Operating model design: restructuring to deliver your strategy
A new strategy often needs a new way of working. How to redesign processes and structure, and make the change stick.
Key takeaways
- The operating model is how strategy turns into daily work.
- Redesign processes before redrawing the organisation chart.
- SOPs, automation and training make the new model real.
A strategy describes where an organisation wants to go. The operating model describes how it will get there: the processes, structure, roles, governance, technology and service levels that turn strategy into daily work.
When strategy changes, or when an organisation grows, merges or launches new services, the operating model often needs to change too. New government agencies face the challenge from day one.
Signs your operating model needs attention
- Work passes through too many hand-offs and approvals.
- Roles overlap or leave gaps between departments.
- Service levels are unclear or regularly missed.
- Structure reflects history rather than current priorities.
- New technology has been added without changing how work flows.
Our approach: Define, Design, Deploy
Define
Process and structure analysis. Map how work actually happens today, including roles, responsibilities, hand-offs and pain points. Establish a baseline of processes and gaps.
Benchmarking. Compare processes and structures with leading organisations and reference models in the sector.
Design
Process design and restructuring. Design target processes first, then the structure that best supports them. Clarify roles, spans of control and decision rights.
Organisational alignment. Align governance, service levels and performance measures with the new model so incentives support it.
Deploy
Implementation support. Write standard operating procedures, automate where it adds value, and support the transition.
Training and knowledge transfer. Prepare people to work in the new model and leave internal teams able to run and improve it.
Examples from our work
Integrated Transport Centre, Abu Dhabi. A newly established government agency asked us to analyse and re-engineer its business processes across roads, public transport, parking and integrated planning. After a gap analysis of the process and organisational landscape, we re-engineered all major processes across the four departments using benchmark processes from global leaders in transport systems.
Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company. We carried out an end-to-end audit of service centres, call centres and online channels, then developed a customer segmentation and service delivery strategy, a new service catalogue and customer service excellence training.
Pitfalls to avoid
- Starting with the organisation chart instead of the work
- Designing without the people who do the work
- Underestimating the training and support needed after go-live
- Treating restructuring as a one-off event rather than a managed change
A good operating model makes the right way of working the easy way. For the strategy that sits above it, read strategy development: from baseline to roadmap.
Frequently asked questions
What is an operating model?
The way an organisation delivers its strategy: its processes, structure, roles, governance, technology and service levels.
When should an organisation redesign its operating model?
After a strategy change, a merger, rapid growth, the launch of new services, or when processes and service levels consistently underperform.
What is the difference between restructuring and operating model design?
Restructuring changes the organisation chart. Operating model design starts with processes, service levels and governance, then sets the structure that supports them.
First published 6 October 2026.