Organisational Design - Key to Growth
As businesses evolve, so do their teams. But when strategies change or roles and responsibilities shift organically without a clear structure, inefficiencies arise, projects stall, execution becomes unnecessarily complex and most and foremost teams can’t deliver the expected results.
I recently worked with a client where the marketing and eCommerce teams struggled with role clarity. Team members flagged early on that unclear responsibilities were causing bottlenecks.
Why did this happen? Business targets weren’t met, and talents left, leaving roles unfilled. Instead of redefining the structure, the team divided responsibilities informally, taking on work that needed doing. As a consequence, accountability blurred, making execution slow and frustrating.
When Organisational Design Fails
This situation can also occur when businesses and organisations grow organically. Teams aren’t structured to align with business goals and strategies. The result?
Projects took longer than necessary
The same deliverable is worked by different teams
Multiple people are needed even for simple tasks
The team lacked focus and ownership
If your team is reinventing processes or is struggling with execution, it may be a sign that the organisational design may not be working.
Fixing the Problem: A Strategic Approach
To address these challenges, we mapped the existing structure, visualising who was responsible for what. Seeing the spread on paper made the problem undeniable. The team needed a structure that reflected:
1. The business goals, priorities and the business model
2. The strategies to achieve them (consumer-centricity, brand-building, innovation, eCommerce excellence, and competitive pricing & promotions)
We assessed two different ways to organise the team, benchmarking against comparable businesses. Two organisational principles stood out:
1. Consumer-Centric Structure – Aligning roles with key consumer needs or groups
2. Lifecycle-Based Structure – Structuring teams around different stages of the customer journey
Given the company’s business model and go-to-market strategy, we implemented a lifecycle-based approach.
The New Organisational Model
The team was restructured into five key roles:
Brand Awareness – Content & communication
Performance Marketing –Paid media, digital campaigns, retargeting & CRO support
Demand & Ecom – Ensuring strong eCommerce fundamentals and optimising the purchase experience
Retention & Advocacy– Strengthening customer loyalty and driving repeat purchases
Product Management & Innovation – Leading product launches and optimising existing product portfolio
If your team is not achieving the business goals and facing execution bottlenecks, it might be an organisational design challenge.