From my associate Janice Giannini.

Every organization occasionally entertains whether the management structure is suitable or most effective.

Most research will suggest that many structures can work, whether your business is small and growing, mid-size and experiencing more significant miscommunication than usual, or a larger multi-faceted business with a changing market space. In addition, understanding where the company is going in 3 to 5 years, what’s working well, what isn’t, and how the market space affects your business are all worthy and necessary discussion topics as you entertain the management team structure.

I offer a slightly different point of view here. What if it’s not the structure, it’s the people? If this conversation is floating to the top of the stack right now, before the structure conversation, consider the people discussion.

First, there is the simple question: do you want a management team, or do you want/need a leadership team? The difference is significant. Effective leadership yields more sustainable outcomes for both the entity and its customers. However, every business needs to address that based on the company’s imperatives.

So, what about the people?

In today’s rapidly changing world, expectations of investors, clients, customers, and associates may dramatically change what you do, how you do it, and with whom. To what extent does the leadership team have access to or possess different perspectives? For example:

• Neuro-diversity may be necessary. People who may not be the norm on these teams see challenges differently and solve problems differently, potentially leading to innovative ideas and solutions.
• Inter-disciplinary teams may benefit from the blended expertise of people with different professional and academic backgrounds.
• Distributed decision-making may be better and more timely as they are closer to the business. How much control is needed versus wanted?
• Multi-generational teams offer insights across the spectrum. Today, there are at least four generations in the workplace. Can you leverage that reality as strength?
• High emotional intelligence is critical today, given the hybrid nature of teams locally and globally.
• For businesses operating internationally, it is no secret that different countries and cultures have significantly different laws, regulations, standards and cultural mores. A leadership team has to decide how their own company will operate when the “local” way of operating conflicts from their published values.

The world is changing around us. Businesses need to adapt quickly and, ideally, get ahead. Fielding the right combination of leadership talent within the leadership team structure is imperative to cast challenges as opportunities to lead from the front, not the rear.