The Orgtology Blog

Using orgtology to cost a strategy differs from other costing models, such as e.g., the balanced scorecard. In orgtology, operational activity and strategic programs are the two core cost centres of Org. Their relationship is interdependent and not linear. They function independently as dual parts of the same entity. The one ensures performance, wh...

A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a detailed plan on how to execute an intent. WBS's are used in project management. We do not use the term in process management because there we work with cyclic flow. In projects we must get things done as quickly as possible. With processes it is more about increasing the efficiency of cycle times. That is why ...

Strategic effectiveness begins by knowing what to change. This is a complex process of understanding both a current reality and a desired state. Its not just about changing. Firstly, it is about knowing where we are. Secondly it is about knowing why we want to change. Thirdly it is about what must change. Lastly, it is about whether we are strong e...

Strategic thinking is the art of keeping an organisation relevant. For Org to survive it needs strategic thinkers within its executive team. They are the guardians of relevance. Therefore, they must understand the flow of strategy well. The structure of strategy begins as a flow. Purpose is the foundation of any organisation. Without it, Org cannot...

Efficiency is the corner stone for any operation. Without it, Org will not survive. In nature, efficiency defines the cycle of life. Resources are never infinite. Therefore, the goal is always to decrease energy whilst increasing the result. To watch the incredible power of an ant or the precision of a honeybee will show the efficiency in nature. O...

Understanding is the foundation of change. Before we can improve, we must understand. REET stands for Relationships, Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Threats. The main purpose of REET is to understand the reality of a team or organisation. From such understanding one can make informed decisions regarding change and maintenance. I have been using REET...

One of the aims of a model is to create a simplistic understanding of something. An architect will create a model to visualise an end-result. A mathematician could create a model to ease calculations for others. For organisations, we create a business model to show how we do our business. Stewart and Zhao (2000) see a business model as a statement ...

The first phase of any strategic process must always be to know who we are and then to decide what we want to do with that. The strategic process thus begins with an understanding of purpose and intent. E.g., there are many boxers in the world and they all participate in a sport that hold the same rules. They thus operate on a similar algorithm. Th...

To succeed, any organisation must thrive in a fast changing and dynamic world. The effect of this is that strategy must be intelligent and dynamic. It might be that much of what you know about strategy is obsolete. Research shows that old ways of creating corporate strategy will not sustain the growth and change that many organisations need. Orgtol...

On first acquaintance, orgtology might seem like a new name for old shoes. This is not the case, since orgtology has specific assumptions about organisation. These differ significantly from traditional organisational thinking. Executives who use orgtology as management tool, find it impossible to revert to traditional methods. Below is a podcast in...

Change is what makes life possible. The human ability to create intent beyond purpose is what sets us apart from the normal evolutionary change that occur in other animals. I.e., we can be revolutionary. E.g., a hawk can choose to catch a rabbit or a mouse, but it cannot choose to become a vegetarian. The hawk's choice is locked into its purpo...

The purpose of organisational design is to create order. Yet too much order will drive predictability, which might blind us to a fast-changing world. To change, Org must be creative. Organisational culture will decide how much uniqueness we allow within Org. We need uniqueness for abstract thinking. It keeps us relevant. In so, we need order to eff...

To create an organogram from an orgtology perspective differs from traditional methods. Here our task is to first understand the flow of activity before we add resources and authority. We must at all times ensure efficiency. Not only regarding resources, but also in terms of process flow. We cannot assume that people who hold similar &nbs...

The process construct is a blueprint for running the operations of Org. A project construct defines the plans that we make to change Org. The former ensures performance whilst the latter secures relevance. Process and project constructs must therefore give an integrated solution to the performance and relevance of Org. We cannot understand these co...

I am Caucasian, male, 52 years old, and speak with an Afrikaans accent. It is my fixed identity. Physically I cannot be anything else than that. Yet mentally I can be an incredible variety of that. My body is an algorithm. It restricts me. My mind is abstract. It frees me. Jointly, they become an expression of who and what I am. As humans we expres...

Without Organisations we would be primitive. It is through Org that we can control things and people. Religion, politics, philosophy, ideology, culture, business, and government… These are all organisations. Even language is an organised expression. Org gives humanity its collective consciousness and holds its intelligence beyond physical form. In ...

To perform one must manage, whilst to be relevant one must lead. In so, a relevant and performing individual (RPI) is one who knows how to manage and lead. "On deciding when to manage and when to lead, take note of the following: A football coach is mostly never on the field, whilst the captain always is; The coaches work never stops, whilst the ca...

"What makes us different, and in which ways are we the same? What incites our conflicts, for there are so many to blame...I want to be me yet cannot survive without we...But what then is left of me if I must crucify myself unto a collective we?Thus, the question remains - who am I and who are we? Derek Hendrikz: 2013 The basic assumption on Theory ...

A paradigm is the window through which one views the world. In so, it defines the reality of mind. To grasp a paradigm means understanding the thoughts and emotions that drive behaviour. In so, the problem is mostly not with a person, but with the belief construct that drives such person. In my experience, the secret to changing people is that you ...

To define intelligence is no simple task. There is no unchallenged definition to date. To put that in perspective, we have a better understanding of the universe than we do of intelligence. In fact, scientist have more math on parallel universes than they have on intelligence. In orgtology, we look at how people apply themselves in diverse situatio...

Orgamatics is an orgtology field of study where one uses scientific method to create strategy and ensure operational efficiency. The term blends the two words, "organisation" and "mathematics". In so, it denotes the mathematical construct of an organisation. The basic assumption of orgamatics Through the study of organisational duality, we can unde...

Hypothesis 2x opens the study of orgtology. It creates its theories and philosophy. Its basic premise is that an Organisation can only exist if activity interacts. In so, an organisation exists through relations and relationships. To relate, entities must interact. Interaction is a cycle of projecting and receiving. When this happens, activity beco...

The difference between an organisation and a system always fascinated me. In the cycle of life there is no leadership or strategy. There is only algorithm. The honeybee pollinates plants that grows from ground, which the dung beetle fertilises by burying decaying matter deep underground. The antelope who eats plants in turn becomes food to a lion. ...

We engage in relationships to benefit ourselves. It could be for resources; psychological wellbeing; need to procreate; sense of duty; etc. The benefits of a relationship could be a myriad of things. Yet, in absence of "the self", there is no relationship. Org has many relationships too. E.g., with employees, customers, suppliers, competitors, owne...

The purpose of a project construct is to plan and execute the changes that Org must make to stay relevant. The future is uncertain. Therefore, a primary task of this construct is to reduce uncertainty of a future outcome. In so, Org must effect change at minimal risk. To reduce the uncertainty of an outcome, one must control the process that create...

Efficiency is quite easy to measure since outputs and outcomes are both quantifiable. Effectiveness on the other hand, relates relevance to outputs. This is a challenging task since relevance is mostly a perception, which is hard to quantify. We call the measure of effectiveness an outcome. Two variables measure an outcome. One is a prediction of w...

Theory O explains a Relevant and Performing Organisation (RPO). It shows how Org must relate intent, resources, and intelligence, to purpose to create an RPO. In Theory O, the "O" stands for organisation or Org. Purpose is a common denominator to organisations who do the same thing. E.g., a bank in Singapore has the same function as a bank in Bangl...

Theory 2E measures the outputs and outcomes of an organisation. I.e., it probes the results of our operations and strategic initiative. An output is the result of a process. When Org defines its activity, sequence, and rules, it creates outputs. A simple example is building a car. The car is an output. Whether people like the car, will buy the car,...

Orgtelligence is the sum of the systems intelligence and human intellect within Org. This means that organisations have two types of intelligence. The first is implied. This is an algorithm - a set of rules that drives activity, which delivers a predictable output. For humans, breathing is an example. For Org, the flow of work is one. The second is...

Work is where rubber meets the road. In a world bound by time, we do all work through a sequence of activity. Some sequences have a definite beginning and end. They are projects. Others repeat a known past, which makes them cyclic processes. There is no other way. Work is either a project or a process. Processes help us to perfect what we did yeste...