This article was first published in displayadsdeepdive.com
For a while now, we’ve been discussing a lot of aspects to consider whenever you are intending to hire a new PPC for your company. Everything from the kind of qualities your PPC should have, even the different arrangements you could have with them, and the hiring methods. So now that we’ve got all of that covered, we can dive a little bit more into the specifics of your own company, and of course, which will be the best kind of PPC for you depending on the decisions you make, and your company’s general style.
And when it comes to defining your company’s general style, the organizational structure you’ll choose and build will absolutely make the difference not only in the way you’ll work, but also in the way decisions are made, how things get done, and whom you’ll hire to do them. So today, we’ll dive into the specifics of how an organizational structure is defined, the different types, and the kind of PPC you should choose according to your company’s structure.
The organizational structure of a company is the way that company decides to divide, coordinate, and supervise the different tasks that they take care of. In general, the structure is defined when the company is born, and it tends to remain (just he who remains, if you know what I mean) as the company grows, even though sometimes it can be adapted or updated if the situation requires so, and the company is willing to. Basically, the organizational structure will define who makes the decisions, how much everyone participates, the way that things get done, how the company operates and performs, and how teams are built.
Based upon that, we can definitely say that organizational structure is key to determine the kind of people you’ll hire, and that’s why today we’ll be discussing the many different types that exist, and what kind of PPC expert you should hire depending on the structure your company has. So let’s dive in, shall we?
Functional structure
So let’s start with the most popular one, the functional structure. As its name indicates, this structure consists of dividing people by their function, so you put everyone with the people that do the same thing as they do. For example, you create separate departments for the communications area, the human resources area, the logistics area, the accounting area, and so on. The biggest pros about the functional structure are that it allows employees to specialize in their areas, and improves their efficiency by having them working among their pairs, whom they can learn from, and who’ll “inspire” them to get things done. The difficulty that this structure can create is the lack of coordination and cooperation among the different departments, given the fact that they are constantly in touch with the ones of their own kind, which can sometimes create a hostile environment where employees are looking for their own department’s benefits, rather than thinking of the company as a whole.
So what PPC will be the best to hire in this kind of company? In general, the most traditional kind of people will feel comfortable working in this type of company and, since they’ll be surrounded by people who know the industry, you can also feel relaxed to hire someone who may need some training.
Divisional structure
This kind of structure is also known as “business units structure” because, well, it consists of being divided by the different business units that a company has. For example, a company of food and beverages can have a business unit for their non-alcoholic beverages, another one for their alcoholic beverages, another one for their snacks, and another one for their cooking ingredients, and have different teams for each one of them. Basically, it’s like creating a micro-company for every different division and having one professional of each area dedicated to one specific division. The big pros of this structure are the fact that you can measure the performance of each unit on its own because of their personalized strategies, and that you’ll have a much more efficient and coordinated work both inside every area, as well as with the rest. However, you’ll obviously need to hire much more people with higher qualifications, and that sometimes rivalry can happen between units.
So what kind of PPC will be a good fit here? Well, the most independent PPCs that feel comfortable working on their own, and are qualified enough to not need a big team guiding them will be the best decision to make. Also, creative people tend to work better in these reduced groups that are dedicated to one specific area where they can channel all their energy and productivity, as long as they don’t get bored due to working with just one project.
Matrix structure
Can’t decide between functional or divisional? No worries! You can have them both with a matrix structure that combines functional departments, and teams created for specific projects or products. The great pro of this structure is that it helps employees make the most of their strengths and have their teams to back them up and make up for their weaknesses, as well as promoting a much more cooperative work environment given that everyone has a role in more than one group, and having tasks done much faster. However, there is a big problem that comes along with this structure and it is called “management duplicity”, and it consists in the fact that, since you have two managers, trouble may come along when it comes to defining whose orders you’ll prioritize.
So who’s the right PPC to hire for this type of company? Basically, a PPC is smart enough to coordinate their work with two departments, and that feels comfortable both being the one in charge (for the times they are a solo PPC in the project) and working among a team they can learn from.
So the bottom line here is quite simple: There can be a bunch of incredible PPCs looking for a job in your company, but no matter how great you are, sometimes they simply won’t fit with the style you expect them to have. So, instead of creating irrational expectations, you should definitely analyze the way your company gets things done and operates, and hire someone who’ll feel comfortable with it.
