02.04.10
One Head Coach, One Team
[Cartoon]
Enterprise Architecture is more important today as organizations continue to recognize the value of teams.
The most dominant organizational approach for corporate business structure has been top-down, command-and-control. This model has worked for the military for thousands of years. It affords clear lines of command and a scope of decision-making.
In a top-down model, the manager in charge of a sub-organization must make all of the decisions. These decisions are primarily centered on delivering the results expected by minimizing the resources needed.
Many scholars attempt to show how an organization might operate better if it were simply turned up-side-down. They emphasize the importance of the individual teams. The managers in charge do not make the decisions, but rather are responsible for making sure that their team gets all the resources they need to be successful.
Team structures have been proven to produce the highest quality. Individuals are not just cogs in a wheel; they have a desire to produce quality results. Tapping into this very human characteristic to innovate better approaches is now part of most well-managed organizations. Quality improvement processes such as six-sigma support the concept of the upside-down structure.
The outcome of all of this change in management thinking is that we have a combination of command-and-control with a great emphasis on teams. This emphasis on teams recognizes that the individual teams that make up an organization are only specialized teams within the greater organizational team.
This means that there is only one Head Coach, the CEO, and only one team, the organization. The specialized teams are not independent. They operate to provide quality services and products to the organization’s customers.
Enterprise Architects enhance this organizational structure by providing the holistic view of the organization. This holistic view supports the notion that there is a Head Coach and one team. The holistic view also provides the individual teams an insight to how they fit within the larger organization. This insight enhances the individual team’s ability to innovate and find better ways to meet their team responsibilities. The holistic view sets the standards and guidelines for teams in their use of the corporate infrastructure. This will result in reduced costs in the implementation of new and enhanced business systems.
The enhancement outcomes derived from Enterprise Architecture are important today. Specialized teams are important and they can operate better when they understand their contribution to the entire corporate team. This understanding through team innovation will drive greater quality of services and products.
[Cartoon]
Enterprise Architecture is more important today as organizations continue to recognize the value of teams.
The most dominant organizational approach for corporate business structure has been top-down, command-and-control. This model has worked for the military for thousands of years. It affords clear lines of command and a scope of decision-making.
In a top-down model, the manager in charge of a sub-organization must make all of the decisions. These decisions are primarily centered on delivering the results expected by minimizing the resources needed.
Many scholars attempt to show how an organization might operate better if it were simply turned up-side-down. They emphasize the importance of the individual teams. The managers in charge do not make the decisions, but rather are responsible for making sure that their team gets all the resources they need to be successful.
Team structures have been proven to produce the highest quality. Individuals are not just cogs in a wheel; they have a desire to produce quality results. Tapping into this very human characteristic to innovate better approaches is now part of most well-managed organizations. Quality improvement processes such as six-sigma support the concept of the upside-down structure.
The outcome of all of this change in management thinking is that we have a combination of command-and-control with a great emphasis on teams. This emphasis on teams recognizes that the individual teams that make up an organization are only specialized teams within the greater organizational team.
This means that there is only one Head Coach, the CEO, and only one team, the organization. The specialized teams are not independent. They operate to provide quality services and products to the organization’s customers.
Enterprise Architects enhance this organizational structure by providing the holistic view of the organization. This holistic view supports the notion that there is a Head Coach and one team. The holistic view also provides the individual teams an insight to how they fit within the larger organization. This insight enhances the individual team’s ability to innovate and find better ways to meet their team responsibilities. The holistic view sets the standards and guidelines for teams in their use of the corporate infrastructure. This will result in reduced costs in the implementation of new and enhanced business systems.
The enhancement outcomes derived from Enterprise Architecture are important today. Specialized teams are important and they can operate better when they understand their contribution to the entire corporate team. This understanding through team innovation will drive greater quality of services and products.
Closing the Business / IT gap.
