Why is it that some succeed in getting everyone gathered around the flag and others do not?
Why do some succeed in getting results and others do not? We go in search of answers and share what we learned here.
Read our blogs, click through to what inspires us, and go all out in semantics in our lexicon.
Our Lexicon is a must-read for every CEO, leader, manager,… and anyone who is interested in market and organizational development.
It is our manifesto that contains our knowledge, insights and ideas in a comprehensible and pragmatic way.
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Autonomy
Imagine leading a big organization in which separate units make their own purchases.
After hiring a consultant, he/she advises you to create a centralised purchasing department,
because this will enable you to save on combined purchases, economies of scale, and increase your
bargaining power, … Say you listen to his advice but come to the conclusion that this creates bottlenecks
because the individual units have lost their agility and decision-making power. A new consultant arrives and
suggests decentralising the purchasing department. How will you respond? You will be confronted with a paradox.
The level of autonomy versus the level of cohesion. Actually, the whole idea of centralisation versus
decentralisation is a hoax. Imagine if your own autonomous functions such as your digestive system,
your respiratory system, your heartbeat, … stopped working autonomously. And imagine that just for
an instant, you forget to breathe. Life would certainly become more exciting, but that’s not the
type of excitement you want in your life. On the other hand you wouldn’t want other physical needs,
such as thirst for example, to take over. The crux lies in making sure each
(ranging from a
, a team, a department, …) can function independently.
If essential mechanisms are lacking,
you should dare to challenge and adjust the model. Of course the context will determine what is essential.
Coherence on the other hand, is found in another mechanism, namely
.
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Backed by science
Our solutions and methods are supported by various renowned researchers, academics & thinkers such as Stafford Beer,
Otto Laske, Grergory Bateson, Robert Kegan, … When put into practise our solutions have already proven their value.
While developing the tools we test regularly with a broad pilot group.
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Change
There are two axes in development. Comparable to ‘development’, the types of change can be
evolutionary or
. Evolutionary development is the
that is
continuous in nature, such as knowledge, expertise, skills, certain competences,
Transformational development is the development that is discontinuous in nature.
This is about making a leap in
levels or the degree of ability to deal with
.
At valuethrough, we always refer to transformational development, when we discuss development. Therefore, someone with a lot of experience, knowledge,
skills and expertise is not necessarily a very developed person.
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Collaboration model
We describe the collaboration model as the totality of
, systemic principles
(such as
,
, ...),
, the
of
,
,
(including
,
, communication style, ...),
and many other principles that are included in our Lexicon.
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Common ground
A support framework (common ground) represents the fertility of the ground in which new ideas, innovations, approaches or new directions are cultivated.
The support framework is more than a framework, it is a creative process that leads to intrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic motivation on the contrary is never a sustainable formula for success.
If the support framework is solid,
employees and stakeholders will support a plan or idea of their own accord. It does not consist of a
that employees support
based on rational considerations, understanding of a plan or lack of other options. When they are intrinsically motivated,
they will support that plan with heart and soul because a sense of meaning propels them to.
This sense of meaning is a vital condition in the parallel
of employees and the organisation.
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Complexity
Without a meaningful identity, you cannot talk about the term complexity.
The way we use the term complexity is derived from cybernetics - the science that applies principles from
nature to successfully
"systems". In cybernetics, the term ‘variety’ stands for the number of
different states of a system. The higher number of different states per system, the higher the level of
complexity that system has. The lower the number of different states, the more stable a system is.
Let’s look at the term VUCA, which stands for “Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambigu”, a term often used in blogs.
The other end of the spectrum is characterised by the term SSCC, which stands for "Stability, Simplicity, Certainty, Clarity".
The complexity framework that we adopt, clarifies this. From a mathematical point of view,
it is often impossible to capture all variations of a system in a formula. However, a good
mechanism to work with complexity is required. "Every good system regulator must be a model
of that
."
(Conant-Ashby Theorem). After all, a regulator (or in our context the
)
must be able to handle the number of variations that occur in your environment.
This is probably the greatest challenge of many organizations today because a continuously
evolving environment goes hand in hand with an increasing variety in that environment.
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Connection
At valuethrough we always adopt two perspectives. Instead of unilateral communication we favour connected dialogue based on maturity,
consciousness, and development. A systemic approach requires a holistic perspective.
That is why we start from connection and relationships.
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Consciousness
Consciousness,
, wisdom… All these terms belong together. There are many definitions,
and the concepts are broad. Imagine the philosophical views such as the dualism of Plato,
Aristotle and later Descartes, or the different scientific definitions found in neuroscience,
cognitive psychology, quantum mechanics, or the numerous religious and spiritual views.
In a broad sense, consciousness is the ability that enables us to perceive and process the outside world.
It talks about the experience or realisation of your own sense ("I") within an environment.
We use the concept of consciousness in an appreciative context. You are only able to
if you understand
the hidden, positive commitments and intentions of what is.
For example: you sign up at a gym, but you only go once. This will give rise to inner-conflict,
and you’ll blame yourself for not going. However, this still doesn’t encourage you to go.
Our true desires are reflected in our actions, not in our words. In our example,
the family time we get by staying at home may be more significant than improving our
fitness by going to the gym. New choices arise from consciousness: for example, working on
family quality while exercising together. We face similar situations in organisations.
You will come across unproductive behaviour, but you cannot change it by focusing on the behaviour itself.
You can change it by developing awareness about the criteria,
, beliefs, and cognitive strategies
behind the behaviour. This requires wisdom, where wisdom is a conscious and non-judgemental understanding
of the existing circumstances.
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Coordination
This mechanism is often overlooked. Coordination is indispensable but will most likely
not let you win a popularity contest. If
is Yin, then coordination is Yang.
A good coordination mechanism guarantees a smooth overall organisation.
Imagine a school where every teacher has his/her own objectives. The coordination
mechanism will follow a tight schedule (location, class, days, and hours). This planning
will never be perfect for each and every teacher. However, if the schedule were to be dropped, chaos would erupt.
Coordination is a mechanism, not a role. Coordination is required at every level.
It is necessary between teams, departments, and throughout the entire organisation.
The coordination mechanism is also required at role-level. You should ask yourself the
question what needs to be coordinated. A great starting point is detecting areas of tension.
For example in planning, the sharing of resources, interdependent activities, ...
Coordination is a mechanism that must exist within every
.
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Culture
Culture refers to everything a society produces and passes on, both on a material and immaterial level.
In our Lexicon, we apply the term culture to the context of organisations.
In this sense, culture describes the totality of materials (artifacts), principles,
, habits,
, procedures,
agreements, meeting practices, communication styles, that are present in a
certain organisation. Culture can be a measure of the quality of the
on the one hand
and the of the people who implement the organisation model on the other. Both viewpoints are essential.
If you want to transform the culture of an organisation, you should start with the organisational model followed by
its people. Culture, like strategy, is a follower, not a leader.
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Decision-making
Decision-making is the (cognitive) process that results in making the (seamingly) best choice from a series of options.
In other words, decision making is the process where the decision maker identifies and chooses alternatives based on his/her
,
preferences, and beliefs. Every decision-making process results in a final choice, which can but does not have to lead to action.
Decision-making happens within a context of challenges or problems. The more comprehensive your approach to the problem, the more integrative,
and more
your decision-making process will be. This is where
comes into play.
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Determination
Strong
cannot be made without determination. Organisations need beacons of light,
that cast a light in the right direction.
Similarly, determination should be an engrained focus guides the way.
It shines a light on what’s important and draws out what is not.
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Development
As is the case with change, development consists of two axes:
and
.
Evolutionary development refers to continuous development such as knowledge, expertise, skills, competencies, …
Transformational development is discontinuous. This consists of leaps in
levels or the way of dealing with
.
When we talk about development, we always focus on the transformational axis.
Someone who possesses a lot of knowledge, skills, competencies, or experience isn’t necessarily highly developed.
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Dialectics
Dialectics, also known as the dialectical method, is at form of discourse or (internal) dialogue
between two or more opposed points of view. By using the opposites, it aims at creating a complete
picture of reality. Dialectics does not concern the object of our thoughts, but ‘how’ we give meaning
to reality. It is an active integration that seeks and contemplates how the world, and the reality are
continuously changing and developing as a result of contradictions. The valuethrough model integrates
knowledge of great thinkers concerning different forms of reasoning. These different approaches to thinking,
help us form a broader picture of reality. At valuethrough, we believe that no matter how rich our thinking is today,
in ourselves we only form, a representative image of a part of reality, and that by definition is never reality itself.
By collectively
wisdom, awareness, and
, we will be able to better approach reality.
The higher the level of
, the more dialectical thinking is required.
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Essential dashboards
If resources and performance are the Yin & Yang of the limbic system of the organisation,
then monitoring is the central nervous system. A good monitoring approach registers stress
signals and responds immediately. Compare it with putting your hand on a hot plate.
You wouldn't want to be constantly thinking about potential pain, but if you put your
hand on a hot plate, you do want to receive an immediate signal to pull your hand away.
If you are able to determine these cues well, you will be able to build a culture of performance
and trust. Paradoxically, if you do not do this properly, you instantly create a culture of suspicion.
Management often responds to external events, by strengthening internal control. For example,
the case of customers ordering less, can be met with a request for more reporting. In this case,
resistance can arise on the floor because valuable time is wasted on reporting instead of tackling
the problem. This can push the organisation into a vicious circle. Indicators are input for
&
.
However, a classic mistake is to use them as output instead of input.
Opinime offers a great
way to tackle this challenge.
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Flow
Flow is a mental state. We talk about flow when a person is completely absorbed in his or her activities.
A state of flow is characterized by energy and the ability to actively focus on relevant actions.
Flow is characterised by full involvement,
a feeling of success, and a complete transformation of the notion of time.
The basic conditions for Flow are a balance between our
and the level of
we require as well as continuous
(
).
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Flowbuilder
Via storytelling, the flowbuilder-software gives meaning to work. By selecting process responsibilities,
the flowbuilder-engine generates storylines that replace classic
role descriptions. In these storylines, the focus lies on the (added) value.
The intelligence of the system allows for an infinite number of storylines,
which will enable you to finetune the storyline as much
as necessary to capture the essence of a
.
The technology also improves the quality of the
because it helps identify blind spots and ensures that roles and functions are aligned with the
organizational requirements. This way the system promotes efficiency and
collaboration by eliminating silos and bureaucracy.
A third and fundamental application of the system is to align (future) employees with specific roles.
This will help your organization and employees cultivate
. To do so
,
and
are integrated,
which in turn improves the ability to deal with
.
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Fluid
Regardless of what the airport bookstore shelves tell you, there is no single future of work.
There are multiple organizational futures stretching out in front of every company,
and the road best taken is dependent on the environment around you. As Dave E. Smalley once said: "The survival of the
fittest is the ageless law of nature, but the fittest are rarely the strong. The fittest are those
endowed with the qualifications for adaptation, the ability to accept the inevitable and conform to the unavoidable,
to harmonize with existing or changing conditions." Being able to adapt to unforeseen conditions in an
evolving environment while maintaining the idenity is the essence of being fluid. It is also the
essence of a
.
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Functions
Functions are a synonym for ‘roles’, the term we prefer to use. The reason why
we prefer to talk about a
rather than a function, is that the concept of a
‘function’ is often still seen as a title, where one employee has one function.
We do not believe in this
approach.
Roles are used as a concept and are thus more flexible,
which allows for a
approach. In addition,
a role is constantly evolving, just like an organisation is constantly evolving and
itself.
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Holism
Some view holism as the antonym for
reductionism. However, this perspective is too limited.
Holism starts from the belief that the explanation of the individual properties of a
is not limited to the
sum of its components. Holism is linked to
.
Every part derives aspects of the constituent parts, but also from the coherence, interaction, and arrangement of these parts.
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Humane
The word humane originates from a philosophical approach that focuses on the concept of ‘freedom of choice’.
Etymologically, the word humane stems from the French word "humain", which in turn is derived from ‘homo sapiens’ or
"wise", meaning: ‘
’ man. The quote from Richard Redwood Deupree, the CEO of Procter & Gamble between 1948-1959,
explains it clearly: “If you leave us our money, our buildings and our brands, but take away our people, P&G will fail.
But if you take away our money, our buildings, and our brands, but leave us our people, we can rebuild the whole thing in a decade."
Forget B2B, forget B2C, what’s essential is H2H (Humane-2-Humane). No matter how far technology evolves,
humans as a conscious beings will remain the most important driver for change for a long time to come.
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Inside-out
The ‘Inside-Out' approach is guided by the belief that existing strengths and capabilities as well as the organisation will prevail.
Steve Jobs once said: “Don't ask, it's no use, people don't know what they want.” We believe in a
view and in enriching both the classic inside-out and
view. An important question we raise is:
"Is the current view of the challenge or problem sufficient, complete and rich enough?"
has proven to be beneficial in answering these questions.
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Leadership
The word ‘leadership’ is used as a catch-all term. When you type leadership in Google,
the term yields no less than 5.5 billion (!), search results.
Since the interpretation is so vast, it’s no surprise that there are many misconceptions of the terminology.
The essence of leadership encompasses a combination of ,
ownership, a high-level ,
and a strong sense of .
Strong leadership, together with empathy, good communication skills,
wisdom, and adaptability to indicate a high level of
.
It is a wrong belief that you can develop people by teaching them competenties.
Since, enhancing competenties (such as actively listening) follows development, not the other way around.
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Maturity
Maturity expresses the level of (social-emotional)
of your employees and by extension
the awareness of your entire organisation. Is there a
for giving and receiving open feedback?
And does this feedback contribute to the learning and
of the organisation? Are all employees
able to be authentic and vulnerable? Do they seek out others’ perspectives without judgment? Do colleagues
challenge each other in a development-oriented way? If all the questions are met with a ‘yes’,
it indicates you have a very mature team.
Developing consciousness is
in nature.
It is discontinuous and occurs in leaps and bounds. Growing in expertise and skills, on the other hand,
is continuous in nature. It is advisable to design your
in a way that allows recruiting
based on maturity and provide training to enhance expertise and skills.
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Organizational model
An organizational model is a
in which the system is an organisation.
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Outside-in
An 'Outside-In' paradigm is built on the belief that customer view creation, customer centricity and
customer experience as the keys to success. At valuethrough, we like to challenge the classic
and
outside-in definitions. We wonder if these ‘classical’ management paradigms are still valid under their
typical form? Does it make sense to regard the environment and organisation as decentralised and different
entities? We believe they are interconnected and therefore prefer to take a
and
(non-
) approach.
We believe in
different perspectives for looking inside-out or outside-in, because the more perspectives you are able
to integrate when it comes to solving problems,
the more integrated the
process will be.
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Process
A process is a series of related interventions and activities that transform input into output.
For example: a production process is the process of raw materials (input) → production (transformation) → end product (output).
A certain process can span different departments and sometimes even different organisations.
Processes differ greatly in
.
For example, an order picking process is less complex than the process
of building a factory. Processes are an important part of the
flowbuilder-software.
Because the software generates
storylines based on the intelligence acquired by the choices that were made
(ownership requirements of process for certain
).
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Reductionism
The nature of complex
can always be reduced to more fundamental systems.
Classical logic started with what Aristotle described as the “Law of non-contradiction”.
This law states you cannot be "A" and "non-A" at the same time. This classical logic has been applied to the
business world over the past century. For example: one colleague is "sales manager" and the receptionist is "non-sales manager".
This logic has limitations. When you give someone a certain label, you take away his/her other options.
When you apply a single
or function to someone you are in fact also labelling him/her.
After all, aren’t all colleagues’ sales managers to a certain extent?
We strongly believe that it’s essential to weave a
rather than a reductionist approach into the organisation’s DNA.
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Roles
A role describes the (added) value that is created in a particular context. A role is formed by a coherent set of
over which the person has ownership. A role is never a list of tasks and activities. It is a coherent package,
including different sub-dimensions and perspectives that are an integral part of that package. A well-designed role is
also a
that can exist independently within its respective environment.
Imagine you were able to ask a psychic three questions.
Which questions would you ask someone who could foresee the future of your industry?
What are the main uncertainties your organisation is faced with?
To take it a step further, what would you ask visionaries in your industry?
With a future vision, you could form a strong picture of how sectors and markets are evolving and
compare strategic choices against these evolutions. What is impactful? Where would you invest in?
What are the shortcomings of your industry?
In fact, there are many bright minds, scientists, journalists, visionary business leaders,
visionary employees who are willing to share their vision. It’s a matter of tapping into this
knowledge and wisdom. But this naturally requires attention and time. Even if this knowledge is
not tangible, the value is immense. A real and deep market understanding is hugely underestimated
when it comes to the long-term viability of an organisation. A future-oriented approach is an essential
part of a
.
Every organisation will have to reinvent itself sooner or later. This may seem daunting,
but the good news is that the future is already showing itself, you just have to be aware of it and tap into it.
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Strategy
In classical management theory, strategy, or strategic planning, is often described as making choices in function of the achievement
of key concepts, such as the vision and the mission. Because strategic decisions span a longer time frame,
they are an essential starting point for short term decisions. In the past, the strategy was usually mapped out
for the five coming years. Today, we need to keep a broad view when discussing strategy. The more future oriented your
approach or outlook is, the more the variety and
increases. You can only focus on concrete goals in the short-term,
however
helps to gain insights in possible future situations.
valuethrough focuses on strong
in the context of the long-term direction of the organisation.
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Structure
We use the term of structure as a form of stratification, or rather the interplay of different
layers of
. We can use the
human body as a metaphor. The body consists of
cells that form tissue, tissue is part of an organ, which is part of a system (for example digestion),
and this system is part of the body, ... The human being from our example takes part in organisations,
and those organisations are part of ecosystems, that are part of societies, … Every part of a certain
system is a
that survives
within its specific environment. A cell survives in the environment
we call "tissue", this has a little variation. However, the environment in which people move is far
more diversified. But humans are complex beings after all. That being said, the variety that we can process
is still limited. If we were to be put in the wilderness for example, where rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, and
lions roam free, odds are that we would not be able to survive this variety (at least not without
resources, such as riffles). Structure is the "stratification" and application of boundaries linked
with complexity. If you succeed in implementing a good structure in an organisation, the results
will be epic. We use a
, in this model a different category
of value is created for each layer of complexity. For example: ‘implementation’ is of a different
category than ‘continuous improvement’. And ‘continuous improvement’ has a different category than
creating breakthroughs in market-product-service-technology combinations.
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System
A system is a set of elements that mutually influence each other and together form an integrated and
entity.
There are different forms of systems. A system can be a living entity, with a heart, a brain, a nervous system, organs, ...
But a system can also be a mechanical, such as a computer with a memory, a processor, a screen, a keyboard, ... Furthermore, an
ecosystem is also a system, with different actors, companies, governments, environments, … Another example of a system is a family,
with different family members: grandparents, parents, children, cleaning help, … Not surprisingly an organisation is also a system
consisting of people,
,
, machines, facilities, resources, … This is a layered system because the different teams,
departments, project groups, are also systems. At valuethrough we even take a systematic approach to individual roles. We use the term
system in the context of system-thinking, which means we don’t focus on an individual part without considering the part it plays
in the entity. We do not consider the behaviour of a system as a simple chain of cause-effect relationships, but rather as
the interplay of interacting sub-systems, in which feedback is vital.
System-thinking is an essential part of
.
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Transformation
There are two types of
:
evolutionary change and transformational change.
Transformation is a discontinuous change process.
Transformational changes have a profound impact on identity, vision, mission, (personal)
,
, and the
of organisations.
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Values
The concept of values isn’t new, but it's not old either. Over the past 10 years, values have obtained a central position in corporate
.
Values are described as ideal images and motives to be pursued by a group of people or an organisation as a whole, because they give a sense of
meaning, purpose and orientation. Values colour the vision and mission of a company, give direction to policy and influence
as
well as operational functioning. Values often function as a lever for successful business.
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Viable System Model
The Viable Systems Model, developed by cybernetician Stafford Beer in 1972, is an
.
The VSM describes a design that can be applied to any
system that can produce itself.
This probably sounds rather abstract. Let us explain. In biology the concept of autopoiesis or self-organization exists.
Self-organization means that when all components of a biological system are present under the right conditions,
that biological system is formed "by itself" and can sustain itself (produce itself). For example, when all components
of a virus are brought into a solution, complete and fully functional virus particles can form naturally.
Any
that is organized to meet the demands of survival in a changing environment, can be called a viable system.
One of their most important characteristics is the ability to adapt. The VSM, as formulated by Stafford Beer, represents an
abstracted regulation theory that can be applied to any organization.
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Vigor
Getting things done! It seems simple, but it is anything but. Decisiveness is the ability to carry out plans and achieve goals vigorously, effectively,
and efficiently. It requires a strong
(
) and a high level of self-knowledge.
Vigor is the ability to empower vulnerability and to not be held back by fear or limiting beliefs.
