Designing for Differentiation

How Organization Design Becomes a Competitive Advantage

Session Overview:

In today’s environment, organizations cannot afford to treat structure as an administrative exercise. The highest-performing companies are intentionally designing around what makes them different in the market — their customers, capabilities, speed, innovation model, and growth strategy. The result is not just a better org chart. It is a business that executes faster, scales smarter, and adapts more effectively to change.

In this session, Mike Smith, Ph.D. of AlignOrg Solutions will explore how leading organizations use organization design as a strategic lever for differentiation, not simply efficiency. Drawing from Fortune 500 transformation work across industries, the discussion will focus on how organizations align operating models, decision rights, talent, governance, and work design to amplify the capabilities that matter most.

The session will combine practical examples, executive insights, and actionable frameworks that leaders can immediately apply within their own organizations.

Designed for HR, OD, strategy, and transformation leaders, this program challenges participants to rethink organization design not as a downstream HR process, but as one of the most powerful tools available to shape business performance and long-term competitive advantage.

Session Takeaways

Participants will leave with practical frameworks and actionable tools they can immediately apply within their organizations, including:

• Why “best practice” organizations often fail to outperform
• How customer expectations should shape organization design choices
• The difference between optimizing for efficiency vs. differentiation
• Practical ways to identify differentiating and enabling capabilities
• Common organizational design patterns that unintentionally dilute strategy
• How AI, automation, and evolving workforce models are reshaping differentiation opportunities

About the Speaker:

Mike Smith

Mike Smith, Ph.D. is a Principal Advisor at AlignOrg Solutions and a recognized leader in organization development, executive coaching, and large-scale transformation. With deep expertise in aligning strategy, leadership, and organizational systems, Mike helps executive teams navigate complex change while building organizations positioned for long-term performance and growth.

Mike has led organization design and transformation efforts across a wide range of industries, partnering with organizations including Lowe’s, Cummins, Honda, Nike, Adobe, Danaher, and Tyco. His work focuses on helping leaders make strategic choices aligned to business priorities and successfully implement those choices through effective change leadership, executive alignment, and capability development.

Known for his engaging and practical facilitation style, Mike is a frequent speaker at national conferences and leadership forums, including recent engagements with . He is particularly recognized for helping leaders simplify complexity, strengthen organizational alignment, and create meaningful momentum during periods of transformation.

Mike holds a doctorate in Leadership Development and Administration and brings experience spanning both the public and private sectors, including higher education and public administration. His current work centers on executive coaching, leadership effectiveness, and helping organizations build cultures capable of sustaining change and growth.

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We look forward to seeing you at this in-person only event.