The traditional organizational chart of government agencies reflects a top-down military hierarchical model, with work compartmentalized by specialty and with members organized by rank. Typically, these models are pyramid shaped, with four or five branches in a division and three or four divisions in a department.

While this may have worked well for the federal government in the 1900s, this outmoded model might be contributing to the inefficiencies found in many government processes today.

With numerous job cuts, both in the recent past and in the near future, the time is right for experimentation with nontraditional organizational models.

Private organizations have tried a more circular approach, versus hierarchical. Other companies are using matrix structures, where specialists work on more than one project across functional lines and make use of shared resources that support various projects. The common denominator with each is the word “team,” versus the vertical silos that are usually present in government.

As the workforce shrinks and agencies are left to do the same (or more) work with fewer people, freedom to explore different organizational avenues would be a boon toward a more efficient structure that saves both time and money.

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