Organisations are fluid. Job descriptions, far less so.
As strategies evolve and technology advances, a quiet misalignment often grows beneath the surface. Roles created to solve yesterday’s problems remain long after the fire has been put out. These are ghost roles – positions that still exist on paper but no longer serve a clear purpose in practice.
This isn’t usually intentional. But it is common.
The trap of “default” design
Most roles are created for good and valid reasons. They fill a gap, solve a problem, or provide oversight when it is genuinely needed.
The problem isn’t how roles are created. It’s how rarely they are revisited.
While work evolves at the speed of the market, roles tend to evolve at the speed of bureaucracy. Responsibilities shift, decision-making moves, and new layers form within organisational structures. Yet the role, its title, scope, and perceived importance, often remains untouched.
Not because it still makes sense, but because of predictable organisational behaviour.
How often do we hear leaders say, “But we’ve always had this role”? How often does discomfort with questioning long-standing structures delay a proper review? How often is the contribution of the individual confused with the value of the role itself?
Add to this the fear of disruption if a role changes or disappears, and it’s easy to see why roles persist by default rather than by design.
The cost goes beyond payroll
The real impact of outdated roles is rarely just financial.
More often, organisations experience:
- slower decision-making
- duplicated or unclear accountability
- unnecessary escalation
- friction between teams
- growing frustration among employees and employers alike.
Over time, the organisation becomes heavier and not because of its size, but because its structure no longer reflects how work actually happens.
It’s similar to a building that has been extended repeatedly over the years. New rooms are added, corridors are rerouted, and temporary fixes become permanent. The structure still stands, but moving through it becomes inefficient and confusing. The problem isn’t the people inside the building but it’s the design.
When performance issues are actually design issues
This is often where the problem surfaces. Individuals are seen as underperforming. Objectives feel unclear. Expectations keep shifting. Performance management becomes the default response.
But you can’t manage someone into high performance if they are operating within a role that has lost its relevance.
When a role lacks a clear purpose, decision authority, or meaningful outcome to own, performance management doesn’t fix the issue, it simply masks a design problem.
From performance management to design alignment
To break the cycle, leaders need to shift their focus from questioning people to questioning purpose.
Useful questions include:
- What specific outcome does this role exist to deliver today?
- If we designed this function from scratch tomorrow, would this role still exist?
- What decision does this role have the final “yes” or “no” on?
- If this role disappeared, where would work actually break?
These questions move the conversation away from individuals and towards organisational alignment.
A necessary conversation
Reviewing structure isn’t about cutting heads.
It’s about clearing paths.
It’s a necessary, and often uncomfortable, conversation that ensures talent, effort, and accountability are focused on creating value, rather than navigating a legacy map that no longer reflects reality.
Share this post