Advancing Organizational Effectiveness Across Campus

In the truest sense, “organizational effectiveness” is defined by how effective an organization is in achieving its established goals. While the idea appears fairly simple at the surface, given the myriad of variables in today’s workplace­ — including people, management styles, and an organization’s culture and values — the idea is actually quite complex.

“At the most basic level, an organization’s culture and values really set the pace for how it achieves organizational effectiveness,” said Sonia Alvarez-Robinson, executive director of Georgia Tech Strategic Consulting. “Like the air we breathe, culture and values are fundamental to an organization’s health and well-being. All is well when you have it, but it can be rather unpleasant­ — and unproductive — when you don’t.”

To this end, Georgia Tech Strategic Consulting recently conducted the first Annual Georgia Tech Organizational Effectiveness Conference to enable participants to learn ways to work more efficiently and effectively. The conference welcomed more than 200 attendees who came from local higher education institutions, such as Georgia Tech, Berry College, and Emory University, as well as corporations including NCR, Coca-Cola, and AT&T. Throughout the day, keynote speakers and panelists provided opportunities for attendees to gain insight, tools, and resources. Leading practices from various Georgia Tech organizations, as well as locally based Fortune 500 companies, were also shared.

One of the main takeaways included recognizing the importance of “human systems” in driving an effective organization and understanding how values and cultures, both employee and organizational, impact performance — especially in times of change.

Also, during the leadership panel, several speakers noted that embracing change is inherently difficult but that it is paramount that leaders listen and empathize with their staff members who will be impacted by change.

Practice What You Teach

In addition, the conference offered four workshops to help attendees hone the fundamentals of organizational effectiveness:

• Strategy Development and Implementation
• Project and Portfolio Management
• Organizational Readiness and Managing Change
• Process Optimization

“The conference really demonstrated Georgia Tech’s commitment to empowering employees with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in advancing their organization, said Diana Tiernan, program administrator in the Office of Campus Sustainability. “We all recognize that change is inevitable, and it is up to us to develop the skill set needed to successfully navigate through the transformation.”

You may view a recording of highlights from the Organizational Effectiveness Conference.

To learn more about advancing your department’s organizational effectiveness, visit the Georgia Tech Strategic Consulting website at consulting.gatech.edu.