In an increasingly competitive business environment, especially in Argentina’s dynamic agricultural sector, organizational effectiveness depends less on individual execution and more on the ability to strategically orchestrate human and material resources.
The modern organizational pyramid rests on an intelligent distribution of roles, where each level has a unique responsibility in building business success. This leadership architecture transcends the simple “doing” to become a system of “making others do,” which enhances efficiency and innovation.
At the top, the board of directors takes on a fundamentally strategic role. It’s no longer about intervening in operations but about setting the course, defining the long-term vision, and establishing the guidelines that will guide the entire organization. Their perspective must be panoramic: anticipating trends in the agricultural market, climate, and technology, evaluating political-economic risks that impact business, and defining competitive positioning. Additionally, they play a crucial role in supervising and controlling the execution capacity of the general manager, to whom the board delegates strategy implementation.
The general manager operates as the translator of this strategic vision. Their mission is “making others do”: turning abstract guidelines into concrete plans, coordinating resources across departments, and ensuring team alignment with corporate objectives. In the agricultural sector, this means managing complex variables such as finance, taxes, logistics, procurement, operations, marketing, in addition to weather conditions and market fluctuations.
Area managers function in a hybrid space of “making others do” and “doing.” They implement specific strategies, develop tactical plans, and supervise execution. Process optimization and routine efficiency are their key responsibilities.
Middle Management
Middle management represents the crucial link between strategy and operations. They alternate between “doing” and “making others do,” executing operational tasks and managing teams. They are responsible for translating general directives into concrete actions, maintaining smooth communication between management and operational levels.
Workers
Finally, workers are the direct executors. Their role is “doing”: carrying out specific tasks with precision and efficiency. In the agricultural context, they represent those who work directly in the field, operate machinery, maintain crops, or manage livestock production.
Board of Directors: THINK
General Manager: MAKING OTHERS DO
Area Managers: MAKING OTHERS DO and DOING
Middle Management: DOING and MAKING OTHERS DO
Workers: DOING
Be Multifunctional or Delegate?
However, it is important to recognize that this organizational sophistication requires scale. The precise definition of roles, the specialization of functions, and the implementation of structured processes are only viable when the company reaches a critical operational volume. In smaller companies, these roles overlap, and people must be multifunctional. As the organization grows, the need and capacity for delegation increases, and this gives rise to the need for a clearer division of responsibilities, enabling more efficient, specialized, and strategic management.
This organizational architecture should not be static, especially in the context of Argentine agricultural companies. The key is flexibility, understanding that roles can adapt according to the complexity of challenges, the volume of business we manage, the possibility of outsourcing functions where other teams can create more value at a lower cost, and, above all, the characteristics of the entrepreneurial project that each business owner dreams of.
