RoundMap® : Synopsis

 

RoundMap: Impact-First Strategic Alignment for Future-Fit Organizations

In a business environment where the relentless pursuit of maximizing shareholder value often leads to the depletion of natural resources, the exploitation of labor, and the externalization of risks onto society, RoundMap® takes a fundamentally different approach. Traditional business models that prioritize short-term profits frequently do so at the expense of other stakeholders, causing more harm than good and leaving a legacy of environmental degradation and social inequity.

RoundMap® is built on the principle of Impact-First, ensuring that every decision made within the organization is driven by a commitment to creating shared value that benefits all stakeholders, not just shareholders. Unlike conventional models that may overlook the broader consequences of their actions, RoundMap® integrates ethical stewardship, equitable practices, and sustainable innovation into the core of its strategic framework. This ensures that customers, employees, communities, and the environment thrive due to the organization’s success.

The heart of RoundMap®’s approach is the Impact-First Business Plan and the Impact-First, Future-Fit philosophy. These guiding principles help organizations achieve long-term prosperity while safeguarding the resources and relationships they depend on. The following image, showing the strategic alignment of the framework, brings this philosophy to life, ensuring that every facet of the business—from visionary leadership to frontline operations—aligns with sustainability, equity, and innovation principles, providing guidance and support.

By embracing RoundMap®’s comprehensive, future-focused framework, organizations are not only equipped to meet today’s challenges but also to thrive in a world where ethical responsibility, resource conservation, and long-term resilience are the true measures of success. This commitment to shared value fosters a business environment where positive impact and profitability go hand in hand, driving sustainable growth for all and reassuring the audience about the positive outcomes of this approach.

The framework is anchored by Equitable Stewardship at its core, guiding the organization with principles of fairness, responsibility, and long-term impact. Surrounding this are the Four Roles of Impact-First Leadership, the Four Functions of Future-Fit Management, and the Four Pillars of Purposeful Teamwork—each offering a detailed pathway to achieving the organization’s mission in a cohesive and aligned manner.

The following sections delve into these components, outlining this impact-first, future-fit framework’s fundamental principles, functions, and roles. Together, they provide a roadmap for organizations committed to leading with integrity, innovating purposefully, and collaborating for collective success.

Four Principles of Equitable Stewardship

Equitable Stewardship represents a fundamental shift in how organizations interact with and relate to their stakeholders. Traditionally, companies have operated with a top-down approach, often prioritizing their interests over those of the communities, customers, and environments they impact. Equitable Stewardship, at the core of the RoundMap® framework, challenges this paradigm by recognizing that organizations cannot and should not dominate their stakeholders but must instead engage with them meaningfully.

This concept goes beyond ethical considerations; it acknowledges the importance of giving stakeholders a voice in the organization’s journey. While decision-making ultimately rests with leadership, Equitable Stewardship emphasizes the value of listening to and integrating stakeholder advice into those decisions. By actively engaging with stakeholders—understanding their interests, concerns, and aspirations—organizations can work toward truly improving lives and creating positive, lasting impact within their ecosystems, instilling a sense of optimism and hope for the future.

Equitable Stewardship is about more than just ethical oversight; it fosters a culture of respect, inclusion, and collaboration where stakeholders are partners in the organization’s mission. This approach ensures that the company’s actions are aligned with the needs and desires of those it affects, leading to more informed, responsible, and impactful decisions

1. Inclusive Decision-Making

• Definition: Inclusive Decision-Making ensures that all voices within the organization are heard and considered, particularly those of underrepresented or marginalized groups. This principle emphasizes the importance of diverse perspectives in shaping decisions that affect the entire organization and its stakeholders.
• Purpose: Inclusive Decision-Making aims to foster a culture of equity and respect where everyone has a seat at the table. By ensuring that decision-making processes are inclusive, the organization can create more well-rounded, fair, and innovative solutions that reflect the needs and values of its diverse stakeholders.

2. Ethical Responsibility

• Definition: Ethical Responsibility involves holding the organization accountable to high moral standards in all its actions. This principle ensures that the organization complies with legal requirements and operates with integrity, transparency, and respect for human rights and the environment.
• Purpose: Ethical Responsibility aims to build and maintain trust with stakeholders by ensuring that the organization consistently acts with honesty and fairness. By embedding ethical responsibility into the core of its operations, the organization can protect its reputation, foster long-term loyalty, and contribute to the greater good.

3. Equitable Resource Distribution

• Definition: Equitable Resource Distribution refers to the fair allocation of the organization’s resources, including capital, opportunities, and support, across all stakeholder groups. This principle ensures that resources are distributed in a way that promotes equity, addresses disparities, and supports the well-being of all stakeholders.
• Purpose: Equitable Resource Distribution eliminates inequities within the organization and its broader ecosystem. By ensuring that resources are allocated fairly, the organization can support the growth and development of all stakeholders, particularly those historically underserved or disadvantaged, thereby creating a more just and sustainable system.

4. Sustainable Impact

• Definition: Sustainable Impact focuses on the long-term effects of the organization’s actions on society and the environment. This principle emphasizes making decisions that benefit the organization today and ensure a positive and lasting impact for future generations.
• Purpose: Sustainable Impact aims to align the organization’s goals with the broader needs of society and the planet. By prioritizing sustainability in its decision-making processes, the organization can contribute to the well-being of current and future stakeholders, ensuring that its legacy is one of positive, equitable, and lasting change.

Four Roles of Impact-First Leadership

Impact-First Leadership reimagines the role of leaders as catalysts for purposeful action and long-term value creation. Unlike traditional leadership models that prioritize financial outcomes and hierarchical control, Impact-First Leadership emphasizes leading purposefully, fostering innovation, and building trust across the organization. Leaders are not merely focused on short-term results; they are committed to guiding the organization in a way that aligns with its mission to create shared value for all stakeholders.

In this approach, leaders play a pivotal role in inspiring a purposeful vision, steering the strategic evolution of the organization, and empowering others to realize their full potential. This form of leadership shifts away from the conventional focus on profit and control towards a model that encourages collaboration, inclusivity, and adaptability. By prioritizing impact, these leaders drive the organization toward sustainable success, ensuring every decision and action contributes to a positive, long-term legacy.

1. Inspiring Purposeful Vision

• Definition: Inspiring Purposeful Vision is the role of leadership in crafting and communicating a vision deeply rooted in the organization’s core purpose. This vision serves as the guiding star, aligning all stakeholders around a shared, long-term mission beyond profit to include societal impact and sustainability.
• Purpose: Inspiring Purposeful Vision ensures that the organization’s direction is clear, meaningful, and aligned with its values. By inspiring a purposeful vision, leaders motivate and unite the organization to work toward a future that benefits all stakeholders, driving impact and success.

2. Guiding Strategic Evolution

• Definition: Guiding Strategic Evolution involves leading the continuous adaptation and refinement of the organization’s strategy. It requires foresight, agility, and a deep understanding of emerging trends and stakeholder needs. It ensures that the organization remains relevant, resilient, and aligned with its long-term goals.
• Purpose: The purpose of Guiding Strategic Evolution is to navigate the organization through change and complexity, ensuring that strategies evolve in response to internal and external shifts. This role helps the organization stay future-fit, maintaining its competitive edge while staying true to its impact-first mission.

3. Building Inclusive Trust

• Definition: Building Inclusive Trust involves fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, and fairness throughout the organization. It involves actively engaging with all stakeholders, ensuring their voices are heard and decisions are made ethically, equitably, and inclusively.
• Purpose: Building Inclusive Trust creates a foundation of credibility and integrity upon which the organization can build lasting relationships. By cultivating trust, leaders ensure that the organization operates fairly and justly, enhancing its reputation and securing the loyalty of stakeholders.

4. Empowering Collective Potential

• Definition: Empowering Collective Potential focuses on unleashing the combined strengths and talents of the organization’s people. This role is about creating an environment that encourages collaboration, innovation, and shared learning, allowing the organization’s and its ecosystem’s collective capabilities to flourish.
• Purpose: Empowering Collective Potential maximizes the organization’s impact by harnessing its human resources. Through empowerment, leaders enable teams to achieve more outstanding outcomes, driving the organization toward its goals with creativity and collective energy.

Four Functions of Future-Fit Management

Future-Fit Management strategically redefines the traditional functions of management to meet the demands of an ever-changing and increasingly complex business environment. While conventional management often focuses on maintaining stability, control, and efficiency within established frameworks, Future-Fit Management strategically emphasizes adaptability, foresight, and continuous alignment with the organization’s long-term goals and values.

In this approach, management is not just about planning, organizing, and controlling; it’s about envisioning the future, cultivating leadership that can respond to change, dynamically organizing resources, and ensuring responsive and ethical governance. The Four Functions of Future-Fit Management ensure the organization remains agile, resilient, and aligned with its purpose.

By focusing on these future-oriented functions, management moves beyond the traditional reactive approach and becomes a proactive force that drives the organization’s long-term success. This shift enables the organization to navigate uncertainty and thrive in it, ensuring that management practices are as dynamic and forward-thinking as the challenges they address.

1. Envisioning Strategic Foresight

• Definition: Envisioning Strategic Foresight involves anticipating future trends, challenges, and opportunities and integrating this foresight into the organization’s strategic planning. This function emphasizes the importance of proactive thinking, long-term planning, and the capacity to navigate uncertainty by preparing for multiple future scenarios.
• Purpose: Envisioning Strategic Foresight ensures the organization remains forward-looking and prepared to adapt to changing conditions. By incorporating strategic foresight into management practices, the organization can stay ahead of the curve, mitigate risks, and capitalize on emerging opportunities, ensuring sustainable growth and resilience.

2. Cultivating Adaptive Leadership

• Definition: Cultivating Adaptive Leadership focuses on developing flexible, responsive leaders who can guide the organization through change. This function emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, emotional intelligence, and the ability to pivot strategies and approaches as circumstances evolve, all while maintaining alignment with the organization’s core values.
• Purpose: Cultivating Adaptive Leadership aims to build a resilient leadership culture that can thrive in dynamic environments. By fostering adaptability in leadership, the organization can navigate disruptions, inspire confidence during change, and drive innovation, ensuring it remains agile and competitive.

3. Orchestrating Dynamic Organizing

• Definition: Orchestrating Dynamic Organizing involves designing and managing structures, processes, and resources to allow flexibility and responsiveness. This function creates an organizational framework that adapts to shifting demands, encourages collaboration, and supports continuous improvement across all levels.
• Purpose: Orchestrating Dynamic Organizing ensures that the organization’s infrastructure is stable and adaptable, supporting its strategic goals while remaining responsive to change. By dynamically organizing resources and processes, the organization can optimize efficiency, foster innovation, and maintain alignment with its long-term vision.

4. Stewarding Responsive Governance

• Definition: Stewarding Responsive Governance means managing the organization’s governance structures transparently, accountablely, and aligned with ethical standards and stakeholder expectations. This function emphasizes the importance of real-time feedback, ethical oversight, and the ability to adapt governance practices to meet emerging challenges and opportunities.
• Purpose: Stewarding Responsive Governance ensures that the organization’s decision-making processes are effective and ethically sound. By fostering a governance framework responsive to change and including stakeholder input, the organization can build trust, enhance its reputation, and ensure that its actions align with its purpose and values.

Four Pillars of Purposeful Teamwork

Purposeful Teamwork transforms the way teams collaborate and operate within an organization. Traditional teamwork often emphasizes coordination and task completion within established silos, focusing primarily on efficiency and productivity. In contrast, Purposeful Teamwork is centered around intentional collaboration, alignment with the organization’s mission, and fostering an environment where every team member is engaged, empowered, and working towards shared, meaningful goals.

This approach recognizes that true collaboration goes beyond simply working together; it involves understanding and aligning each team member’s contributions with the organization’s broader purpose. By emphasizing systemic collaboration, purpose-driven alignment, empowered autonomy, and continuous learning and adaptation, Purposeful Teamwork ensures that teams are effective and deeply connected to the organization’s mission and values. This leads to more innovative solutions, greater employee satisfaction, and a more vital, cohesive organization.

1. Systemic Collaboration

• Definition: Systemic Collaboration refers to the integrated and coordinated effort across all levels and functions of the organization to achieve shared objectives. It emphasizes breaking down silos, fostering cross-functional teamwork, and ensuring that every team member is aligned with the overall purpose and strategy. Collaboration is not just an act but a systemic approach that permeates the entire organization, ensuring that all parts of the system work together effectively.
• Purpose: Systemic Collaboration harnesses the organization’s collective intelligence and capabilities to achieve more remarkable outcomes. By encouraging a culture of collaboration, teams can innovate more effectively, respond more rapidly to challenges, and ensure that efforts are aligned with the organization’s mission and values. This pillar supports the creation of a unified and cohesive organization where every part is greater than the sum of its parts.

2. Purpose-Driven Alignment

• Definition: Purpose-driven alignment ensures that every action, decision, and initiative within the organization is guided by its core purpose. This pillar focuses on creating a solid connection between the organization’s mission and day-to-day operations, ensuring that all activities are strategically aligned to advance its goals. It requires clarity of purpose at all levels and a commitment to aligning individual and collective efforts towards that purpose.
• Purpose: The purpose of Purpose-Driven Alignment is to create coherence and focus within the organization, ensuring that all efforts are directed toward achieving a common, impactful goal. By aligning activities with the organization’s purpose, teams can avoid distractions, reduce inefficiencies, and amplify their impact, driving the organization toward sustainable success and long-term relevance.

3. Empowered Autonomy

• Definition: Empowered Autonomy grants individuals and teams the freedom and authority to make decisions within their areas of responsibility while aligning with the organization’s overall goals and values. This pillar emphasizes trust, commitment, and the capability of individuals to take initiative and act decisively without needing constant oversight, fostering a culture of ownership and innovation.
• Purpose: Empowered Autonomy aims to enable teams and individuals to act quickly and creatively in response to challenges and opportunities, driving innovation and efficiency. By empowering people to make decisions and take ownership of their work, the organization becomes more agile and responsive, capable of adapting to changes and seizing opportunities as they arise, all while staying aligned with its core mission.

4. Continuous Learning and Adaptation

• Definition: Continuous Learning and Adaptation refers to the organization’s commitment to fostering a culture of ongoing education, reflection, and improvement. This pillar supports a curiosity, resilience, and flexibility mindset, where teams and individuals are encouraged to learn from experiences, embrace new information, and adapt their strategies and processes in response to evolving circumstances.
• Purpose: Continuous Learning and Adaptation ensure that the organization remains innovative, resilient, and capable of thriving in a rapidly changing environment. By embedding learning and adaptation into the organizational culture, teams can continuously enhance their skills, stay ahead of industry trends, and effectively respond to new challenges, ensuring long-term success and impact.

The Four Frontiers of Meaningful Innovation

Innovation is at the heart of any organization’s ability to create lasting impact and stay ahead in a rapidly changing world. Within the RoundMap® framework, innovation is explored through four frontiers—Strategic Innovation, Product Innovation, Operational Innovation, and Management Innovation—each representing a critical area where meaningful transformation can occur. Inspired by the work of Gary Hamel, author of The Future of Management, these four types of innovation are essential for any organization aiming to make a significant, positive impact on its stakeholders and the broader ecosystem.

Unlike traditional approaches that may focus innovation efforts solely on products or technology, the RoundMap® framework encourages a holistic view of innovation that integrates all aspects of the organization. By embracing these four frontiers, organizations can ensure that their innovation efforts are aligned with their purpose, responsive to stakeholder needs, and capable of driving sustainable growth.

1. Strategic Innovation

• Definition: Strategic Innovation involves rethinking the fundamental approach to the organization’s mission and market positioning. It’s about exploring new business models, redefining value propositions, and identifying uncharted markets or customer segments. At this frontier, organizations can make bold moves that redefine their future direction.
• Purpose and Impact: Strategic Innovation ensures the organization remains relevant and competitive by challenging the status quo and finding new pathways to success. Stakeholder engagement is critical here, as their insights can help the organization understand emerging needs and opportunities, ensuring that strategic shifts are aligned with creating maximum positive impact.

2. Product Innovation

• Definition: Product Innovation focuses on developing or improving new products. It enhances customer value by meeting their evolving needs with innovative features, functionality, and design. The organization can most directly impact customer satisfaction and market differentiation in this frontier.
• Purpose and Impact: The purpose of Product Innovation is to create products that not only meet but exceed customer expectations, thereby driving customer loyalty and market share. Engaging with customers and other stakeholders is vital to ensure that the innovation truly resonates with their needs and values, leading to products that impact their lives.

3. Operational Innovation

• Definition: Operational Innovation involves rethinking and improving the organization’s internal processes and workflows. This includes optimizing supply chains, enhancing efficiency, and implementing new technologies or methodologies that reduce costs, increase speed, and improve quality. This frontier is crucial for maintaining the organization’s agility and responsiveness.
• Purpose and Impact: Operational Innovation aims to create more efficient and effective working methods, enhancing the organization’s overall performance and capacity to deliver value. Stakeholders, especially employees and partners, play a key role in identifying pain points and opportunities for improvement, ensuring that operational changes lead to a more sustainable and impactful organization.

4. Management Innovation

• Definition: Management Innovation involves pioneering new leadership, governance, and organizational culture approaches. It’s about reimagining how people are managed, decisions are made, and how the organization fosters creativity, collaboration, and accountability. This frontier has the potential to transform the very fabric of the organization.
• Purpose and Impact: Management Innovation aims to create a work environment that empowers people, fosters innovation, and aligns everyone with the organization’s purpose. Engaging stakeholders—especially employees—ensures that these innovations address real needs and lead to a more inclusive, equitable, and dynamic organization that maximizes its positive impact.

PACE Formula: The Rhythm of Strategic Excellence

And finally, you’ll have noticed the components of the PACE formula, which paints the overall picture:

• Positioning: Positioning embodies the deliberate crafting and communication of a brand’s unique value and identity within the marketplace. Its goal is to set a brand apart in consumers’ minds by anchoring it to distinct perceptions, emotions, and experiences.
• Activating: Customer activation is the catalytic process of motivating and guiding customers from initial awareness to enthusiastic engagement. To ignite their journey with the brand by unlocking meaningful experiences and tangible value.
• Committing: Committing is the unwavering dedication to upholding and embodying the brand’s promises, the company’s values, and its overarching purpose. This is to ensure that every action and interaction resonates authentically with the foundational beliefs and aspirations that define its essence.
• Elevating: Elevating signifies the continuous ascent towards excellence, where insights fuel evolution, engagement drives refinement, and relentless innovation amplifies value. Together, they foster an ever-rising trajectory of impact and growth.

PACE represents a brand’s journey of strategic distinction, active engagement, unwavering dedication, and continuous ascent. Positioning shapes its unique stance in the market. Activation ignites the customer’s relationship with the brand. Commitment ensures authentic alignment with core beliefs and promises. Elevating harnesses insights and innovation to amplify impact. All these need to be in a harmonious rhythm to drive enduring value and growth.

Some Distinguishing Features of RoundMap

In the evolving tapestry of organizational methodologies, RoundMap® stands distinct, presenting a fresh paradigm of holistic business operations. Infusing equity, purpose, and sustainable value creation into its very fabric, RoundMap® challenges and enriches traditional frameworks. Herein lie its distinguishing features:

• Purpose Beyond the Present: While most frameworks conflate purpose and mission, RoundMap™ discerns them, magnifying the significance of purpose. It’s the soul of an organization, providing the profound “why” behind its existence and offering substance beyond mere profit. In contrast, mission details the present-day “what.” This distinction becomes pivotal in an era where purpose drives choices for many, especially the younger generation.
• Crafting Customer Triumphs: The emphasis isn’t just on acquiring or serving the customer; RoundMap® argues that achieving the customer’s goals is vital. An organization’s duty isn’t fulfilled with a transaction; it’s about championing the customer to achieve their goals. This proactive strategy boosts loyalty, spawns referrals, and slashes customer attrition.
• Blueprint for Broader Impact: In RoundMap®, there’s a clear onus on the broader societal canvas. The Impact Model isn’t an afterthought but a strategic compass directing how an organization wishes to shape its societal, environmental, and fiscal footprint. As businesses are increasingly viewed through the lens of social responsibility, this model offers a distinguishing edge.
• Consentric Collaboration and Leadership: Central to RoundMap® is Consentricity, a multi-dimensional organizational model. It promotes equitable distribution of created value to all stakeholders, from team members to society at large, and emphasizes improved collaboration and distributed leadership. It seeks to break down silos, empower individuals, and foster a more cohesive, agile, and responsive organizational structure. It advocates for consent-based decision-making and prioritizes roles over traditional functions. This holistic ethos is deeply embedded into the framework, reshaping how organizations operate and interact internally and externally.
• The Confluence of Unity: The Circle of Confluence, core to the Consentric Organizational Model, isn’t merely another non-executive board; it’s a philosophy. It signifies the harmonious confluence of diverse forces and stakeholders. More than that, it underscores the fair dispersal of the wealth or profit sculpted by the organization.
• Orchestrating Value Distribution: At the core of RoundMap’s Business Navigator lies a commitment to value creation and its judicious distribution. This framework, structured around five pivotal stages, culminates in the ‘Distribution Stage.’ This stage ensures that value doesn’t remain concentrated or siloed but is equitably disseminated among stakeholders. It’s not a mere allocation process; it’s a conscious effort to ensure that the fruits of discovery, design, development, and direction are justly shared. It echos the overarching ethos of building impactful, equitable, and sustainable enterprises in today’s multifaceted business environment.
• The Positive Core – Anchoring Strengths: RoundMap® identifies and celebrates the Positive Core, a nucleus of organizational strengths and assets that range from embedded knowledge to positive emotions. Recognizing and harnessing these positive elements can act as a catalyst for transformative growth.
• Navigating Beyond Conventional Routes: While RoundMap® is undoubtedly holistic, it pioneers filling gaps in contemporary frameworks. Its forward-leaning, equitable approach sets a novel paradigm, shaping the future of sustainable business success in an intricate landscape.

RoundMap®, in essence, isn’t just a tool but a transformative philosophy, sculpting a future where businesses are not solely profit-driven but are bound by purpose, responsibility, and equity. Its unique features bridge contemporary gaps and envision an enterprise that thrives on sustainable practices, equitable value distribution, and unwavering societal responsibility. In RoundMap®, the modern business finds its compass, guiding it toward success and significance.

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RoundMap® : Manifesto

 

Building a Future of Equitable Business: The Manifesto for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth

In a world where corporate behavior and ethics are under increasing scrutiny, RoundMap® stands out as a guiding light, steering businesses towards a path that is not just about profits but about creating tangible, widespread value and equity. Thus, our framework serves as a business guide and a moral compass for organizations, highlighting the critical importance of equity, responsibility, and holistic approaches in today’s corporate landscape.

Each component within the RoundMap® framework represents a missing link or gap in traditional or even some contemporary frameworks. These innovations aren’t random; they all converge towards the same goal: to close the loop by transitioning from a short-term, profit-focused, and uninspiring linear business operation to a long-term, purpose-driven, cyclical, and widely-supported equitable progression.

Through each cycle, the RoundMap® framework captures and utilizes feedback from its stakeholders, capturing valuable insights that enable the organization to elevate its operation, increase customer value, mitigate adverse effects, and continue searching for opportunities to increase its positive impact. The RoundMap® framework, powered by the PACE formula, goes beyond simply creating cyclical processes; it enables organizations to continuously elevate their operations, paving the way for long-term success and sustainable business practices.

Chapter 1: Beyond Transactions: Unlocking Significance for Customer Success

By emphasizing customer success, a method for ensuring that customers reach their desired outcomes when using an organization’s product or service, RoundMap goes beyond transactional engagements. We understand that customer success involves involvement in the purchase decision, implementation and use of products or services, and customer support. However, in addition to this, we recognize the importance of significance—the meaning attached to the brand or the perception of future value—in helping the customer achieve their success. Significance acknowledges that building long-term relationships and fostering customer loyalty requires going beyond immediate value delivery. It encompasses the notion that customers see a significant future value in the relationship with the organization, justifying their continued commitment. By integrating significance into our customer success approach, the RoundMap framework ensures that organizations not only focus on supporting customers in achieving their present goals but also on cultivating a sense of long-term value and purpose that drives sustained engagement and mutual benefit.

Chapter 2: The Impact Model: Creating Meaningful Change through Positive Impacts

The Impact Model within the RoundMap framework is a powerful tool for organizations seeking to create a positive impact and drive meaningful change. It acknowledges that businesses can create a broader societal imprint beyond monetary gain, encompassing environmental, societal, and financial impacts. The Impact Model consists of four iterative steps: Impact Analysis, Impact Formulation, Impact Implementation, and Impact Evaluation. By incorporating impact measurement and management into their operations, businesses can create positive change, differentiate themselves from their competitors, and improve their long-term performance. The Impact Model is an integral part of the Business Model and, therefore, of the business’s strategy, and requires constant evaluation and adaptation. The Impact Model dimensions capture vital areas where businesses can create a positive impact, including environmental sustainability, stakeholder engagement, diversity, equity and inclusion, supply chain management, and product design and circularity, among others.

Chapter 3: Purpose-Driven Business: Equitable Value Creation for All Stakeholders

The purpose is distinct from the mission, urging organizations to consider their “why deeply.” This approach recognizes that the primary purpose of business extends beyond mere profit but entails the responsibility to create and deliver customer value productively and sustainably, enabling the organization to capture value from customers. However, the secondary purpose, which is equally essential, is to ensure that all stakeholders receive an equitable share of the value captured. This separation of purpose from the mission acknowledges the shifting expectations of younger generations. These individuals seek not only financial success but also a sense of meaning, purpose, and social impact in their work. By embracing a purpose-driven approach, organizations can attract and retain top talent, build a sustainable and trustworthy reputation, and align with the values and aspirations of the younger generation. Purpose becomes a unifying force that guides decision-making and shapes the organization’s identity, inspiring stakeholders and driving equitable practices that benefit all.

Chapter 4: Building the Positive Core: Embracing Strengths for Transformative Growth

Building the Positive Core is a crucial component of RoundMap®’s Manifesto for Equitable Business. The Positive Core is the nucleus of organizational strengths and assets, from embedded knowledge to positive emotions. Recognizing and harnessing these positive elements acts as a catalyst for transformative growth. By building on strengths and focusing on the Positive Core, RoundMap® takes a forward-looking approach that goes beyond merely solving problems of the past. It enables the organization to identify its highest goals and shape its future based on what has worked well. This shift in mindset allows for the creation of a shared vision and the mobilization of resources towards achieving those goals. Instead of being limited by a problem-solving perspective, organizations embracing the Positive Inquiry approach are empowered to leverage their strengths, elevate their performance, and create a positive impact sustainably and inclusively. This emphasis on building and protecting the Positive Core is integral to RoundMap®’s vision of equitable business in the modern era.

Chapter 5: The Circle of Confluence: Collaborative Stakeholder Empowerment

The Circle of Confluence is a stakeholder board, replacing or coexisting with a traditional shareholder board. It embodies equitable collaboration among stakeholders, going beyond traditional hierarchies and silos. It is a collaborative forum where departments, teams, and individuals bring together their unique strengths, perspectives, and resources towards common goals. It creates a harmonious and dynamic environment where ideas and efforts seamlessly flow. The Circle of Confluence can replace the shareholder board, which often only focuses on the interests of the company’s owners without considering the impact on other stakeholders. Alternatively, the Circle of Confluence can coexist as a shadow board, allowing stakeholder representatives to provide input and offer a diverse range of perspectives. Through its collaborative approach, the Consentric Organizational Model aims to end alienation and disengagement often found in specialized and compartmentalized systems, nurturing a culture where each member’s input is valued and utilized for the collective good. This body guides each layer within the model, from the Councilors to the Constellations, in embodying participative leadership and creating a Symphony of Strengths. By upholding core values and embracing the Positive Core, this collaborative body ensures that equitable practices and values permeate every facet of the organization, leading to a more inclusive and mutually beneficial environment for all stakeholders.

Chapter 6: The Distribution Stage: Equitable Value Sharing for Sustainable Success

The Distribution Stage is the ultimate litmus test for the venture’s overall effectiveness, encapsulated by the Return on Venture and the Value Chain Yield. It goes beyond value creation to ensure a fair distribution of the captured value among stakeholders. By emphasizing equitability in the distribution of returns, it ensures that everyone gets a fair share of the pie. The Value Chain Yield provides a final score that summarizes the efficacy and impact of the business across supply and demand chains, but how the yield is distributed speaks volumes about the company’s ethical and social commitments. Effective distribution mechanisms that acknowledge and reward everyone equitably for their contribution to the yield foster a work environment where individuals are proud of their collective contribution, and sustainable growth is in harmony with social responsibility. It fortifies the company’s social contract and builds trust among stakeholders, critical for building sustainable, thriving businesses. The choices made in the Distribution Stage affect the organization’s internal morale, reputation, and role in the larger societal context. The Distribution Stage, therefore, offers a unique opportunity to manifest the company’s core values, like EQuitability, in a tangible way, resulting in a successful and resilient organization.

Equitability in Action: Embracing Purpose, Collaboration, and Equitable Distribution for Sustainable Success

The RoundMap® framework champions a movement towards businesses that are not just profit-driven but are equitable, responsible, and holistic in their approach. Each framework component – from the red components of Customer Success, Impact Model, and Purpose to the Circle of Confluence – fosters a cyclical and inclusive approach to business. This reorients businesses toward a more holistic and interconnected worldview, redirecting attention from mere transactional engagements to establishing enduring and symbiotic relationships.

The Customer Success, Impact Model, and Purpose emphasize putting the customer at the center of everything the business does and striving toward positive impact and purpose instead of just profit. The Value Orchestration Blueprint’s ‘Return on Venture’ and ‘Value Chain Yield’ KPIs confront the common pitfalls of a purely linear and self-centered business mentality by emphasizing fair distribution of captured value.

Building upon these foundational components, RoundMap® recognizes and celebrates the Positive Core – a nucleus of organizational strengths and assets ranging from embedded knowledge to positive emotions. By consciously constructing the future upon the positive core, RoundMap® catalyzes transformative growth and creates opportunities never before thought possible. This shift in mindset enables the organization to identify its highest goals and shape its future based on what has worked well in the past. The Positive Core approach empowers organizations to leverage their strengths, elevate their performance, and create a positive impact sustainably and inclusively.

The Circle of Confluence acts as a stakeholder board that replaces or coexists with a traditional shareholder board, embodying equitable collaboration among stakeholders and going beyond traditional hierarchies and silos. In upholding core values and embracing the Positive Core, this collaborative body ensures that equitable practices and values permeate every facet of the organization, leading to a more inclusive and mutually beneficial environment for all stakeholders.

When viewed holistically, these components champion a movement towards businesses that are equitable, responsible, and holistic in their approach. The RoundMap® framework is not just another business framework, but it’s a manifesto for equitable business in the modern era. It ensures sustainability and infuses a sense of reciprocity and shared value in the entire business ecosystem. By integrating these loop-closing elements, RoundMap® reorients businesses towards a more enduring and symbiotic approach that is not just about extraction but about giving back, renewing, and regenerating.

https://roundmap.com/manifesto/

RoundMap® : Differentiation

 

The Revolutionary RoundMap: Moving Beyond Siloed Limitations

Two primary models emerge as focal discussion points in the ever-evolving business management landscape: the traditional, hierarchical, command-and-control model and the RoundMap approach. These two models represent different operational strategies and contrasting philosophies and visions about how a business should interact with its environment, employees, and stakeholders.

The traditional hierarchical model is a relic from the industrial era, built upon efficiency, predictability, and control principles. Rooted in a military-like structure, it places a premium on distinct chains of command, delineated roles, and responsibilities. In this model, decision-making is a prerogative of the few, and the majority serve merely as executors of these decisions. This model has been predominant for centuries, driving businesses with an iron grip, ensuring adherence to procedures, and focusing primarily on bottom-line profitability. While it has its merits, particularly in environments prioritizing stability over innovation, it struggles to adapt to today’s dynamic, interconnected, and rapidly changing world.

On the contrary, the RoundMap Consentric approach is a testament to the belief that businesses thrive when they are adaptable, inclusive, and value-driven. In a world where rapid technological advancements, shifting customer preferences, and societal pressures demand agility and foresight, the RoundMap way offers a holistic framework. Eschewing rigid hierarchies in favor of integrative structures fosters an environment where ideas can flow freely, every individual feels valued, and the focus shifts from mere profitability to creating lasting value for all stakeholders. It’s an approach that recognizes the symbiotic relationship between businesses and society, ensuring that businesses contribute positively to the world around them as they grow.

Let’s compare some of the traditional industrial-age methods with the RoundMap approach:

Approach to Risk

·        Traditional: Risk-averse. Any deviation from the established norm is viewed with skepticism, and there’s a preference for tried and tested methods. Values consistency over agility.

·        RoundMap: Encourages calculated risks. It recognizes that in today’s dynamic business environment, not taking risks can be the most considerable risk of all. Values adaptability over rigidity.

Collaboration

·        Traditional: Collaboration exists primarily within departmental boundaries.

·        RoundMap: Emphasizes cross-functional collaboration, breaking down silos and promoting a holistic view.

Communication Strategy

·        Traditional: Highlights tangible product/service features. Direct, with listed specs and advantages. Assumes audiences infer benefits. It’s more informational than emotional. Examples: Tech datasheets and spec ads.

·        RoundMap: Conveys value through narratives, making it emotional and relatable. It embeds features in stories aligned with the audience’s desires or challenges. Lets audiences see themselves in the story, boosting engagement. Holistic, focusing on broader impact. Examples: User-centric brand campaigns or transformational product journeys.

Cultural Values

·        Traditional: Values stability, uniformity, and predictability.

·        RoundMap: Promotes agility, diversity of thought, and a sense of shared purpose.

Customer Orientation

·        Traditional: The customer is an external entity with transactional interactions. The aim is to maximize profits from each transaction.

·        RoundMap: Views the customer as a collaborative partner. It’s more relationship-driven, focusing on long-term value creation and understanding customer needs deeply.

Decision-making

·        Traditional: Centralized decision-making, often with a few at the helm. There’s a clear distinction between those who decide and those who execute. This often leads to a lack of ownership and responsibility at the lower levels.

·        RoundMap: Empowers individuals at all levels. It recognizes that those closest to a problem often have the best insights into its solution. Decentralizing decision-making fosters a sense of ownership and alignment with organizational goals.

Employee Engagement

·        Traditional: Employees are viewed primarily as resources or assets. Their roles are strictly defined, and there’s little room for personal growth or lateral movement.

·        RoundMap: Treats employees as integral stakeholders. It nurtures their growth, encourages cross-functional learning, and recognizes each individual’s intrinsic value to the organization.

Feedback Mechanism

·        Traditional: Linear feedback, often top-down. Annual or semi-annual reviews.

·        RoundMap: Continuous, 360-degree feedback, fostering real-time improvement and adaptability.

Information Flow

·        Traditional: Communication is top-down. Information is filtered through various layers of management, which can sometimes dilute or delay the message.

·        RoundMap: Promotes transparent and bidirectional communication. It values feedback loops and ensures that information flows freely, vertically and horizontally, within the organization.

Innovation Philosophy

·        Traditional: Innovation is often incremental, focusing on refining existing products or processes. Usually confined to specific R&D departments or innovation cells.

·        RoundMap: Prioritizes both incremental and disruptive innovation. It understands the need to reassess its offerings and stay ahead of the curve continually. Innovation is everyone’s responsibility, encouraged across all levels and functions.

Learning & Development

·        Traditional: Set training schedules, often generic and not tailored to individual needs.

·        RoundMap: Continuous learning embedded into the workflow. Emphasis on personalized development paths.

Mindset

·        Traditional: Fixed mindset emphasizing established methods and resistance to change.

·        RoundMap: Cultivates a growth mindset, valuing adaptability, continuous learning, and receptiveness to change.

Operational Focus

·        Traditional Model: Operations-driven, emphasizing processes and efficiency.

·        RoundMap: Customer-centric, placing customer needs and experience at the core of operations.

Organizational Structure

·        Traditional: Based on a pyramidal hierarchy, power is concentrated at the top. Layers of management dictate workflows and decision-making processes, often resulting in slower reactions to market changes and bottlenecks in communication.

·        RoundMap: Advocates a flatter, more networked structure. It emphasizes collaboration and inter-departmental synergy, ensuring quicker decision-making and a more adaptable organization responsive to market needs.

Performance Metrics

·        Traditional: Relies heavily on quantitative metrics, often neglecting qualitative aspects like employee morale, brand perception, and customer satisfaction.

·        RoundMap: Advocates a balanced scorecard approach. While quantitative metrics are essential, it also values qualitative indicators, understanding that they often drive long-term success.

Resource Allocation

·        Traditional: Budgets and resources allocated top-down, based on historical data and forecasts.

·        RoundMap: Dynamic resource allocation, responding to real-time needs and opportunities.

Responsiveness to Change

·        Traditional: Tends to be resistant to change. The focus is on maintaining the status quo and ensuring stability, even if it comes at the cost of innovation.

·        RoundMap: Embraces change as an opportunity. It’s built on the premise of adaptability and views market shifts not as threats but as chances to innovate and evolve.

Value Creation

·        Traditional: The primary metric of success is profitability. The emphasis is on short-term gains, often at the expense of long-term sustainability.

·        RoundMap: While profitability is necessary, the focus is also on creating holistic value. It considers the broader impact on society, the environment, and other stakeholders.

In sum, while the traditional method offers a structured and stable approach, the RoundMap way is designed for the challenges and opportunities of the modern business world. It’s an approach that understands the complexities of today’s interconnected landscape and offers strategies to navigate them successfully.

De Bono's Six Thinking Hats

The “Six Thinking Hats” methodology, developed by Edward de Bono, is a powerful tool for brainstorming and innovation. It encourages individuals to approach problems from different perspectives, essentially “wearing” one of the six colored hats to adopt a specific line of thinking. Given its inherent versatility, we can easily incorporate this model into comparing the traditional management model and RoundMap:

White Hat (Facts & Information)

·        Traditional: Relies on known metrics, benchmarks, and past performance. Uses static data and may overlook evolving market trends.

·        RoundMap: Uses dynamic data gathering, seeking feedback and intelligence from all business facets, including customers and partners.

Red Hat (Feelings & Emotions)

·        Traditional: Emotions are often suppressed in favor of productivity and efficiency. Intuition is rarely considered in decision-making.

·        RoundMap: Recognizes the importance of intuition, values, and emotions in driving organizational success. Encourages empathetic leadership and values-based decision-making.

Black Hat (Critical Judgment)

·        Traditional: Frequently employed to evaluate risks and avoid disruptions. This can lead to a conservative approach, inhibiting innovation.

·        RoundMap: Risks are critically assessed, but there’s a willingness to embrace uncertainty for transformative change and growth.

Yellow Hat (Optimism & Benefits)

·        Traditional: Optimism is typically constrained by budgets, quarter-to-quarter performance, and established strategies.

·        RoundMap: Perpetual optimism in the potential of integrated systems, collective intelligence, and the synergistic value of unified business functions.

Green Hat (Creativity & Alternatives)

·        Traditional: Innovation is often incremental, limited by existing paradigms and the fear of disrupting the status quo.

·        RoundMap: Celebrates cross-functional collaboration, often leading to groundbreaking solutions and innovative thinking.

Blue Hat (Process Control)

·        Traditional: Processes are established and rigid. There’s a strong emphasis on maintaining order, which can hinder adaptability.

·        RoundMap: Processes are agile, flexible, and continually refined. Adapts to the ever-evolving business landscape and ensures alignment with overarching objectives.

Presenting the comparison in this manner helps illuminate the fundamental differences between the two approaches for each specific line of thinking embodied by the hats.

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