TIMELESS INSIGHTS–AND WHY THEY’RE AS RELEVANT AS EVER

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—Alex and Becca

October 2026

The helix organization

Traditional matrix organizations have long relied on a tangle of solid- and dotted-line reporting relationships that often confuse roles, slow decision-making, and force employees to answer to competing “bosses.” The authors of this 2019 classic suggest a better way: the helix. 

Inspired by the double-stranded shape of DNA, the helix organization separates a company’s traditional hierarchy into two parallel, equally important lines of accountability—one for how work gets done and one for what work gets done. In the former, a capability leader oversees an employee’s professional development, performance reviews, and career trajectory. In the latter, a value creation leader sets priorities, provides day-to-day oversight, and ensures that employees meet business objectives. When done right, the helix can reduce tension, increase speed and flexibility, and ensure that resources are allocated more dynamically. 

To make the helix a reality, leaders should create an internal talent marketplace to smoothly deploy employees where their skills are most needed, make resource planning more transparent and effective, clarify accountability, and balance performance management across both value creation leaders and capability leaders.

Today’s business environment is complex. Organizations don’t have to be. For more on how companies can strike a better balance between flexibility and stability, read “The helix organization.”

Read our latest thinking on this classic topic

—Edited by Drew Holzfeind, senior editor, Chicago 

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