Organisation redesign and improvement

We help our clients identify opportunities for improvement, find more effective ways to achieve their goals and implement change successfully

What we offer

Our ‘whole-system' approach to organisation redesign and improvement addresses unintended consequences and avoids unnecessary change. Typically, this will include one or more of the following:

• changes to managerial, political or governance structuress
• improved approaches to cross-boundary working
• review of work processes and job design
• work to ensure decisions are taken at the most appropriate level in the organisation and are supported by effective communication
• revising approaches to people and performance management
• creating an enabling culture based on shared values
• identifying the dilemmas and the trade-offs that have to be made when changing any aspects of an organisation’s design, so they’re dealt with consciously
• changing behaviour in deeply ingrained cultures.

Why choose OPM?

Our experience

Our work with central government and regulatory bodies has given us in-depth knowledge of current policy and we know what the various inspectorates are looking for. We understand the implications for delivery organisations and how these requirements can best be met. Similarly, our leadership development practice puts us in touch with thousands of managers each year, telling us how new ideas and approaches to design and delivery are working in practice.

Our approach

We know that just changing aspects of an organisation can cause unintended consequences, and we’ll work with you to take account of the whole system. For example, changing managerial structures will only work well if managers feel able to make decisions based on the information they need.

Similarly, new systems can be undermined by old behaviour from deeply ingrained cultures. Our ‘whole-system’ approach makes sure the chosen design is a good fit for your organisation’s purpose and external environment. It provides reassurance that changes to one aspect of design such as structure will ‘fit’ existing systems and culture. And it helps to identify where changes will be most effective, where to start and where unnecessary changes can be avoided. We’re particularly experienced at encompassing the interaction between partners into any proposed ‘system’ design.

Our focus on impact means we never lose sight of the fact that the purpose of organisational change is to improve outcomes for service users and citizens. Feedback from our work with service users and different communities gives us insights into what is most likely to succeed. Indeed, clients often ask us to research the impact of their organisation’s activities as part of the overall work we do with them.

The OPM way

OPM has worked to improve social results for 20 years. We understand public policy and service delivery and we have a wealth of public service experience. We listen carefully to your requirements, assemble a team with the most appropriate skills, and then tailor our work to meet your objectives, timescales and budget.

Find out more

If you would like to talk to someone about our efficiency and improvement work, email Aleth Abadie