by Helen Wall, on May 25, 2017 2:36:37 PM
Kenneth “Hap” Klopp is a renowned entrepreneur who made the North Face brand a name on the global stage.
In the 1970’s, North Face, in collaboration with Buckminster Fuller, designed a 
geodesic tent using new mathematical formulas that could be used by mountaineers. Buckminster Fuller was a renowned 20th century designer and thinker who patented many designs including the geodesic dome structures seen around the world.
Fuller pointed out that most things (physical, political, economical) get weaker as they get larger, and this does not need to be the case. By creating a triangle lattice structure (for some sections the triangles are combined into hexagons) that holds up the tent, it can withstand internal and external conditions.
Geodesic structures distribute structural stress throughout the entire structure, rather than just a limited number of contact points.
Similar to a geodesic tent, a capability model joins the organization together as a structure. The interlocking arches that make up the geodesic structure are like the families found in capability models. If any piece of the organization is weak, it will cause the organization/business to be weaker.
In the capability model geodesic structure represented above, you can see the problem spots in the organization denoted by the red triangles (capabilities). Conversely, the green triangles (capabilities) represent strong parts of the organization.
Flatten the tent out and you can see the heat map which is an indicator of how an organization’s capabilities are performing. The red triangles are prime targets for projects to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Using Accelare's WorkFit platform, business leaders can identify which capabilities are successful for their organization and which ones need to be improved.
From there, leaders need to identify what kind of contribution these capabilities bring to the organization. For example, further analysis can be done to identify if the organization is focusing and investing in advantage capabilities to promote and enable their competitive advantage and winning strategy. Organizations should focus on value, not price. It is worth investing resources like time and money into a capability that brings return on this investment.
Click below to learn more about Accelare’s WorkFit technology.
Stayed tuned for the next in this series of learning more about business architecture and capability based planning.