Empowering People: Building a High-Performing Marketing Organization with Effective Structure

In designing a high-performing marketing organization, the focus on people cannot be overstated. Success in this space is contingent on having not just the right people, but also the right structure to enable them to excel. Building on the discussion of the Proposition and Principles in our previous articles, we delve into the third critical aspect: Structure.

The purpose of an effective organizational structure is to guide people in delivering a firm’s or agency’s vision and strategy. By designing or evaluating structure, three common goals emerge: enabling people to produce excellent work, ensuring clients and stakeholders are satisfied, and allowing the firm or in-house agency to adapt to changes such as market shifts, disruptive technologies, business opportunities, or crises.

To achieve these goals, it is important to consider three categories of organizational structure: Foundational structure, Departmental structure, and Team structure.

Foundational Structure:

The foundational structure is the bedrock that supports the agency’s vision, strategy, and operating principles. This layer is typically defined by agency leadership and includes components like reporting lines, process maps, project management software, centralized file storage, and internal company-wide policies. The foundational structure should be adhered to by all staff while providing an environment where employees are encouraged to propose improvements or changes.

Departmental Structure:

At the departmental level, structure is all about organizing people into departments, teams, or groups to deliver specific services or capabilities. Customizing this structure is necessary to cater to the unique mix of skills, resources, and priorities within a firm or agency. Decisions to be made in departmental structure include centralized vs decentralized setup, aligning teams by function, channel, product, or client group, and defining roles and responsibilities within each department.

Team Structure:

Team structure revolves around how individual teams or groups operate within a department. This structure should be designed with flexibility and adaptability in mind to accommodate changing needs and demands. Key factors to consider when designing team structure include the size of the team, skills and capabilities, workflow and collaboration, and decision-making authority and autonomy.

To create a high-performing marketing organization, it is essential to align organizational structure with the firm’s or agency’s vision and strategy, tailoring it to the unique mix of skills, resources, and priorities. By acknowledging the significance of foundational, departmental, and team structures, organizations can establish a framework that fosters growth and success.

Equally crucial is empowering all staff to propose improvements or changes within the structure. By encouraging a culture of continuous evolution, organizations can not only improve performance but also enhance employee satisfaction and overall company morale.

As the world constantly evolves, so must marketing organizations. The right mix of people and structure will propel agencies and in-house marketing teams toward a successful and adaptable future, resulting in satisfied stakeholders, clients, and employees alike.