An organisation development review is primarily concerned with the people, structures, processes and systems in use by the organisation.
A key aspect of these reviews is an assessment of roles, responsibilities, skill needs and remuneration of staff. Key tools employed by us to carry out this type of review include:
- Activity/job analysis – to determine the essential characteristics of a job, including the necessary skills, qualifications, duties, responsibilities and degree of authority of the job holder;
- Job evaluation – an approach to defining the relative ranking of jobs within an organisation; and
- Training needs analysis – an assessment of the learning and development requirements of staff within the organisation.
In addition to these elements, a review may also focus on the staff complement needed to deliver the services of the organisation now or in the future. Our approach is tailored to specific circumstances, but can include work volume measurement or benchmarking against similar activities/functions.
A review of the organisation’s structures is a key deliverable of these reviews. Regardless of the sector involved, a key requirement of an organisation’s structure is that it is flexible enough to meet the organisation’s business and market needs and to promote effective working at all levels.
Acting on an organisation’s development review recommendations will almost certainly require change. We have developed a structured approach to support organisations in making the necessary changes. Factors such as communication, training, leadership and job re-design are some of the issues that can arise during the change process.
Case study
Grant Thornton carried out an operational organisation review for a leading Irish retailer. The purpose of this review was to determine the most suitable organisational structure for the organisation, setting out clearly defined reporting relationships and developing high-level functional job descriptions for each role reviewed. It also involved the identification of training needs for all staff including recommendations in relation to management process considerations to ensure the selected organisational structure worked effectively.