8 - Right People, Right Roles Redesigning for Purpose, Not Tradition

A series about business efficiency, finding profit and how to get there

Introduction
Every SME begins with hustle. Roles are fluid, everyone chips in, and people wear five hats, often proudly. But what works in the early days doesn’t always scale. And over time, many businesses get stuck in role legacy people doing what they’ve always done, even if it no longer fits the purpose.

This isn’t just inefficient. It’s costly - in time, in morale, and in missed opportunity.

Efficiency isn’t just about systems. It’s about structure. That means aligning your people with the work that truly matters now, not the work they inherited or grew into by default.

Sometimes, it’s not about hiring more. It’s about making better use of who you already have.

Actions to Be Taken
Redesigning your organisation for purpose - not tradition - requires deliberate analysis and open conversation.

Conduct a Role Fit Audit
Ask each team member (and yourself)

• What are the top 3–5 outcomes your role is meant to deliver?

• What tasks take up most of your time?

• Which of those tasks feel outside your strengths or current purpose?

 Compare actual work to the role's intended purpose. Misalignments will become clear.

Map Key Business Functions — Not Just Job Titles
Step back and ask -

• What are the critical outcomes this business must deliver (e.g., lead generation, service delivery, client retention)?

• Who owns each function? Is it clear?

 This reveals both gaps (no one owns it) and overlaps (too many people own it).

 Reassign Responsibilities Based on Strengths, Not Tradition
Just because someone can do a task doesn’t mean they should. Real efficiency is about leveraging strengths.

Use tools like CliftonStrengths, DISC, or a simple self-assessment to better align responsibilities with capability and energy.

Redesign Roles Around Today’s Priorities
Create or revise role descriptions to reflect the current phase of your business, not the past. Be willing to

• Split overly broad roles

• Merge underloaded ones

• Retitle roles to reflect purpose, not hierarchy

Pilot Before You Finalise
Test role changes informally before locking them in. A 30–60 day trial can reduce friction and improve buy-in.

Psychological Perspective
Restructuring roles is more than an operational shift, it’s an emotional one. People tie their identity to what they do. Changing roles can feel like a demotion or a loss of status, even when it’s not.

Owners, too, can get attached, to loyalty, to people who’ve “been there since day one,” to the comfort of familiarity.

That’s why empathy must be embedded in the process. The goal isn’t to discard people - it’s to set them (and the business) up to thrive in the right place.

Real efficiency is deeply human. It honours people's talents, not just their titles.

HR Best Practice
To do this well, HR must act as both strategist and coach.

Key practices -

• Involve staff in redesign, ask what excites them, where they feel stuck, and what they’d love to do more of.

• Clarify the “why” behind changes - link it to business goals and personal growth.

• Offer coaching support - especially if roles are changing significantly.

• Reward adaptability — create recognition for team members who embrace new roles or ways of working.

 Avoid performance-managing someone into a new role. Invite them into it with support and clarity.

Red Flags to Watch For and Mitigate Against
Misalignment often hides behind busyness. Watch for these signs -

• High-performing people doing low-impact work out of habit or loyalty

• Confused handovers or duplicated effort across roles

• Team members feeling “stuck” or disengaged

• Long decision cycles due to unclear ownership

• Roles described by tasks, not outcomes

 These are all signs your structure has outgrown its purpose — and is now costing you.

Narrative Story

Meet Melanie from Nelson
Melanie owns a boutique interior design firm in Nelson. Her team of six was loyal and capable, but projects were running late, and profitability was shrinking.

After reviewing her roles, she discovered her lead designer was also managing client emails, supplier orders, and quoting, none of which played to her strengths. Meanwhile, an admin assistant was underutilised.

Melanie restructured the roles -

• Moved all supplier and admin comms to the assistant

• Gave the designer more creative autonomy and client presentation time

• Created a new part-time project coordinator role to bridge delivery gaps

In three months, projects ran smoother, the designer was happier, and profit per project increased by 16%. No new hires, just better use of the team she already had.

Melanie shared - “I thought I needed more people. I just needed to let my people do more of the right things.”

Golden Nugget
Efficiency isn’t about headcount - it’s about alignment. Put purpose before tradition, and performance will follow.

If you’d like a confidential, free of charge, free of obligation conversation about your business, here’s how to get me.

 📞 Phone +64 275 665 682
✉️ Email john.luxton@regenerationhq.co.nz
🌐 Contact Form www.regenerationhq.co.nz/contact

If you’d like to read more RegenerationHQ thinking on SME business and other things, go here – www.regenerationhq.co.nz/articlesoverview

🔹 RegenerationHQ Ltd - Business Problems Solved Sensibly.
Supporting NZ SME Owners to Exit Well, Lead Better and Build Business Value.