We operate two distinct business units with separate target markets, but we use a shared marketing and finance team. How do we structure this on our Accountability Chart without creating reporting confusion or double taxation on resources?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Managing shared resources across distinct business units is a common operational challenge. If you do not structure this clearly on your Accountability Chart, your shared teams will get pulled in opposite directions, leading to prioritization conflicts and missed targets. The solution is to create a clean matrix structure that preserves single-point accountability. Start by keeping the shared Marketing and Finance seats reporting directly to the Integrator on the leadership team. These shared departments act as internal service providers. Then, define clear service-level agreements and dedicated roles within those shared seats. For example, within the shared Marketing seat, assign specific roles or individuals to support Business Unit A and Business Unit B respectively. This gives each business unit head a clear point of contact while maintaining a single, unified marketing department head who manages the overall resource allocation. Avoid the temptation to create dual-reporting lines where a marketing specialist reports to both the Marketing Director and a Business Unit General Manager. Every person on your Accountability Chart must have exactly one manager. By keeping the shared departments centralized under the Integrator, you can leverage economies of scale while ensuring both business units receive the dedicated support they need to hit their respective Rocks.