Innovation for Social Change

Chapter 9Optimize Organizational Design for Innovators

In nonprofits, we often manage complexity. To ensure that a service or product is not slipshod, organizational design can help us. That involves taking intentional steps to direct policies, processes, rules, and workflow, assigning clear roles and responsibilities. This may not sound very sexy, but the stories in this chapter reflect ninja‐caliber management techniques. These are tools that serve us, helping us to be more innovative, make better decisions, improve efficiency or speed, make staff transitions smoother, and reduce the likelihood of mistakes.

What is the organization's role in supporting innovators? To get an idea across the finish line, teams need the freedom to be creative. The idea will need resources and perhaps approvals from decision makers. You will need support from other team members, and that support needs to be high quality and on time.

For example, what if no one remembered to arrange for catering for next weekend's conference? What if the fundraising team forgot to call and thank a new six‐figure donor who supported your project? How comfortable would you be if the accounting team deducted the wrong amount of payroll taxes from your team members' paychecks? Would you feel more confident if these teams were well‐prepared and following an intentional process?

Good organizational design can give our nonprofit an edge over the competition. But savvy managers must also be on guard for how heavy‐handed ...