…both personal and professional are needed to be successful in any field, organization or business. These value networks, the relationships we develop either within an organization or B2B between companies are the lubricant that greases the work while, at the same time, the glue that often holds everything together.
When things are running smoothly, the value network is at its best, providing consistency of thought and deed in keeping things going but when a challenge shows up, that same set of relationships can undermine progress towards a useful solution.
‘Well understood’ systems and processes within a value network can often work against certain solutions that may not correspond to those ‘well understood’ procedures and be moved down the consideration ladder or eliminated outright. Only those ideas which are in sync with the value network’s DNA usually get attention.
One doesn’t have to go full Skunkworks and separate people from the entire company to come up with solutions as Lockheed Martin did in 1939, though that might be an option depending on the severity of the problem. Moving out of the value network, at least for a little while, or bringing in people/companies from outside the network does wonders at counteracting organizational white blood cells.
Written while listening to Skyrim ambient music.
Best thing I came across online over the last week, ‘The Problem with Fighting Fires.’
William Kerr And associates 