WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE?

WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE?
By structure, we mean the framework around which the group is organized, the underpinnings which keep the coalition functioning. It's the operating manual that tells members how the organization is put together and how it works. More specifically, structure describes how members are accepted, how leadership is chosen, and how decisions are made.
WHY SHOULD YOU DEVELOP A STRUCTURE FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION?
Structure gives members clear guidelines for how to proceed. A clearly-established structure gives the group a means to maintain order and resolve disagreements.
Structure binds members together. It gives meaning and identity to the people who join the group, as well as to the group itself.
Structure in any organization is inevitable -- an organization, by definition, implies a structure. Your group is going to have some structure whether it chooses to or not. It might as well be the structure which best matches up with what kind of organization you have, what kind of people are in it, and what you see yourself doing.
WHEN SHOULD YOU DEVELOP A STRUCTURE FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION?
It is important to deal with structure early in the organization's development. Structural development can occur in proportion to other work the organization is doing, so that it does not crowd out that work. And it can occur in parallel with, at the same time as, your organization's growing accomplishments, so they take place in tandem, side by side. This means that you should think about structure from the beginning of your organization's life. As your group grows and changes, so should your thinking on the group's structure.
ELEMENTS OF STRUCTURE
While the need for structure is clear, the best structure for a particular coalition is harder to determine. The best structure for any organization will depend upon who its members are, what the setting is, and how far the organization has come in its development.
Regardless of what type of structure your organization decides upon, three elements will always be there. They are inherent in the very idea of an organizational structure.
They are:
Some kind of governance
Rules by which the organization operates
A distribution of work
Governance
The first element of structure is governance - some person or group has to make the decisions within the organization.
Rules by which the organization operates
Another important part of structure is having rules by which the organization operates. Many of these rules may be explicitly stated, while others may be implicit and unstated, though not necessarily any less powerful.
Distribution of work
Inherent in any organizational structure also is a distribution of work. The distribution can be formal or informal, temporary or enduring, but every organization will have some type of division of labor.
There are four tasks that are key to any group:
Envisioning desired changes. The group needs someone who looks at the world in a slightly different way and believes he or she can make others look at things from the same point of view.
Transforming the community. The group needs people who will go out and do the work that has been envisioned.
Planning for integration. Someone needs to take the vision and figure out how to accomplish it by breaking it up into strategies and goals.
Supporting the efforts of those working to promote change. The group needs support from the community to raise money for the organization, champion the initiative in the state legislature, and ensure that they continue working towards their vision.
COMMON ROLES
Every group is different, and so each will have slightly different terms for the roles individuals play in their organization, but below are some common terms, along with definitions and their typical functions.
An initial steering committee is the group of people who get things started. Often, this group will create plans for funding, and organizational and board development. It may also generate by-laws, and then dissolve. If they continue to meet after approximately the first six months, we might say they have metamorphosed into a coordinating council.
A coordinating council (also referred to as a coordinating committee, executive committee, andexecutive council), modifies broad, organization-wide objectives and strategies in response to input from individuals or committees.
Often, one person will take the place of the coordinating council, or may serve as its head. Such a person may be known as the Executive Director, Project Coordinator, Program Director, or President. He or she sometimes has a paid position, and may coordinate, manage, inspire, supervise, and support the work of other members of the organization.
Task forces are made up of members who work together around broad objectives. Task forces integrate the ideas set forward with the community work being done.
 Action committees bring about specific changes in programs, policies, and practices in the sectors in which they work.
 Support committees are groups that help ensure that action committees or other individuals will have the resources and opportunities necessary to realize their vision. Financial and media committees are examples of committees formed to help support or facilitate your work.
Community trustees, also known as the board of trustees or as the board of directors, provide overall support, advice, and resources to members of the action groups. They are often either people who are directly affected by the issue or have stature in the community. That way, they are able to make contacts, network with other community leaders, and generally remove or weaken barriers to meeting organizational objectives.
Grantmakers are another part of the picture. Grantmakers exist on an international, national, state, and local level and may be private companies and foundations, or local, county, state, or federal government organizations (for example, block grants given by the city would fall into this category).
Support organizations (not to be confused with the support committees listed above) are groups that can give your organization the technical assistance it needs.
Partner organizations are other groups working on some of the same issues as your organization.
Although this list is pretty extensive, your organization may only use two or three of the above mentioned roles, especially at the beginning. It's not uncommon for a group to start with a steering committee, ask others to serve as board members, and then recruit volunteers who will serve as members of action committees. In this broad spectrum of possibilities, consider: Where does your organization fit in? Where do you want to be?
EXAMPLES OF STRUCTURE
So how can all of these pieces be put together? Again, the form a community group takes should be based on what it does, and not the other way around. The structures given are simply meant to serve as examples that have been found to be effective for some community-based organizations; they can and should be adapted and modified for your own group's purposes.
 A RELATIVELY COMPLEX STRUCTURE
In diagram form, a complex organization might look like this:

The coordinating committee is at the center of the project. Its members develop a vision and broad goals based on comments from the action committees or other members of the community.
Task forces develop broad strategic approaches to solve the problem. Usually, several task forces are created from priorities set through a community assessment process. Task force members are chosen for their interest in a particular issue. They are actively involved in supporting and participating in the action committees.
The action committees, which are organized around community sectors such as those listed above, develop specific steps to carry out broad strategic approaches. Each action committee focuses on specific actions in its sector.
The community trustees serve as a shield, helping make sure the members don't come up against barriers such as a lack of money. An organization of this size will usually have paid staff. This generally means they'll have an executive director and possibly project directors, community mobilizers, and administrative assistants.
The biggest advantage to this type of structure is that it allows active participation by all members.
 A MID-SIZE STRUCTURE
And in diagram form:
 
A mid-sized organization may or may not have paid staff members, and generally will have a more targeted mission, leading to fewer task forces.
Small action groups that are not part of a larger organization
As smaller size means fewer people, these groups are usually less complex, as they have less need for a formal hierarchy and instead have governance that is consensus-based. A diagram of such a small group might look something like this, with each of the circles representing an individual member: