Steering beats structure

In organizational development, we talk a lot about organizational structure (org charts, roles) and process organization (processes, workflows). Two relevant levels get short shrift: the communication systems and the steering organization.

In cybernetics, control (steering) is considered one of the central vital functions of complex systems. It is about how information flows, how decisions come about, and how feedback is processed. This is exactly where things get stuck in many companies.

Information gets held up or arrives late. Decisions hang in the spaces in between. Tensions are not used but suppressed.

No matter how modern the org chart or the processes are: if steering and communication do not mesh coherently, every reorganization eats up its own effect.

Anyone who wants to change that must first understand how steering works in what is frequently complex—beyond plans and slides. We often underestimate how demanding that is, and at the same time overestimate our own understanding of it.

That means: designing decision paths so that they ensure a real ability to act. Designing communication processes and loops clearly and visibly. Anchoring feedback in such a way that it provides orientation instead of blocking.

Only when steering systems and communication hold can structure take effect as well. Then change becomes development; and reorganization becomes lasting added value.