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Layer 01 of 6 — Operating Model Design

People & Organisation.
Structure built around accountability, not history.

The first layer of the operating model is the most personal and the most political. Organisational design touches everyone — their role, their team, their manager, their career. CN approaches this layer with rigour and honesty: the structure follows the operating model, not the other way around.

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01 People 02 Process 03 Technology 04 Service Delivery 05 Performance 06 Governance
What CN does in this layer

The work inside the layer

  • —Organisational design — structure that follows the operating model, not legacy reporting lines
  • —Role architecture — role profiles with genuine clarity: what you own, what you decide, what you escalate
  • —Spans and layers analysis — how many direct reports, how many management layers, where to flatten
  • —Leadership model design — what leadership looks like in the target organisation
  • —Capability assessment — mapping current capability against what the target model requires
  • —Capability gap analysis and development planning
  • —Culture and behaviours definition — what behaviours the model requires and how to build them
  • —TUPE and workforce transition planning where required
  • —Accountability framework — who is accountable for what, with no overlaps or gaps
How we do it

The CN approach

01
Start with the operating model, not the org chart
Most organisational redesigns start by moving boxes around an existing structure. CN starts with the operating model — what work needs to be done, how it flows, where decisions need to be made — and designs the structure to support it.
02
Map current capability honestly
We assess the current workforce against the capability requirements of the target model. This includes formal skills assessment, but also the informal understanding of where capability actually lives — which rarely matches the org chart.
03
Design roles with genuine clarity
Role profiles that specify what the role owns, what it decides autonomously, what it escalates and what success looks like. Not generic job descriptions — specific accountability statements that people can use in day-to-day decisions.
04
Co-design with the people affected
The people who will live in the new structure are involved in designing it. Not consulted after the fact — genuinely involved in the decisions about spans, layers and accountabilities. This builds understanding and reduces resistance.
05
Plan the transition, not just the destination
The move from current to target structure has to be managed. TUPE implications, ring-fencing decisions, selection processes, notification sequences — all planned before announcement, all connected to the change management programme.
What good looks like
  • ✓Structure follows the operating model, not legacy politics
  • ✓Roles have clear accountability — people know what they own
  • ✓Management spans are designed, not inherited
  • ✓Capability gaps identified and addressed before go-live
  • ✓Leadership behaviours defined and modelled from the top
Warning signs
  • ✗Restructure announced before the operating model is designed
  • ✗Roles defined by what the existing person does, not what is needed
  • ✗No capability assessment — assuming current people can do new roles
  • ✗Change managed as a communications exercise, not a people one
  • ✗Accountability gaps left deliberately to avoid conflict
Connects to
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Process & Ways of Working
The structure determines how work flows. Redesigning process without redesigning accountability creates confusion about who owns what.
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Performance & Insight
The accountability framework defines who owns which metrics. Performance management only works if roles are clear.
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Governance & Accountability
Governance frameworks specify how decisions are made — they need to align with the role accountabilities.
Part of the full model
This layer is one of six. Changing it without the others creates integration failures.
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Working on this layer?
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