Structure The Organization

You are responsible for developing and maintaining enough support to satisfy the needs of each franchisee and still allow you to operate efficiently and effectively. You will achieve this balancing act by carefully structuring your organization.

To ensure effectiveness, you will need a clear organizational chart showing the interdependence of each department. The chart should include required jobs, staff necessary to perform the jobs and the criteria for selecting and hiring qualified people.

You must determine the authority and responsibility for each position, avoiding confusion that can occur if responsibilities and authority overlap. Clear compensation levels have to be established and published.

After you’ve set up the organization’s positions and compensation levels you can begin training. You’ll need effective training programs for managers and staff. Initially your organizational chart may have a lot of “to-be-determined” slots. That’s okay. You’re in a start-up phase and that’s to be expected. It’s still important to have the organization in place so you can support your franchisees as you expand.