In our organization diagnostic work we often compare finding the root cause of an organization issue to finding the root cause of an illness. This medical metaphor has recently become even more useful because the medical industry in North America is starting to hold itself responsible for outcomes, rather than just procedures. As a result, the scope of potential root … Read more
When Amazon announced that it had acquired Whole Foods Market, reactions from the media and thought leaders were immediate and varied. Some applauded the breakthrough deal as a herald to a new era of online/offline synergies, while other responses amounted to variations on “What were they thinking?” and “How can we let Amazon gobble up another industry?” On paper, the … Read more
“As long as there is a global marketplace and exploding technological progress, the need for formalized and ongoing organization alignment efforts will continue.” Mastering the Cube, Chapter 8 Like the foundation of a house, the structure of your organization is the cornerstone on which every function is based. Does a solid, well-aligned structure in itself guarantee success in all areas? Absolutely … Read more
Every organizational alignment leader needs at least one good change partner. This is a person who can help the alignment leader stay on track through the difficult process of planning and initiating organizational change. Here are four primary traits to look for when choosing a change partner for your organization.
Visit any business news site and you’ll find at least one article talking about “disruptors.” Uber has disrupted the urban transportation business. Airbnb has disrupted the hotel business. Amazon has disrupted the entire retail industry. Any analyst will be happy to offer you his or her take on “the it factor” that made these dynamic upstarts capable of upsetting the … Read more
How do the people in your organization approach major decisions? Do they rely on gut instinct? Do they ask superiors, coworkers, or customers? Or do they turn to analytics for insights that can help them make the best choice based on real-world outcomes? Many organizations spend millions of dollars collecting, organizing, and distributing data. All too often, that data sits … Read more
Building on our recent post about the costs of a misaligned culture and what to do about it, today I want to go deeper and talk about the vital link between strategy, culture, and actions. Even if a culture fully aligns with an organization’s strategy, individual choices can weaken that culture and thus hinder its ability to support the achievement … Read more
As an organization grows, internal support structures evolve to handle certain services that are needed throughout the company. It needs HR to manage hiring and employee relations. It needs IT to keep the company’s technology assets running efficiently. It needs an accounting department to handle day-to-day financial functions. Teams across the organization have no choice but to use these internal … Read more
What do Starbucks, Zappos, Southwest Airlines, Dropbox, and Twitter all have in common? Each has a distinct corporate culture that infuses everything it does, from marketing to hiring practices to strategic decision making. If you’re familiar with the system we present in our book Mastering the Cube, you’ll recall that Leadership and Culture is one of the six sides of … Read more
The times of “stasis” in organization life are nearly gone, and the notion of being “Always on” transformation has gained more traction than ever (BCG). New frameworks, improvement approaches, and ways of working (such as Agile and digital transformation) are helping companies in very specific areas and markets manage constant change and infinite market fluidity. But what does this mean … Read more