility. When direction, design, and delivery are aligned, it becomes a powerful lever for performance, adaptability, and culture, enabling the organization not only to execute its strategy, but to evolve with it.