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  • October 2014
  • Background Note
  • HBS Case Collection

Leader-as-Architect: Alignment

By: Ethan Bernstein, Ryan Raffaelli and Joshua Margolis
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:6
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Abstract

Part of a leader's job is to equip the organization to transform inputs into outputs by defining organizational strategy, shaping organizational identity, and then managing four organizational components—formal organizational structure, culture, people, and critical tasks—such that each component, and their interaction, aligns to produce performance. Substantial research has demonstrated that well-aligned organizations will be more capable of (1) attaining strategic goals, (2) efficiently utilizing resources to do so, and (3) adapting to unforeseen, future challenges. This short note walks through the Congruence Model, a simple yet powerful tool for achieving alignment in an organization.

Keywords

Organization; Resource Management; Leadership; Business Processes; Design; Organizational Design; Identity; Strategy; Resource Allocation; Strategic Planning; Alignment

Citation

Bernstein, Ethan, Ryan Raffaelli, and Joshua Margolis. "Leader-as-Architect: Alignment." Harvard Business School Background Note 415-039, October 2014.
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About The Authors

Ethan S. Bernstein

Organizational Behavior
→More Publications

Ryan L. Raffaelli

Organizational Behavior
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Joshua D. Margolis

Organizational Behavior
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More from the Authors
  • Moleskine Foundation: Can Creativity Change the World? By: Ryan Raffaelli, Alexandra C. Feldberg and Sarah Gulick
  • To Feed the Planet: Juan Luciano at ADM By: Joshua D. Margolis, David E. Bell, Damien McLoughlin, Stacy Straaberg and James Weber
  • Institutional Emplacement and the Novel Resurgence of Independent Bookstores By: Ryan Raffaelli and Ryann Noe
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