Guiding Principles
Defining the rules of the game
Guiding principles define the “rules of the game” for designing and maintaining an organisation’s operating model. They provide both direction and constraints, ensuring the model remains coherent, purposeful, and adaptable over time.
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An organisation can be seen as a system, the operating model is the intentional design of that system. Clear principles help to make design choices:
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Stay aligned with the organisation’s vision, strategy, and values.
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Maintain consistency across all functions and levels.
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Allow adaptability without eroding the core design.
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These principles draw inspiration from proven sources such as systems thinking, Lean management, agile scaling frameworks (e.g. SAFe), and organisation design disciplines, but are tailored to fit the unique context of the organisation. They are not about prescribing every detail, but about defining the boundaries and priorities that shape a resilient and effective system.
Generic Operating Model Design Principles (example)
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Design around value creation
The structure, processes, and governance of the organisation are optimised to deliver value to customers and stakeholders, not just to maintain internal functions.
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Apply systems thinking
View the organisation as an interconnected system. Changes to one part of the model are assessed for their impact on the whole.
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Balance stability and adaptability
Core elements of the model remain stable to ensure coherence, while peripheral elements can adapt to evolving needs and opportunities.
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Enable clear decision rights
Roles, responsibilities, and governance structures are designed to make decision-making efficient, transparent, and at the right organisational level.
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Promote alignment and integration
Ensure that all parts of the organisation — strategy, structure, processes, technology, and people — work in harmony toward shared outcomes.
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Build for transparency
The model should make performance, priorities, and constraints visible to all relevant stakeholders to enable fact-based decisions.
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Continuously evolve the model
Treat the operating model as a living design that is periodically reviewed and refined based on feedback, performance data, and environmental changes.
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Embed quality and compliance in the design
Standards for quality, ethics, and regulatory compliance are integrated into the model from the outset, rather than bolted on later.