B3 framework – implementation

The B3 framework® is for leaders in scaling businesses. Getting the business foundations right early in the scaling journey significantly reduces the challenges ahead. Read more about it here

The framework sets out the elements that must be in place to build a business that’s sustainable and delivers consistently. It doesn’t tell you how to create each of those elements, nor the tools, techniques or methods you should use – because the right blend of solutions is unique for each business. Remember…there’s no magic cookie cutter solution to building a brilliant business.

The framework is broken down into four cumulative layers. Building a brilliant business means ensuring that each layer is in place adequately to underpin and inform subsequent layers.

B3 framework® – 1. CREATING A FOUNDATION

This layer establishes the DNA of any business – why it business exists and how it wants to develop as an organisation.

WHY

One of the first building blocks for a scaling business is to be able to express why the business exists. It underpins everything that follows in the growth of the business.

Often this will be closely aligned with the original passions and motivations of the founder/s, although it may also reflect how the business has grown and changed since it was founded.

USEFUL RESOURCES

IF YOU READ ONE THING…

Do Purpose: Why brands with a purpose do better and matter more by David Hieatt

HOW

A scaling business needs to describe how it wants to exist in the future. There are lots of ways to do this such as describing a culture, values or behaviours.

The most effective ways are those that define the how in practical, accessible and usable ways – so that people across the business can assimilate the meaning and apply it to their work every day.

USEFUL RESOURCES

IF YOU READ ONE THING…

The Positive Organization: Breaking Free from Conventional Cultures, Constraints, and Beliefs by Robert E Quinn

B3 framework® – 2. MAKING A BUSINESS

This layer takes the foundational aspirations and works out how they translate into a viable business.

STRATEGY

Scaling businesses need a way of setting goals that are in line with why. Strategy is how the business makes and follows through on deliberate choices and trade-offs to achieve its goals. It’s where the hardest decisions are made on what will and won’t be focussed on. If creating strategy feels easy, it’s probably because you’re not facing up to the trade-offs you need to think about.

USEFUL RESOURCES

And some relevant articles from my email newsletter Build.

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Good Strategy Bad Strategy:
The Difference and Why it Matters by Richard Rumelt

OPERATING MODEL

The operating model provides a blueprint for how value is created and delivered to different groups.

It brings the business strategy to life and informs decisions about how it is set up and operates. Without a clear operating model, the business can lack congruence as it scales.

USEFUL RESOURCES

And some relevant articles from my email newsletter Build.

IF YOU READ ONE THING…

Operating Model Canvas: Aligning Operations and Organization With Strategy by Andrew Campbell, Mikel Gutierrez & Mark Lancellot

B3 framework® – 3. BUILDING AN ORGANISATION

This layer puts in place the building blocks of a functioning organisation – enabling people to work together towards common goals.

ROLES

In any organisation there are accountabilities that need to be fulfilled. A role is a collection of accountabilities taken on by an individual person. By scoping and describing accountabilities and roles, we create a clear understanding of what’s expected of each person in the organisation. Accountabilities are preferred over activities as a way to describe a role – because accountabilities enable space for people to have autonomy over how to do their work.

USEFUL RESOURCES

And some relevant articles from my email newsletter Build.

IF YOU READ ONE THING…

Humanocracy by Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini

STRUCTURE

This is not drawing a structure chart. Never start there. It’s about understanding how people and activities are best grouped within the operating model to get work done. Never assume it needs to look like the traditional pyramid with senior people at the top, a middle management layer and then the frontline work happening at the bottom. Think creatively and engage frontline teams in considering how to best organise for autonomy, engagement and productivity.

USEFUL RESOURCES

And some relevant articles from my email newsletter Build.

IF YOU READ ONE THING…

Brave New Work: Are You Ready to Reinvent Your Organization? by Aaron Dignan

DECISION MAKING

Be intentional about decision making by setting a clear process you expect everyone making meaningful decisions to follow. Be explicit about who can take what decisions and who needs to be involved. Strive for a bias towards devolving decision making to enable greater agility and pace.

USEFUL RESOURCES

And some relevant articles from my email newsletter Build.

IF YOU READ ONE THING…

Decision Maker: Unlock the Potential of Everyone in Your Organization, One Decision at a Time by Dennis Bakker

GOVERNANCE

Governance. Often mis-characterised as restrictive and something that gets in the way of progress. But done well, it doesn’t need to be any of these things. I think of governance as the minimum set of rules, policies and risk management processes that are needed to ensure an organisation functions coherently, legally and with minimal friction (“minimal viable bureaucracy”). Even the most progressive teal organisational systems codify governance to help people understand how to manage power together.

USEFUL RESOURCES

And some relevant articles from my email newsletter Build.

IF YOU READ ONE THING…

Power: Why Some People Have It―and Others Don’t by Jeffrey Pfeffer

B3 framework® – 4. OPERATING THE BUSINESS

 This layer sets out the practical things you need to have and do to run a scaling business day-to-day.

LEADERSHIP

Seems obvious, but it’s important to think about what leadership really means as a business scales. It’s not about roles that “do” leadership. It’s about how the act of leadership is something that’s expected from everyone in the business. It’ll mean different things in different roles, but leadership isn’t a top down game. There are really strong links to culture, roles and structure to enable this to happen in practice.

USEFUL RESOURCES

And some relevant articles from my email newsletter Build.

IF YOU READ ONE THING…

Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Building Leaders by Breaking the Rules by David Marquet

CADENCE

Cadence is the heartbeat of any business. It’s the pattern of rituals and ceremonies that happen at a predictable frequency that helps bind the organisation together as it grows. The right mix and frequency will depend on the stage and rate of growth of the business. Cadence links together strategy, performance, governance and leadership into a predictable and shared rhythm.

USEFUL RESOURCES

And some relevant articles from my email newsletter Build.

IF YOU READ ONE THING…

Building the Agile Business Through Digital Transformation by Neil Perkin

PROCESSES

Processes is about getting repeatable activities codified so that they’re done consistently and efficiently. It’s about doing this in a way that trusts people to use their judgement in how best to do their work and not restricting their accountability. Don’t try to define a process or checklist for everything you do. Focus on the high value, high volume or high risk activities.

USEFUL RESOURCES

And some relevant articles from my email newsletter Build.

IF YOU READ ONE THING…

Chapter 4 in Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace

INFORMATION

Knowing what’s happening in a business enables better decision making, drives team engagement and increases agility. Identify a small number of key metrics and determine how to measure these consistently. How is this information and what it means for the business interpreted and disseminated appropriately? Beyond the quant, how are things like company stories, successes and learnings being communicated to drive improvement and nurture culture?

USEFUL RESOURCES

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Secrecy In Business Is Dead. Here’s To Radical Transparency

STANDARDS

Standards are documented specifications about how all or part of a business operates. They can be internally or externally set. They’re usually used as the basis for compliance auditing and then certifying to a recognised level. Some standards are compulsory (such as employment law, GDPR and accounting standards) while others are a strategic choice for a business (for example ISO, specialist accreditations and B Corps). The focus on managing compliance needs to be proportionate to the level of risk in the scaling business.

USEFUL RESOURCES

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Barriers to Change: Regulations

SYSTEMS

Choosing the right technology systems for the scaling journey matters a lot. Buy/build decisions have outsized impacts on future growth. How systems are purchased, deployed and integrated can drive efficiency and team engagement, but if done badly can restrict growth, hurt margins and be an unwelcome distraction for leaders. Having a clear target systems architecture provides direction and focus for technology as a business grows.

USEFUL RESOURCES

IF YOU READ ONE THING…

CIO Insider – Reimagining the role of technology