About Susannah Robinson:

Susannah Robinson is the President and Founder of Partnership for Talent LLC, a consulting firm supporting small and mid-sized organizations with strategic human resources and organizational design. In her practice, Ms. Robinson serves as a fractional HR leader, working with multiple companies to implement best practices and drive business objectives through HR solutions. She has over 20 years of experience in HR leadership roles across global organizations and mid-sized nonprofits. Ms. Robinson is also an adjunct professor at Northeastern University, teaching master’s level Organizational Design. She holds a degree in Chemistry and Management from Marietta College, an MBA from Northeastern University, an advanced certificate in Strategic Human Resource Management from Cornell University, and an SPHR certification.

In this episode, Dean Newlund and Susannah Robinson discuss:

• Rethinking organizational design beyond org charts
• Aligning jobs, structure, and practices with strategy
• Hiring for competencies instead of loyalty
• Using AI to streamline HR and job design
• Driving change through small, intentional actions

Key Takeaways:

• Organizational design is most effective when leaders integrate job roles, structural elements, and employee practices in alignment with the company’s goals, values, and strategy.
• Rather than reacting habitually to personnel changes or market shifts, leaders should pause to ask if a better structural solution exists before simply filling a vacancy.
• Designing from a future state—by clarifying strategic objectives and desired outcomes—enables organizations to build more adaptive and purpose-driven structures.
• Culture becomes a product of intentional organizational choices, where structure, roles, and workflows reinforce the mission and create alignment across all levels.

“Whatever design you put in place, in totality, needs to align with the purpose of the organization, the mission, the values, the strategy, the objectives.” — Susannah Robinson

Connect with Susannah Robinson: 

Website: https://www.partnershipfortalent.com/

Book: Beyond the Boxes and Lines: ARE YOU READY for the NEXT STEP? Transforming Business Results Through Organizational Design: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Boxes-Lines-Transforming-Organizational/dp/1950336921

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susannah-robinson-ba7a581a/

See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I

Connect with Dean:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkw

Website: https://www.mfileadership.com/

The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/

X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deannewlund

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/

Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.com

Phone: 1-800-926-7370

Show notes by Podcastologist: Hanz Jimuel Alvarez

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You’re the expert. Your podcast will prove it.