Great post, Carilu. I've been through this more times than I care to remember. Some times it's necessary to grow a business unit and other times it caused more harm than good.
Brilliant breakdown of the reorg chaos. The allocation framework piece really cuts throguh the noise tbh. I've seen marketing teams burn out negotiating the same priorities every sprint, which is basically just performative decision-making. Treating it as a structural design problem instead of a politics problem frees up so much energy.
Insightful and well-put. This mirrors a lot of my thoughts on marketing reorgs. Especially the part where marketing loses its 'brain' to become relegated to tactical executions only.
I’m currently navigating a business unit reorganization, and honestly, it’s been challenging. I preferred the previous centralized structure, but now the organization has shifted to a decentralized model. My team, which focused on integrated campaigns, has been split across different business units. While I’m still responsible for integrated campaigns, I’m also expected to focus deeply on a specific motion within my new business unit.
From a strategic standpoint, I can see the value in this shift. It aligns with the common advice given to CMOs, and the structure reflects that. The introduction of a portfolio PMM helps prevent individual business units from competing for attention or creating fragmented messaging in the market. Alongside that, we now have a centralized GTM team focused on brand consistency, while functions like paid media and demand generation are embedded within individual business units.
My main question is how individual contributors should adapt during business unit reorganizations like this. These transitions can be demoralizing, as they often involve losing established team dynamics, adjusting to new operating models, building new relationships, and maintaining momentum on existing work. While a business unit focus can be effective when priorities and initiatives are clearly defined, it becomes much harder to navigate when those areas of focus have not yet been clearly established.
Hi Riri - My advice would be to treat it as a "tour of duty" - a chance to build close relationships with new business leaders and to see new perspectives of the business. It can be really, really hard. I'm not denying that. It can be hard to go deep in your BU while still trying to manage across teams. It can be hard to be aligned, to get budget and focus when you need it. But it's a phase. It will come and go - either for the business itself or as a phase in your career. Someday it might help you organize a team or a company better yourself.
Great post, Carilu. I've been through this more times than I care to remember. Some times it's necessary to grow a business unit and other times it caused more harm than good.
It's hard to go through it, but helpful for context and perspective. I don't take any of it as seriously these days knowing it will change again!
Brilliant breakdown of the reorg chaos. The allocation framework piece really cuts throguh the noise tbh. I've seen marketing teams burn out negotiating the same priorities every sprint, which is basically just performative decision-making. Treating it as a structural design problem instead of a politics problem frees up so much energy.
Insightful and well-put. This mirrors a lot of my thoughts on marketing reorgs. Especially the part where marketing loses its 'brain' to become relegated to tactical executions only.
Great timely post Carilu. With everything that's going on in the world right now, many business are struggling and reorgs are everywhere.
I’m currently navigating a business unit reorganization, and honestly, it’s been challenging. I preferred the previous centralized structure, but now the organization has shifted to a decentralized model. My team, which focused on integrated campaigns, has been split across different business units. While I’m still responsible for integrated campaigns, I’m also expected to focus deeply on a specific motion within my new business unit.
From a strategic standpoint, I can see the value in this shift. It aligns with the common advice given to CMOs, and the structure reflects that. The introduction of a portfolio PMM helps prevent individual business units from competing for attention or creating fragmented messaging in the market. Alongside that, we now have a centralized GTM team focused on brand consistency, while functions like paid media and demand generation are embedded within individual business units.
My main question is how individual contributors should adapt during business unit reorganizations like this. These transitions can be demoralizing, as they often involve losing established team dynamics, adjusting to new operating models, building new relationships, and maintaining momentum on existing work. While a business unit focus can be effective when priorities and initiatives are clearly defined, it becomes much harder to navigate when those areas of focus have not yet been clearly established.
Hi Riri - My advice would be to treat it as a "tour of duty" - a chance to build close relationships with new business leaders and to see new perspectives of the business. It can be really, really hard. I'm not denying that. It can be hard to go deep in your BU while still trying to manage across teams. It can be hard to be aligned, to get budget and focus when you need it. But it's a phase. It will come and go - either for the business itself or as a phase in your career. Someday it might help you organize a team or a company better yourself.