Serving as bridges between strategy and execution

Every organization is a world. This world is composed of people with different skills, roles, and positions performing tasks to achieve common goals. While the HOW they execute is part of the magic and culture of each organization, there are typical ways of organizing that respond to predefined cultural patterns based on the beliefs or biases of each individual.

Organizational Pyramid

Thus, we have traditional organizations, represented by an "organizational pyramid" with different "levels." Behind these levels are the macro tasks that each level performs. In these organizations, the highest level thinks, the middle one controls, and the bottom one executes. We call it the traditional model because it has mostly inhabited organizations, and many companies still follow this logic that "naturally" arises when organizing work for ease of implementation. In this complex world and post-knowledge era, this configuration has been outpaced by the limited ability to respond promptly to changes and by the loss of intellectual capacity present in organizations today, and this model does not capitalize on.

Organization Around Value

For many organizations, this is no longer news, but it is increasingly common to find organizations structured around value. These are organizations where there is no longer a "pyramid" where knowledge is concentrated at the top level. The configuration is no longer done by levels but now involves teams that decide and execute through a process organized around an end user.

Connecting the Parts

The challenge we notice in organizations centered around value is to enable teams to give their best and be autonomous while working cohesively and aligned with the rest of the work teams. This forms a greater push, and the work ecosystem functions as an enhancer for each team, making them competitive in the market they operate in.

Axioms for Functioning Cohesively

For this ecosystem to function cohesively, there are some social agreements that operate in the background in these operating models:

• Aligned Autonomy: We work autonomously, but as an organization, we are guided by a common north.
• Decision-Making Process: Each team makes its decisions, but it is guided by a process that integrates the perspectives of each part of the organization.
• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Decisions are based on quantitative, supported information.

With a strong focus on results.

The culture of data-driven decision-making leads us to start looking at numbers, and being under principles of user orientation, the most relevant data is that which measures user behavior based on the value delivered by the organization. This complicates data management and implies having a solid information foundation in organizations, which is often experienced as an evolutionary process in itself. In most companies, the logic shared previously is accepted, but obtaining relevant information and obtaining it as real-time as possible for timely decision-making becomes difficult. Furthermore, defining what strategic and minimum information measures behaviors or the result obtained from what the organization perceives as value is so complex that each organization needs to calibrate parameters to operate under the principles of "user-centered," "perceived value," and "data culture."

Strategizing Teams

It is from this complexity that the model on which a responsive organization is based can be an obstacle or a competitive advantage depending on how each company manages it. "If you could get all people rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition," Patrick Lencioni mentions in his book "The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team."

To achieve this, we present some levers on which impacting the complexity of systems, we can enable an order that favors the responsiveness of teams and makes their organization a competitive advantage:

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Transparent Strategy: through a guided process, define as an organization a strategy that looks 2-3 years ahead, considering

• Strategic Pillars: dimensions on which the organization will play
• Main KPIs: relevant metrics at the organizational level

Tactical for Teams: through a guided process, define at both the organizational and team levels, the qualitative and quantitative guidelines related to the previous strategy

• KPIs: relevant metrics for the next cycle, with expected thresholds for operational sustainability
• OKRs: big leaps, bets that the organization and each team declares for its next cycle
• Projects: initiatives that will lead to continuous improvement in the organization

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These five elements chart the first routes for an aligned path at the team and organizational levels, qualitatively, quantitatively, and fostering the culture of "why" over "how."

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Maintaining conversations around this information (and not about tasks being executed) leads teams to connect with a focus on results, with minimalist information, and promoting aligned autonomy.

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At Kouls, we have designed the tool with these principles to accompany you in managing your teams, guiding them to achieve results and providing complete transparency on how each contribution contributes to the organizational purpose.

We invite you to be part of our Beta group and continue promoting responsive and strategic organizations. In the following link, we tell you more about the product, and you can apply for the closed group => https://www.kouls.app/ 

Let's continue transforming the way organizations strategize, execute, and achieve excellence!

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