Have you ever wondered what were the factors that lead to the success of the International Space Station? The construction of a trans-continental pipeline? They all have something in common: impeccable organization.
These mega projects start from scratch and have to coordinate the work of many specialists in various disciplines. They have to deal with a tremendous amount of detail and somehow come out with a coherent product. And they have to do it fast so they don’t miss their window of opportunity.
So, what makes their organization special? It is focused on outcomes. It is not focused on authority, or on resources. It is focused on their objective. They start small and scale up without missing a beat. They have to deal with a lot of uncertainty. But each person knows exactly what he or she has to do.
This sounds pretty much like what every new technology company has to do.
Why improvise?
Many companies experiment with traditional organization structures, trying to adapt them to their specific context. This is expensive, takes time and diverts resources from the main business.
Why not use a proven model like the Scalable Enterprise? It is a matrix-based structure similar to the way large projects are organized, and designed for a business unit. It can be used even by very small companies because it is scalable.
It’s a model that is particularly well suited for a technology company. It helps make intellectual work visible and progress measurable. It makes activities more transparent and understandable. It fosters communication and elicits participation. This type of organization attracts people.
Meeting business objectives
The Scalable Enterprise model directly aligns individual activities with the objectives of the company. It minimizes non-value-adding activities. It makes it simpler to manage operations so leaders have more time available to work on strategy.
Building a company is a work-in-progress. It should not be necessary to restructure at every phase. The organization structure should be dynamic, flexible enough to adapt and improve.
This is what the Scalable Enterprise offers.
Roland Farley
514-282-1818