Reinvent Your Company For Growth
Scaling a team is hard. Have any of these been keeping you up at night?
How do I expand my team without creating chaos?
How do I focus everyone on the most important thing?
How do I unstick our project for a successful launch?
Introducing CORE
The Comprehensive Org Refresh (CORE) is an org development service tackling the structural challenges startup leaders face. We cultivate a sustainable workplace and culture to build the company you’ve dreamed of. It’s a bespoke service, customizing strategy to your unique needs.
Contents:
What is Org Development?
Org dev is different from management consulting. While we do work with managers (and more), CORE’s approach isn’t to leave you with a generic panacea of “best practices”, nor is this a coaching service for individuals. CORE involves collaborative process work to improve the effectiveness of your org as a whole. Goals will span the VEST canvas: Vision, Environment, Systems, and Talent.
Think of it like cultivating a garden. Like gardens, organizations are complex ecosystems found within a particular environment. Orgs function as a unit, made up of living and non-living parts. Everything is interconnected, both internally and to the external world. There are rhythms, interactions, energy flow, and a race for resources.
Growth can be overwhelming. You need to:
- Envision what you want to grow
- Break big goals into stages
- Identify best time & location
- Obtain supplies, data, & help
- Prepare and test your soil
- Plant a diversity of seeds
- Defend from pests and weeds
- Nourish it just right
- Know when to harvest or change
That’s a lot! We work to uncover blindspots and investigate sticky challenges gumming up the works of your org. With insights mapped, we partner with you to design structures, systems, skills, knowledge, and change which impact the long-term health and performance of your company.
TLDR: We know this stuff so you don’t have to.
How CORE Works
STEP 1
Onboarding
Let’s chat.
First we’ll chat to get an overview of where you’re at and where you want to go. You can schedule 30-60 minutes with us via Calendly. Or if you prefer, you can get in touch via email first to make sure a call will be worth your time. No commitments, it’s free either way.
Acceptance.
Once we agree this is a good fit for you and you’re interested in moving forward, we’ll send an agreement for you to sign, an invoice, and a to-do list detailing next steps and materials needed. Upon acceptance and payment, we’ll be ready to begin on your start date.
STEP 2
Insight Map
Investigate.
We’ll begin collaborating with you and your team to investigate challenges and map insights. Depending on your needs we might, meet with leaders, interview team members, observe key meetings, inspect internal tools, shadow operations, or administer surveys.
Report.
Discoveries will be documented on our VEST canvas, aka your org’s Vision, Environment, Systems, and Talent. We’ll identify gaps and opportunities and prepare a report.
Align.
With big picture in hand, we’ll facilitate discussion among key stakeholders to align on insights and discoveries. Then we can prioritize goals, create a plan of attack, and determine next steps.
STEP 3
DAR Cycle
Design.
At a regularly scheduled weekly time, we’ll meet with you or appointed change agents to answer the big questions together. We’ll work together to plan and prototype changes.
Apply.
To minimize team disruptions, changes will be trialed and verified (rolling out to a small group first if possible) before being applied broadly across the team or organization. You are in control of your learning, and we’ll move at a pace that works for your team.
Review.
Changes will be reviewed frequently with various stakeholders. Results will be compared against the initial VEST canvas and goals, allowing for updates, adjustments, and continued alignment.
What Folks Say About Our Work
Frequently Asked Questions
Deliverable.
A guided journey through change within your organization. Important milestones include an Insight Report on the vision, environment, systems, and talent in your org; alignment on Insights and change goals together with leadership and key stakeholders; and evaluation of impact after changes. Our process adapts to deliver concise recommendations that are specific to your situation which may include identifying, analyzing, designing, prioritizing, prototyping, applying, and evaluating solutions. We engage through a variety of frameworks, interviews, interactions, and activities. If we do not feel we can provide advice relevant to your organization or situation, we won’t begin a contract together.
Implementation Methodology.
There are 2 stages involved: 1) Insight Mapping is completed before any changes can be made, which involves interviewing the team, inspecting tools and data, and observing key meetings and company processes. We build a map of your company’s Vision, Environment, Systems, and Talent using our VEST Canvas, and collaborate with your team to discover best-fit change opportunities within your organization. At the end, key stakeholders will align on change goals: what order to implement, how to implement, how to decide when goals are complete, and realistic expectations around timing.
2) Next we work with you towards specific goals in cycles. We call these “DAR Cycles”, short for designing, applying, and reviewing the impact and effectiveness of change in your org. Activities will be arranged in a way appropriate to your size, complexity, and objectives, and we may serve as a strategic partner, facilitator, or guide through your change journey.
Duration.
This program works in “Increments”. 1 Increment = 3 months (90 days). Our minimum involvement is 1 Increment, allowing us to complete Insight Mapping (which typically takes ~6-8 weeks) and to get you started on your change goals. Total number of Increments varies by organization, complexity, and your desired outcomes. Typical change efforts within an organization, from start to finish, generally take 6-18 months. Some organizations choose to spend just 1 Increment with us, to get started on the best path forward, and then continue their change effort independently. Other orgs choose to spend the full duration of their journey together with us.
Joint Accountabilities.
We will:
- Take reasonable free initiative within your organization to gather data, meet and collaborate with staff at all levels, design solutions, resolve issues, and apply improvements as agreed upon together. We will notify you of any barriers encountered during weekly meetings, or sooner as necessary.
- Strive for minimal disruption to the team’s work, be flexible to your organization’s schedules and specific needs, and provide progress reports and updates on request.
- Appoint a contact who will be continually available through all aspects of the project.
- Be happy to sign any nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements.
You will:
- Provide reasonable access to project and knowledge management tools, communications (key people, channels, meeting invites, etc.), and data (reports, financials, metrics, etc.) as requested.
- Allot reasonable time to participate in scheduled weekly activities that may include data gathering, interviews, planning sessions, implementing improvements, developing materials, providing feedback and critique, etc. Time commitments will be discussed during weekly meetings.
- Address any key staff who fail to participate in change efforts.
- Honor any intellectual property we provide for your use.
Together we will:
- Agree to immediately apprise each other of any changes, new developments, or emergencies which may affect success of the project, so that rapid action could be considered.
- Respond to basic questions and requests on or before the next business day, and accommodate each other’s unexpected scheduling conflicts.
- At the conclusion of Insight Mapping and as needed throughout the project, make determinations as to whether any goals require more emphasis than others, or whether unanticipated needs have arisen requiring us to redirect efforts appropriately.
Kickoff.
We can usually begin within 1-4 weeks.
Location.
Virtually over Zoom or Google. Camera-on communication is important, and we’ll frequently share screens, whiteboard, and get creative by any means necessary. Because we cannot effectively complete work without cameras-on communication, we apologize that we can’t work with orgs who are unable to participate in this fashion. This is for your protection and ensures we are bringing the best possible work and value.
Meetings.
We will have a significant interaction weekly (pre-scheduled as 1 half-day each week) with your designated change agents to address big questions and hash out goals together via a planned agenda. Aside from that, you are in control of your journey, and activities and pace are customized to your preferences, organization, and situation. Small questions will be handled ad hoc or added to the next agenda. Additional touch points will be scheduled throughout as needed to support efforts.
Cost.
Please use our Price Estimator to generate a guesstimate price. Cost is directly related to size and complexity of an organization. We will further assess complexity after discussing goals together with you, but the Price Estimator will generate a good ballpark guesstimate for most companies. While fees are paid per Increment, these Increments are based upon the project, not hourly time units. That way you’re encouraged to call for help during the project without worrying about an hourly “meter running”, and we’re free to suggest additional areas of focus without concern about increasing your investment during the Increment.
Payment.
Payment is via wire, ACH, or check, paid upfront per Increment. Why are fees prepaid? Because org development can be emotional work as you stretch to expand the limits of what you previously thought possible, prepayment is to ensure we can be completely transparent with each other, without any concern that upset could lead to withheld fees. You may end the contract at any time, after which you will not be responsible for any future payments.
Qualified Startups.
Our services are best fit for organizations that are:
- A growing remote startup,
- Who is building a software product,
- With 1-50 employees, and
- With at least $1 million annual recurring revenue or $2 million in funding.
If you don’t fit these criteria but still want help, feel free to get in touch and we can examine more closely if our services are a fit. In some cases, we may be able to craft a different project more suited to your needs, or may offer recommendations for other solutions to pursue.
What’s It Like Working Together?
Worried about us getting along? Don’t be. If you relate to the below, we’ll work together just fine.
Big Picture Strategy
Tactics without strategy is treading water. To keep things on track, we assess the big picture and long term goals of your org, and proactively refer back to it.
Anticipate Obstacles
We are conscientious and deliberate. We examine breadth and depth, reflecting on issues with care. Anticipating obstacles isn’t slow, it’s smooth sailing.
Close Examination
In order to build the big picture imagined, we must examine the smallest nuts & bolts. We stay curious and thoroughly investigate every corner of your org.
Dial In Scope Creep
We believe you can do anything! But you can’t do everything, or you’ll finish nothing. We encourage your wildest creativity, then dial in scope pragmatically.
Neurodiversity & Night Owls
We want you to work how (and when) feels best to you. As neurodiverse introverts & night owls, we’re up for your weird-o-clock sessions. Don’t forget the fidget spinner!
No Bullshit
We won’t sell you things you don’t need, beat around the bush, pontificate, guilt trip, gaslight, or disregard your inner compass. We expect you’ll do the same.
Outside The Box
We don’t use cookie-cutter “best practices”. Every team has its own culture. We explore options to find what fits for you. Get ready to test that unconventional idea!
Visualize It
Verbal or written language alone is nebulous. We do cameras-on calls or in-person sessions, actively sharing screens and sketching ideas to enhance communication.
Send Memes
Why so serious? We have a (sometimes dark) sense of humor. Everything goes smoother when you’re having fun. Memes encouraged. Don’t be shy!
Your Partner
We don’t fix everything for you. We partner closely to stay receptive to your needs, as we help you build skills and design structures for a sustainable org.