Formalizing The Way We Work — An Organized Way of Working

For at least the last decade — perhaps longer — companies have been explicitly trying to adapt to a VUCA world.

Volatility.

Uncertainty.

Complexity.

Ambiguity.

Volatility refers to the speed and turbulence of change. Uncertainty means that outcomes become less predictable. Complexity refers to the growing interdependence of social and economic forces. Ambiguity indicates the haziness of reality.

These are the general conditions of our industry (professional services) and the industry we serve (healthcare delivery).

In short, it’s crazy and uncertain out there.

Awareness and readiness become paramount when VUCA is the prevailing reality. Awareness and readiness allow a company to respond to problems and take advantage of opportunities, both of which are in abundance in a VUCA world.

To respond to problems and take advantage of opportunities a company must be organized.

Being organized becomes essential to existence and scaling.

Being organized is a competitive advantage. That’s the key to existence.

Being organized allows more work to be completed. That’s the key to scaling.

Being organized allows decisions to be made by the most appropriate employee. That’s the key to creating a responsive company.

Responsive to customers. Responsive to the market. Responsive to each other.

To become organized, we must:

1. Share, process, and make as much information available to as many people as possible
2. Turn knowledge into learning and improvement
3. Encourage everyone to contribute

With the goal of creating reliable, repeatable, and adaptable ways of working.

Reliable, repeatable, and adaptable ways of working provide exponential benefits.

All of them can be summarized with the “Beamed to Mars” principle. It asks, if a co-worker happens to be beamed to Mars tomorrow, could someone in the organization step-in and fulfill their current responsibilities?

Sadly, Mary was beamed to Mars.

Mars excursions happen all the time: weeks of vacation, a series of sick days, family emergencies.

The red planet is not a lonely place.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of organization is that which rolls up to the individual employee: it allows for greater autonomy and creativity by routinizing the work that can be routinized and creating slack to work on more interesting and difficult problems.

That’s our operating goal. To organize the company, the work our employees do, and how that work is informed and created.

Becoming organized starts with the company’s intention:

• Help middle manager administrators transform healthcare delivery.

It continues with outlining our company’s principles, the foundational beliefs that drive our behavior and reasoning:

• Start Now. Go Fast. — as in moving appropriately quickly and efficiently with a willingness to experiment our way to the best solution
• Know-How — as in expertise and skill in everything that we do
• Execute. Start Again. — as in getting things done is our ultimate outcome

Then it continues with our performance expectations of every employee:

1. Be Curious — to explore, to learn, and to improve.
2. Be Flexible — in your approach, acceptance of responsibilities, and in providing assistance.
3. Be Ready — be prepared, be responsive, and be aware.
4. Take Initiative — to get started, to communicate effectively, and to make things better.
5. Contribute to the Whole. The responsibilities specific to your role are important. We also request that you contribute to building a company.
6. Commit to the Approach. We have designed a way of operating. Follow along or help us find a better way as everything is open to improvement.

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Status:Go creates software for healthcare delivery organizations so they can try new ideas, improve operations, and execute strategies. We know healthcare, Salesforce, and how to get things done. Get in touch to get your project started.