10 Essential Organisation Design Blogs

I’ve got an email yesterday from a follower of this blog, who asked me what sources I use to keep track of HR topics. I must admit that my main source for new content is often Linkedin. As I have a pretty large network there, I tend to scout quite a lot of interesting content. Twitter is also another good option, although I have had mixed results so far in terms of real participation. I then use a couple of tools to keep track of many sites that I try to follow. I’ve therefore decided to write a couple of posts on the sources I use more often, and that I have used as inspiration for my blog.

This first post is dedicated to Organisation Design, a topic that you know I’m really passionate about. So here are the 10 blogs I like most in this domain. Of course, the list is completely subjective, and the order is purely casual.

Naomi Stanford Blog

Naomi Stanford

The blog of Naomi Stanford has been the one that has led me into writing back on Organisation Design. As I have been researching a few concepts for my job, I got inspired by her posts, which always analyse also broad facts from a Design perspective. She has written several books (I have reviewed her Guide to Organisation Design) and is also very active on Twitter.

Some Notable Articles:

• Let’s Not Future Proof (part 2 here)
• The Current Future of Work
• Designing Healing Organisations

Organization (Re)Design

Organization (re)Design

Organization (Re)Design is the blog of Nicolay Worren, Associate professor in Leadership & Organization at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. His blog is full of useful resources, heabily grounded in academic research but always written in a practical way. Definitely one of the reference points also for definitions and methodologies.

Some Notable Articles:

• What is Organisation Design
• The importance of organizational diagnostics
• How do you make organization design decisions? A maturity model

On The Mark Blog

On The Mark Blog

On The Mark is an Organisation Design Consulting firm, based both in the US and Europe. It has a very rich blog, with articles and digests that are generally informative, with a specific focus on Operating Models.

Some Notable Articles:

• Employee Engagement that Empowers Your Organisation.
• Preparing Your Operating Model for the New Normal After COVID-19
• Leverage Your Workforce Using Organization Design

McKinsey Organisation Blog

McKinsey Organisation Blog

There’s no need to introduce McKinsey, however their Organisation Blog is a very good source of ideas and trends in Organisation Design, Change Management, Talent, Leadership and Culture. I particularly appreciate the topics in Organisation Design, even if I don’t always share their full approach.

Some Notable Articles:

• 8 ways to build a future-proof organization
• Collide with your team for the best results
• The importance of tailoring your operating model for the market

The Octopus – Ideo Blog

The Octopus – Ideo Blog

No need to present Ideo, the consulting firm more associated with Design Thinking. Its blog is a source of a lot of content generally linked to Design, much of which can be associated with Work and Organisation. Some other articles are always good for lateral thinking.

Some Notable Articles:

• What Org Design Actually Looks Likes
• 4 Common Missteps on the Road to Innovation
• Don’t Wait for a Crisis to Change Your Business

Kate Kesler Blog

Kate Kesler Blog

Kate Kesler is one of the consulting companies more active in Organisation Design, and has a blog with excellent resources on the topic. Always worth a look.

Some Notable Articles:

• The Organization Model – The design link between strategy and organization chart
• The Fit Between Talent and Organization
• Agile is not the same as Agility

NOBL Academy

NOBL Academy

NOBL Academy is a library of tools, case studies, essays, and training developed by consulting firm NOBL, which is focused on culture and organisation design.

Some Notable Articles:

• What is Organisation Design
• How to actually Impact Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
• 8 Organizational Metaphors

The Ready

The Ready

Blog hosted on Medium of The Ready, consulting company established by Aaron Dignan, author of The Brave New Work, contains quite a lot of thought-provoking articles on organisation design.

Some Notable Articles:

• How to eliminate Organizational Debt
• How Your Organization Can Make Great Decisions By Default
• Designing the Intentional Organization

EODF Blog

EODF Blog

The blog of the European Organisation Design Forum doesn’t sprinkle with fresh content, and most of the articles are related to events, however, there are a few contributions that are worth checking in.

Some Notable Articles:

• Organisation Design for Agility
• Organisational Choice and Disruptive Technology
• Some of the Biggest Challenges we face as Org Designers

Flevy Blog

Flevy Blog

This is the blog of Flevy, an online marketplace of business best practices. The blog provides a number of excellent free resources, of which one topic often covered is Organisation Design.

Some Notable Articles:

• Smart Organizational Design Approach vs. Traditional Organization Design Approaches
• The Post-pandemic Organization: Does COVID-19 Level the Playing Field?
• 4 Organizational Design (OD) Elements Critical to Yield the Desired Organizational Behaviors

If you have any further blog to suggest, feel free to do so directly in the comment section below!

Cover Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash