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    Aligning operating model with purpose
    ⭐

    Aligning operating model with purpose

    Catégorie
    1. Structure & Governance
    Sous-catégorie
    1.1. Protection of the company's purpose
    Stade
    Pre-Seed

    ⬅️ Back to the guide

    What is at stake?

    🔥
    Are the startup's operations aligned with its mission? How does the startup express its mission in its internal practices?

    Why is this important?

    Aligning operations with the mission from the beginning allows the company to grow in the right direction, to adopt a responsible by design approach, and thus to achieve a good overall performance.

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    To do this, the startup relies on two pillars:

    1️⃣ The power of alignment

    For the responsible engagement approach to be credible and consistent, there must be alignment between:

    • An inspiring purpose
    • Responsible operations in daily practices
    • And a responsible economic model.

    Ex: Is my startup's mission to promote inclusion reflected in the company itself and its operations?

    2️⃣ The power of beginnings

    Thinking about internal operations responsibly from the start helps you to build the company on the healthiest foundation possible. While everything is still being established, the startup benefits from the flexibility and agility necessary to align all the different dynamics.

    Three actions to implement right now

    1️⃣ Conduct an audit of current practices

    Evaluate current operations in light of the mission: Are they in line with the startup's mission? Based on this evaluation, identify strengths and weaknesses.

    2️⃣ Implement "good practices" to limit risks

    The role of good practices is to ensure that the company's mission has been taken into account in every strategic decision and that the entire team shares a commitment to aligning between internal operations and the mission.

    ‣
    The role of the "mission manager"
    • To unify the collaborators around the mission and make each person responsible for their own contribution to achieving it (a motivating factor).
    • They ensure that the mission is visible externally and internally: on the website, official documents, job descriptions, internal communication networks, employee and supplier charters, etc.
    • To ensure that the mission is reflected in every decision-making process and in all the startup's processes: it should be an integral element of the recruitment and onboarding process, production process, marketing strategies, sales policies, partner selection, customer relations, etc.

    3️⃣ Integrate alignment into the company culture

    Clearly communicate the values and mission to the initial employees and encourage their active engagement in them.

    Regularly measure the alignment of operations using KPIs to evaluate the startup's effectiveness in achieving its mission.

    Regularly reassess practices to ensure that they are still in line with the startup's mission.

    📚 Further Reading

    ‣

    📘 ”Mission in a Bottle: The Honest Guide to Doing Business Differently - and Succeeding”

    This illustrated book tells the story of the startup Honest Tea, including how they aligned their operations with their mission to "promote healthy and sustainable beverages", and offering practical advice for other startups along the way. Happy reading!

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