Tapping into employee expertise: a creative approach to organizational redesign
Imagine this: a company so financially successful that they could afford to splurge on a voluntary reorganization. Yes, you read that correctly—splurge. This wasn't a company in crisis. Quite the opposite. The MedTech company was thriving, and they wanted to channel that success into becoming even better.
Their big idea was to redesign the organization so that its internal structures mirrored the workflows of their clients. On paper, this sounded brilliant: aligning how the company operated internally with how clients worked externally would create a seamless experience and strengthen relationships.
But here's where things got tricky.
The board—an activist, highly involved—wanted to play a central role in the redesign. They met frequently and were eager to contribute, but their main directive boiled down to this:
"Let the working groups detail the next phase of the organizational design."
However, this was easier said than done. The board, though active and involved, provided a directive that was more of a "fluffy idea", a vague concept than a clear path, leaving the working group idea without a roadmap.
The Challenge
This vague directive risked turning the working groups into what I call "talking shops"—places where endless debates happen, but little action follows.
Moreover, it overlooked the company's greatest asset: its tacit know-how. This is the deep, experience-based knowledge that lives in employees' heads—the insights they've amassed on the ground, solving problems and interacting with clients.
Tacit know-how is pure gold, yet it's often ignored during transformations. When you fail to tap into this expertise, you're not just leaving insights unused—you're leaving money on the table.
The research underscores just how costly this can be. According to a study by Panopto, the average new hire spends nearly 200 hours working inefficiently because they lack access to their predecessor's knowledge. This productivity loss costs organizations approximately $7,500 per employee annually. (Panopto Study, 2018)
Moreover, a report by IteratorsHQ reveals that up to 50% of corporate knowledge resides in inaccessible silos, forcing employees to recreate information and wasting both time and resources. (IteratorsHQ, 2022)
My colleague M and I knew this was a critical moment. Without structure, the working groups would flounder. However, with the proper framework, they could become a driving force behind a successful organizational redesign.
Photo by Lidia Nemiroff on Unsplash
How We Turned Fluff into Action
To transform the board's directive into actionable steps, we focused on four key elements:
Defining objectives - First, we needed clarity. What were these working groups supposed to achieve? We worked closely with the board to nail down specific, measurable goals. This wasn't about pie-in-the-sky ideas but actionable outcomes aligning with the company's vision.
Setting timelines - A clear timeline was non-negotiable. Without deadlines, discussions could drag on forever. We created a phased roadmap with regular milestones to keep everyone on track and ensure visible progress.
Creating tools - We designed templates and resources to guide discussions. These weren't overly complicated—just practical tools to help the working groups focus and avoid analysis paralysis.
Structuring teams - Finally, we ensured the right people were in the room. Each working group included a mix of expertise, from operational wizards to client-facing pros. This diversity was critical for fully capturing the organization's needs.
The Results: From Fluff to Actionable Change
With this structured process in place, the working groups became transformation engines. Here's what we achieved:
Leveraging tacit knowledge
Employees' expertise became the foundation of the redesign. Their deep understanding of workflows and client needs ensured the outputs were practical, actionable, and grounded in reality.
Overcoming silos
The cross-divisional nature of the working groups fostered collaboration and broke down barriers between departments.
Aligning operations with strategy
The redesign wasn't just a theoretical exercise—it was deeply aligned with the company's strategic goals.
And perhaps most importantly, the process gave employees a sense of ownership. By co-creating the new organizational structure, they became its strongest advocates. Resistance? Practically zero.
How Creativity Fueled Our Solutions
This case wasn't just about problem-solving—it was about creativity in action. My colleague and I had to invent new processes and frameworks to bring the board's abstract directive to life.
Defining objectives, structuring teams, and creating templates may sound technical, but the truth is that it's a profoundly creative process.
You're not just managing change—you're reimagining how an organization functions. Consulting may have a reputation for being dry, but it's incredibly inventive at its core. You're working with the raw materials of people, processes, and strategy to shape something entirely new.
Sources:
Panopto Study, 2018 – "Knowledge Loss: Turnover Means Losing Employees and More". Available at hrdailyadvisor.blr.com
IteratorsHQ, 2022 – "The Cost of Organizational Knowledge Loss and Countermeasures". Available at iteratorshq.com