The Corporate Bermuda Triangle

Continueing from from where I left last........When does an Organination structure become a liability instead of facilitating seamless interaction between various functions? When a structure is decided upon much before the intricacies of activities are understood, it will give rise to what could easily be identified as a corporate equivalent of the notorious "Bermuda Traingle"; unexplained activity (read accountability) dissapperances within loosely defined boundaries. In all such cases, "Bermuda triangles" will give rise to adhoc appointments, that usually end up being permanent, like the ones most of us are already familiar with 

• OSD (Officers on Special Duty) reporting directly to the CMO/CEO/COO
• Expediters at the factory floor with "special powers" to bypass any process
• Favoured lower level employees with substantial funds under thinly veiled expense heads like the "Business Promotion Expense"  to grease the wheels that move things. I have come accross a GM(PR & Logistics) who managed this function with elan. 

While a Functional structure gives rise to functional experts who can offer only futional solutions for business problems, the Bermuda Triangle gives rise to a culture of adhocism and "jugaad"  - creating heroes out of ordinary people.

Where, in your organization, do you see the corporate equivalent of  a "Bermuda Triangle"? A flawed organizational structure could be the one that needs fixing.