Structured Flexibility or
Flexible Structure

Introduction

The way your organization responds to its business environment can be described by two useful terms:  structured flexibility and flexible structure.  They each have a slightly different use, but both contain the concept of a solid framework and adaptability.

A Model

A familiar model can be used to explain these terms.  In your body, structure is represented by your bones (the inside components).

Flexible is represented by your muscles, cartilage and skin (what the outside world sees).

     With no bones, your body would be nothing but a mass of quivering flesh; without muscles and skin, your bones would be either reduced to a pile or, if connected (without cartilage), would be stiff and rigid.  Your body needs both features—structure and flexibility.

     To bring this back to your organization, you need structure—in the form of guiding principles and standards of operation to provide a consistent way of doing business.  You also need flexibility—to be ready to quickly take advantage of appropriate opportunities that happen to come along.

     In most organizations, structure is represent by the Operations and Support functions.  Production and Accounting people, for example, don’t like to do things differently every time they go to work.  Stable processes and procedures allow them to create efficiencies that can’t be achieved if things change every day.  Your Operations people are your best hope for reducing costs and time-to-market.  They need to be listened to, but should not necessarily be obeyed without question.  These people need to learn about flexible structure—the ability to be strong without being rigid, to be firm without being unbending.  Structure that cannot flex in a strong wind usually breaks.  So, flexible structure should be the goal.

     The flexibility in most organizations is usually represented by the Business Development (Marketing & Sales) function.  For example, Sales people are, by nature, opportunistic, and usually don’t like to be told they can’t sell something just because “we’ve never done that before.”  Your Sales people are your close link with your customers, and therefore get to see what’s happening daily in your market.  They need to be listened to, but should not necessarily be obeyed without question.  These people need to learn structured flexibility—the ability to be adaptable without whiplashing the rest of the organization, to be responsive without “giving away the farm.”  Saying anything to make a sale, without the support of the rest of the team, will usually create gaps in trust and product or service delivery.  So, structured flexibility should be the goal.

     If your job is to oversee both structured and flexible organization components, you need to make sure that they’re as tightly integrated as the bones and flesh of a human body.

     When conflict arises between structure and flexibility, you’ll be called on to make a decision.  Remember, the most effective way isn’t necessarily one or the other, but a combination of both.  Hence, flexible structure or structured flexibility.

If your organization is either too structured or too flexible,
think about what you could do to create
structured flexibility or a flexible structure.

ODSS—Rev 12/6/06

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