Foundations Development

Service Overview

Establishing a solid foundation upon which to build organization success is often overlooked or done once and not revisited. The foundational elements are an organization’s values, vision, and culture. They are developed in this order and are aspirational so the organization as a whole and its individual members have goals of getting closer to them all the time. Together they establish what is important and what it means to be a member of the organization. Individual behaviors should stem from the foundation; when the right next move is in question, people should be able to work out the right path by looking to the foundations.

Values are organizational bedrock. They are ultimately what we strive for. An example is “Is honest in all endeavors.” While messages to customers can land anywhere along the continuum of “honest” to “dishonest,” when faced with a decision about what to tell the customer, an organization with “Is honest in all endeavors” as a core value is directing the member to get as close to the honesty end as possible. Many times information is subjective and open to interpretation, but if the person communicating thinks it through in light of the value, she or he will craft a message that is accurate and honest to the best of their ability.

Vision is a beacon positioned in the future and describes what the organization wants to become. One part is vision statement about where the organization will be in 3-5 years, but for Flow Consulting, vision is more detailed and includes a description of the target customers, the primary work and how the organization innovates, the workforce and where they work, and targeted results. Results might be tangible such as financial targets market position or conceptual such as customer satisfaction, community leadership, or employer of choice. Ideally, the vision is a 3-5 year rolling target to be revisited and adjusted as needed every year or two.

Culture is sometimes described as “How work gets done around here.” It includes the behaviors that are aligned to the values. Sometimes these are clear cut such as “We work safely when no one is watching” or “Conducts a risk assessment upon arrival at the client site,” and other times they are about what it means to be a member such as “Actively support colleague’s success,” or “We are empowered, resourceful, and make decisions close to the customer.”

The Foundations provide a basis for action that, even when not directly coordinated, result in members behaving in ways consistent with expectations. It is the positive version of “That’s just how it’s done here.” If effectively led, everyone knows the foundations and seeks to live up to them. Flow leads and facilitates client development of these foundations, often transitioning to creation of strategy and plans for driving toward the goals.