Why “living the operating model” is where org chart redesigns succeed or fail
Every few years, organizations redraw their org chart.
New reporting lines. New roles. New titles.
And a familiar hope: this time, work will feel different.
But as highlighted in recent research from Bain & Company, that hope is rarely realized. While 88% of senior leaders believe their new structure will deliver its goals, only 36% of the people actually working in it agree.
That gap isn’t about intent.
It’s about execution.
Structure doesn’t change work. Systems do.
An organizational redesign is meant to change how people work together:
- how decisions are made
- how work flows across teams
- who owns what
- and what “good” looks like day to day
But most redesigns stop at structure.
Leaders move boxes on charts and assume the details will sort themselves out. They rarely do. Without clear workflows, decision rights, and reinforced habits, people default back to old ways of working — often within weeks.
At Way We Do, we see this all the time:
Organizations announce a new operating model… then ask people to magically behave differently without changing the work itself.
That’s why redesigns stall, and why “change fatigue” sets in.
The real challenge: living the operating model
Bain describes the difference between designing an operating model and living it.
Living the model means people can answer, confidently and consistently:
- What work has changed for me?
- How do decisions get made now?
- Which processes matter most?
- How do I work with other teams differently?
- What does success look like in this new structure?
Most organizations communicate the new org chart structure
but under-communicate how to make it work.
And that’s where things break.
The overlooked linchpin: middle managers
The research highlights a powerful truth:
middle managers are the difference between aspiration and reality.
They are expected to:
- interpret the new model
- redefine workflows
- coach their teams
- and model new behaviors
All while their own roles are changing.
Yet fewer than a quarter of employees say they received sufficient support — training, coaching, or tools — to succeed in the new model. When people raise concerns, they’re not resisting change. They’re signaling where clarity is missing.
If middle managers don’t have practical guidance, uncertainty cascades across the organization.
This is exactly where Way We Do fits
Way We Do exists to close the gap between strategy and daily execution.
A new operating model only sticks when it is translated into:
- clear, role-based processes
- embedded decision rights
- repeatable workflows
- and visible, trackable execution
Way We Do doesn’t just document the model — we activate it.
Here’s how organizations use Way We Do to live their operating model:
1. Turn the model into workflows people actually follow
New org chart structures require new ways of working. Way We Do transforms high-level operating models into:
- role-based procedures
- step-by-step workflows
- and checklists people complete in real time
This removes ambiguity and prevents teams from slipping back into old habits.
2. Clarify decision rights at the point of work
Instead of buried RACI charts or forgotten slide decks, decision ownership is embedded directly into processes. People know:
- who decides
- who contributes
- and when escalation is required
That clarity is what unlocks faster, better decisions.
3. Equip the managers to lead change
Middle managers don’t need more presentations. They need tools.
Way We Do gives managers:
- visibility into how work flows across teams
- confidence to coach against agreed standards
- and a shared source of truth for “how we work now”
This turns managers from change translators into change enablers.
4. Reinforce new habits with governance, not hope
Redesigns fail when organizations rely on memory and goodwill.
Way We Do reinforces the model through:
- assigned roles
- review cycles
- version control
- and adoption insights
So the new way of working becomes the normal way of working.
Announcing the redesign is the starting gun, not the finish line
The most important insight from Bain’s research is this:
People want to do a good job. They just need help doing their jobs differently.
A new operating model isn’t real until it shows up in:
- Monday morning decisions
- daily handovers
- team workflows
- and frontline execution
That’s what it means to live the model.
And that’s why organizations use Way We Do — not to create more documentation, but to ensure their operating model actually works, every day, at scale.
If your organization is redesigning how it works, the question isn’t “Is the structure right?”
It’s “Have we made it possible for people to succeed in it?”
That’s the difference between redesigning on paper — and redesigning for reality.
