At LC GLOBAL®, we are proud to share that our very own Dr. Erika Jacobi, Founder and Executive Director, was recently invited to join The Org Design Podcast, hosted by Amy Springer and Damian Bramanis and powered by Functionly. This podcast brings together thought leaders and practitioners who are reshaping how organizations are designed to meet the challenges of today’s fast-changing environment. In this special episode, Dr. Jacobi explores why structure drives behavior and how thoughtful design can help organizations adapt, grow, and thrive. The full conversation is available to watch further down in this article—but first, we want to highlight some of the key insights she shared and what they mean for leaders navigating transformation today.
When problems appear in an organization—declining performance, disengaged employees, or failed initiatives—it is tempting to treat the visible issues as the actual cause. Yet, as Dr. Jacobi explained, these surface symptoms rarely tell the whole story. The true drivers of dysfunction are often hidden in underlying structures: the way decisions are made, how information flows, or how responsibilities are distributed.
By focusing only on symptoms, organizations risk addressing the wrong issues and repeating the same mistakes. Leaders must instead cultivate the discipline to ask: What is really behind this? Identifying and shifting the root cause often unlocks breakthroughs that no quick fix could achieve.
Every organization hits a tipping point where what worked in the past no longer sustains the future. Informal communication and ad-hoc processes may serve a small team, but as headcount increases, these systems inevitably break down. Dr. Jacobi stressed that leaders must recognize when growth requires new structures and processes—ones that can scale, support collaboration, and prevent bottlenecks.
Too often, companies delay these shifts and find themselves trapped in inefficiency just when their momentum is strongest. Adaptive organization design ensures that structures evolve at the same pace as the company itself, rather than lagging behind.
A common misconception is that organizations must choose between being stable or being dynamic. In reality, successful companies build systems that enable both. Stability provides the trust, clarity, and predictability employees need to perform at their best. Dynamism allows the company to adjust rapidly when markets or technologies shift. Dr. Jacobi pointed out that the art lies in creating structures that support these seemingly opposing forces simultaneously. Leaders who master this balance give their organizations both resilience and agility—a powerful combination in uncertain times.
Organizations that thrive are those that anticipate challenges rather than waiting for them to cause damage. In the podcast, Dr. Jacobi described the ideal system as one that absorbs inputs—whether signals from the market, employee feedback, or unexpected disruptions—and translates them into multi-layered, coordinated action.
This approach enables companies to act proactively, staying ahead of issues instead of scrambling to catch up. For leaders, it means designing organizations that treat change as expected, rather than as an emergency to be managed.
Finally, Dr. Jacobi made it clear that transformation cannot be rolled out from the top with a simple announcement. Real change does not happen because leaders declare a new structure—it happens when employees are engaged in shaping it. Co-creation, dialogue, and feedback loops are essential if change is to be embraced rather than resisted. This principle is central to LC GLOBAL®’s work with clients. Structures that are imposed from above often fail to stick, while those that are co-created build commitment, ownership, and sustainable impact.
At LC GLOBAL®, we know that structure is not a static diagram but a living system that shapes how people behave, collaborate, and innovate. Dr. Jacobi’s insights on The Org Design Podcast reflect the principles we bring into every transformation: creating adaptive structures that foster engagement, growth, and long-term resilience.
How does your organization’s current structure shape the behaviors you see every day—and what might become possible if you reimagined it with adaptability and purpose in mind?
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