Thats right, its the thing that makes your company tick, its what makes you unique and what makes you the same, like human DNA, organisational DNA is unique, but in some cases make things the same. As humans, we all look alike (mostly, we have two arms, two legs etc) but there are such specific differences that tell us apart. The same is true in companies, or is it? Many companies tend to “clone” competitors. They tend to copy their market and guess what, dolly is reborn in the coporate world. So how does a company change this pattern. Well, they need to take a long hard look at their DNA, organisational DNA that is! In a great article from strategy+business this methaphor is discussed in detail, but to give you some insights, the article states that there are 4 areas that companies need to focus on to change their DNA. They are as follows:
- Decision Rights: How and by whom are decisions made in your company and who truly makes them, ESPECIALLY those decisions that go beyond the org chart
- Information: What metrics are used to measure your organisation? How is activity coordinated? how is knowledge transferred?
- Motivators: What objectives, incentives and career alternatives do people have?
- Strucutre: What organisation model does you company follow?
Seems simple right and guess what, it is! But get this wrong and you may wind up needing glasses to see the future of your organisation.