Overview
In today’s fast-paced business environment, organizations must constantly adapt to remain competitive. Whether responding to strategic shifts that require large-scale transformation or making smaller, gradual changes, effective organizational design is essential. HR professionals are uniquely positioned to lead efforts aimed at designing organizations that can achieve business objectives.
Well-executed organizational design enhances efficiency, improves decision-making, and fosters workforce motivation. On the other hand, poor design and implementation can lead to missed opportunities for growth and innovation for the business. Even with great leaders and a clear strategy, flawed organizational design can hold your company back.
This course equips HR Business Partners with the knowledge and skills to understand and implement effective organizational design. Emphasizing HR's pivotal role in driving successful business outcomes, it provides the tools needed to navigate complex change scenarios. Combining foundational theory with hands-on application through a real-world case study, participants will gain insights into both the technical and human elements critical to managing and delivering complex organizational change.
This course will strengthen competencies in organizational design, HR leadership and strategy, globalization, systems thinking, and change management. During the live-virtual program, participants will:
- Recognize the most common organizational scenarios which trigger the need for an in-depth review of organizational design and structure.
- Develop an advanced understanding of the differences and interconnections between organizational design, operating models, role definition and decision-making processes.
- Analyze organizational, cultural and human resource challenges specific to global mergers and acquisitions.
- Understand HR’s unique leadership role in major change initiatives.
- Collaborate with other CAHRS partners to share best practices and explore real-world organizational design solutions.
Who Should Attend
This program is designed for HR professionals with 5-10+ years of experience who advise business leaders in driving and implementing organizational change.
It is best suited for those with foundational knowledge of organizational design—such as structural models, roles, and reporting lines—but without deep expertise in advanced design approaches.
Sample titles: HR Business Partners, HR Senior Managers, HR Managers, HR Generalists
Considerations for Nominating a Participant
The ideal participants should:
Be available to attend and actively participate in all live sessions. This is a hands-on learning program that builds from week-to-week.
Be encouraged to bring the program learnings back to the organization. Examples of this may include a post-program follow-up discussion with the nominating manager, lunch and learn or report out with the team, etc.
- Sessions meet for 90 or 120 minutes on Zoom once weekly for 3 weeks
- Total of ~ 6 hours of time over 3 weeks / ~ 2 hours commitment per week
Agenda
Mar 27 - May 10, 2025
Session 1, Mar 27
- Program overview and introductions
- Why does organizational design matter?
- What are my options for organizational structure?
- Designing a global company Part 1
Session 2, Apr 3
- Can organizational design stand on its own?
- Introducing operating models and their business implication
- Designing a global company Part 2; Choices and rationale
- Case application and role play
Session 3, April 10
- What are the critical success factors and considerations for designing effective organizations?
- What is the role HR leaders should play?
- Wrap-up, Reflection and Key Takeaways
Instructors
Certification
Recognition of Achievement
Certificate of Completion from the Center for Advanced HR Studies at the Cornell ILR School
Earn Continuing Education Credits
This program qualifies for Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) credits or Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) credits
Questions?
Karen Siewert: kts47@cornell.edu