Musings on Values and Tactics
Values should be persistent, tactics for striving for those values should change as circumstances change.
Company values serve as your northstar, constantly guiding you in decisions large and small. Keeping them consistent is critically important to maintaining clear direction, consistent culture, and in many ways, success. Changing values often renders them ineffective, because they cannot be trusted as the long term vision, and a culture cannot be built on top of something that is always changing.
However, while values should remain consistent, the tactics a company takes in striving for those values don’t need to be consistent. The tactics must be selected in the full context of the situation, such as the size and individuals at the company, the strengths and weaknesses of the organization, and the existing processes and structures they have in place, which will almost certainly change as the teams grow and different needs arise. If a company were to just keep doing things the way they always have in this situation, it is likely that they will run into challenges, make mistakes, and maybe even end up achieving the opposite of the value for which they were striving.
For example, a company may have “Agility” as a value. In the beginning, they may have strove for this value by being anti-process, letting teams work organically without clear structure. With a small, aligned team, this can work very well. However, as this team grows, maintaining this tactic may cause them to resist the processes and structure that would actually make them more agile. Same tactic, same value, different situation, opposite result.
Some tactics may always work well, and those are the ones companies should keep around. However, it is critical to always reflect on what will best help the organization on its never-ending quest to achieve the core value. What worked today, may not work tomorrow.
Everything is Connected
This statement is true in a multitude of contexts, including in the work I do. I often speak to those with whom I work about operating models. I use this term to describe all of the various processes, tools, and frameworks used to plan, build, and deliver innovation. Just like a car, you have to design how all of the individual components work together to make it run efficiently. In my world, that means thoughtfully designing and combining the processes, tools, and frameworks, as well as the people that use them, in order to effectively deliver innovation to market. This systems thinking approach is what has helped the teams with whom I have worked.
With how quickly the landscape changes, it is difficult to design and implement a scalable operating model in the technology world. In an effort to scale, organizations often throw processes and technology together without a systems thinking approach, which often can cause friction, duplication, or contradiction. Ultimately this can lead to a lack of direction, confusion, miscommunication, quality and delivery issues, and more.
By taking a systems thinking approach, organizations can more thoughtfully design how all of the parts work together in harmony. And as things change and teams grow, being intentional about this approach will enable the operating models to scale alongside the organization, serving as the foundation for their growth.
Obviously, there is more that is needed to make your operating model successful, such as strong support from leadership and a commitment to working through the change, but it’s important that whatever you put in place is thoughtfully designed and tailored for your organization’s unique needs.