Alliances and Fit In Organizational Structure
What is the purpose of fit when forming an alliance?
Fit is a key element in forming an alliance, without which vision and strategy become muddled and corrupted. An analysis of “fit” can help avoid ego and emotion from clouding judgement. My office has consistently flirted with expansion by adding new doctors to the practice as associates, employees and subleases, without great success, primarily because there was not a good fit. Adding additional doctors would enable the practice to reach a new level in size and creating a larger management role for me at the top. I have searched more passively than actively for a dozen years. Im currently in the process of hiring a young doctor, precisely because it seems to be a very good fit. Finding the correct “fit” is integral to providing an internal culture that fosters the type of patient care I want my organization to provide. (2)
What is the role of strategic planning in aligning organizational structure with strategy?
My office works with a functional structure, meaning there are specific groups, such as Front Desk, Hygiene, Clinical Team that are task specific. We use elements of network structure to accomplish specific ancillary tasks for promotional endeavors, outreach, IT, or media projects. In taking on an associate doctor, Im meeting with each functional team to gain their active participation and support. Ive organized a small team to investigate insurance coverage/participation aspects of the new doctors activity. Careful staging of the process will connect the vision of a multi-doctor enterprise with the present reality of a sole proprietorship.
How do alliances impact organizational structure?
The office has functioned as a sole proprietorship. Now it may evolve into into a corporate entity for liability reasons. Also,