My Organizational Capacity Assessment

The article on capacity building in non-profits organizations, while not providing a strategy that would be directly comparable to one a for-profit venture like mine would adopt, nevertheless contains some interesting insights about the underlying organizational structure required for growth. The idea of capacity framework pyramid with higher level and foundational elements tied by an overarching organizational culture strikes me as pertinent to any company, non-profit, etc. and a good way to analyze my venture.

Like a lot of ventures that are just starting up (if I can even say that- it will probably be a few years before I could pull together the resources and planning for a project like the Foundry Lofts idea), I feel like my plan is long on the higher level parts of the capacity pyramid and short on the foundational parts. I have definite aspirations for the Foundry Lofts project and more generally for a business specializing in green/sustainable preservation. Through my work in this class, I am actively developing a long-term business strategy. At the same time, however, I don't have the human resources (a team with specialized skills in green preservation), systems and infrastructure, or organizational structure.

Related to what I posted last week about the development of a working team, I think this article on capacity also highlights the fact that, if you don't have the foundation in place (i.e. the right people in the right organizational structure to suit the venture's needs and assure smooth operation), scope creep becomes inevitable as you the entrepreneur take on too many tasks and try to make the impossible happen. There is something of a parallel to non-profits here, because many non-profits would prefer to just create new programs to address more and more issues, leaving the new work to the same people who can become overwhelmed. This is something I want to avoid; a somewhat large-scale redevelopment project like the one I have outlined through this class requires a great team, a solid foundation.