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When Hazards Ignore Departmental Boundaries
Why organisational structure is set to become one of the biggest determinants of Awaab’s Law Phase 2 readiness.
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Structure, in the McKinsey 7S sense, is not about organisational charts. It is about how work is organised, where decisions are made and how responsibility moves across an organisation. It determines whether the right people become involved at the right time, with the right information to make the right decisions.
For many providers, that structure has evolved around functional teams. It’s a model that has served the sector well because most work could be managed within relatively clear departmental boundaries. However, Phase 2 is about to change this dynamic.
The additional hazards that will now be covered by the statutory response timelines rarely belong to a single team. By way of an example: excess cold can involve asset information, heating specialists and vulnerable resident data. All of which is required to accurately triage a repair request.
As these hazards move across departmental boundaries, responsibility and information need to move with them, while everyone involved retains a clear view of the resident, the hazard and the statutory obligations attached to the case.
Technology can help maintain that continuity as a case moves across the organisation. Connected operational data allows information to travel with the case rather than remaining within departmental systems. Shared workflows can support continuity as responsibility passes between teams, while AI can help identify missing information, highlight emerging risks and support more consistent operational decision making. With clear governance and ownership in place, these technologies can strengthen the organisational structures needed to manage Phase 2 effectively.
The same principle applies from the point of first awareness. The statutory process can begin through several routes, including resident reports, routine inspections, contractor activity or information received elsewhere within the organisation. Organisations therefore need structures that support rapid escalation and coordinated decision making from the outset, rather than relying on cases finding their way to the "right" department before action begins.
For Phase 2, the strength of an organisation's structure will be tested at the points where responsibility changes hands. Clear ownership, connected information and established routes for escalation will help ensure that cases continue to move, even when the work itself crosses several organisational boundaries.
Structure is the second element in the McKinsey 7S Framework for organisational change, which we use throughout our Roadmap to Readiness to examine Phase 2 preparedness. The guide looks more closely at what happens when hazard management extends beyond the repairs team, including cross-organisational responsibility, the decant gap and the implications of first awareness.
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