Why Administrative Work Expands to Fill the Structure Around It

Administrative work does not stay fixed. It grows, shifts, and adapts to the structure around it.

In many law firms, this expansion happens gradually. New tasks are added, responsibilities evolve, and roles take on more than originally intended. Over time, the structure changes, but rarely by design.

We’ve seen that most firms do not notice this happening until the impact is already being felt.

How Work Expands Without Notice

Administrative work rarely expands through deliberate decisions. It grows through small, informal changes.

A task is temporarily reassigned. A team takes on additional responsibilities. A new process is introduced without removing the old one.

Each change seems manageable in isolation. Over time, those changes accumulate and reshape how work is distributed across the organization.

What started as a clear structure becomes increasingly complex.

Why This Becomes a Problem

As work expands, roles become less defined. Staff are no longer focused on a clear set of responsibilities. Instead, they handle a mix of tasks that may not align with their role or skill set.

This creates inefficiencies and makes it harder to maintain consistent service levels.

It also introduces confusion. When ownership is unclear, work is delayed, duplicated, or missed entirely. Teams spend more time coordinating than executing.

The Impact on Performance

When work expands without structure, performance becomes unpredictable.

Some teams become overloaded while others have capacity. Tasks are delayed because priorities are unclear. Staff spend more time managing work than completing it.

These issues are often attributed to staffing levels. In reality, they are rooted in how work is structured and distributed.

This is a critical distinction. Without addressing the structure, adding resources does not resolve the problem.

Why Adding Structure Matters

To control expansion, firms need to define boundaries.

That means clearly outlining roles, responsibilities, and workflows. It also requires regularly reviewing how work is distributed and making adjustments when misalignment occurs. Structure does not limit flexibility. It creates clarity so that flexibility can be applied where it is needed.

Without it, expansion continues unchecked.

Bringing Work Back Into Alignment

Realigning administrative work starts with visibility.

Firms need to understand what tasks are being performed, who is performing them, and whether that alignment makes sense. Once that clarity exists, adjustments can be made to improve efficiency and balance workloads more effectively.

Even small realignments can have a meaningful impact when they are made within a structured framework.

What This Looks Like in Practice

We worked with a multi-office law firm where administrative roles had expanded significantly over time. Staff were handling a wide range of tasks that extended well beyond their original responsibilities, and workloads were uneven across teams.

Some groups were consistently overwhelmed, while others had available capacity. Leadership viewed this as a staffing issue, but a closer look revealed a different problem.

Work had expanded without structure.

We conducted an assessment to map out what work was being performed and how it was distributed. From there, we helped the firm redefine roles, realign responsibilities, and establish clearer workflows and expectations.

As those changes were implemented, workloads became more balanced and predictable. Staff were able to focus on defined responsibilities, and service levels improved as a result.

The firm did not need to significantly increase headcount. It needed to bring structure back to how work was assigned and managed.

The Mattern Perspective

Administrative work will always evolve. The question is whether that evolution is intentional.

Drawing on our expertise, most firms are operating with expanded roles and responsibilities that were never formally designed. Almost any team can perform well if the work is clearly defined, properly aligned, and managed with accountability.

That is what creates sustainability.

If your firm is seeing uneven workloads, unclear responsibilities, or ongoing pressure to add resources, it may be time to step back and evaluate how work is structured. That is typically where the root cause exists.

If you would like to talk through what this could look like in your environment, feel free to reach out to us at info@matternassoc.com.