Description

In this episode, I interview celebrated author N. Dean Meyer about his book: 'How Organizations SHOULD Work: envisioning a high-performing organization made of a network of internal entrepreneurs', released in June 2022.

The book provides:

• A detailed vision (blueprint) of the end-state operating model - to help you craft and communicate your own vision.
• All the mechanics - solid principles of design, and clear frameworks to help you design your organization in a fact-based manner.
• Implementation processes - participative processes that engage your leadership team in designing your organization.
• A case study.
• Analysis of many critical challenges, including innovation, digital business, scalability, acquisitions integration, agility, and the founder bottleneck.
• Perspectives on transformational leadership.
• A book summary (akin to Cliff's Notes ®).

From two foundational principles -- internal entrepreneurship, and empowerment -- Meyer derives every detail of how organizations of all types and sizes should work. This "Market Organization" is a comprehensive blueprint of a high-performing organization. Paradoxically, it's common sense, and yet it's also profound.

• The Market Organization applies to all industries, including government and not-for-profits.
• It applies to organizations of all sizes and stages of growth, starting with ventures where it can build scalable organizations with mature processes while retaining their entrepreneurial spirit, on up to multi-nationals where it dissolves the dichotomy of localization versus global synergies.
• And this operating model applies to departments (such as IT) as well as entire companies. Throughout this book, the word "organization" refers to either an entire enterprise, or a department within it.

In our interview, we consider the language used in the book to describe organizational design principles. I ask Dean to explain what he means by transformational processes being likened to 'twisting minds'. We also discuss the current fascination with 'agile' project methodologies and how these can easily be misunderstood and misinterpreted when taken out of context.

We also discuss the use of such terms as 'own', 'ownership' and 'product' and therefore 'product owner' and how this can lead to dangerous conclusions. We consider the potential overuse of the terms 'stakeholder', 'partner', 'sponsor' and whether a distinction needs to be made between 'accountabilities' and 'responsibilities'.

Dean’s book, How Organizations SHOULD Work, is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3wWmFD1 

You can learn more about Dean and view a library on organizational design and transformation at: NDMA.com

The general aim of the #podcast series is to be entertaining for all listeners, as well as being educational, assisting upper-intermediate and advanced level English language students with additional listening practice. I've been told the podcasts are the perfect travelling companion for long car journeys, train rides and even for airplane adventures.

For more information on this podcast series, please review the full episode list on your chosen podcast platform or email ⁠johnscottlawton@hotmail.co.uk⁠. Please visit my LinkedIn profile at: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-scott-lawton/⁠ if you would like to be a guest on my programme or to view my work.

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An interview schedule which acts as a summary of the questions asked and terminology used in the podcast is available at: ⁠https://johnscottlawtonsenglishyouknow.wordpress.com/

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