To really influence leaders in time of disruption, they need more than just traditional skills. Leaders need to go deeper into understanding the theory of their business. The theory of business is learning how to synchronize your business systems to act together. This is best explained as if building a puzzle.
Every business of size is like a 1000-piece puzzle, the bigger the business, the more pieces of the puzzle. When all the pieces are interlocked and fit together, you have built the picture as seen on the cover of the puzzle box. In terms of your business, you have created the picture, the DNA of that perfect business.
As any puzzle maker would do, you start by interlocking the pieces that are the outside frame. This frame can be called the “outer part of the Alignment Framework.” The outside frame creates and interconnects the vision, missions, values, the business strategies; –the plan to outperform your competition– and even frames the culture that’s desired. The frame is the strategic DNA of the organization; the first alignment piece.
When the frame is complete, the inside of the puzzle needs to be filled in. When completed, the operational DNA of the business is created. This is where and how the managers and people do their daily work as dictated by the outside frame. Here, the processes and digital technologies are decided upon; the standards and processes for customer delivery; people training; hiring practices; administration; HR, and all other operational alignment elements.
The inside of the puzzle represents how well the vertical and horizontal alignment parts of the business are working. Are they integrated, interlocked in harmony and collaboration? How well they fit into the frame is the job of leadership and managed by data. It’s the baseline and action planning tool to achieve operational effectiveness and efficiency of the business. When all the pieces are interlocked, we can say the organization is aligned.
Understanding the theory of business makes it easier to understand how to be better aligned. Don’t forget, “align companies outperform the nearest competitor by every financial measure.” You need alignment. That will be the next blog.. The Power of Alignment
Stanley Labovitz, J.D., CEO
SurveyTelligence, Inc.
2640 Lake Shore Drive, Suite 1716
West Palm Beach, FL. 33404
1-508-400-4094
Author: Back From The Brink
