When a company scales from 10 to 50 employees, chaos often ensues. Leaders can no longer intervene in every decision, and departments start pointing fingers. This is when you must redesign your Operating Model.
However, traditional management theories are often too academic. That's why OXMODE uses the Operating Model Canvas (OMC)—a highly practical framework developed by Professor Andrew Campbell, strategy expert at Hult International Business School.
What is OMC and the POLISM principle?
Just as the Business Model Canvas designs the business model, the Operating Model Canvas designs how the business operates to deliver that model. The OMC consists of 6 components, known by the acronym POLISM:
- Processes: What are the core value streams that create the product/service?
- Organization: The org chart, who does what, reporting lines, and where decision rights reside.
- Locations: Where does the company operate? Remote work setups? Where are facilities located?
- Information: What software systems are used? How does data flow across departments?
- Suppliers: Which external partners support operations? What is the level of dependency?
- Management Systems: How the company plans, budgets, measures KPIs/OKRs, and rewards performance.
Practical Application: The 90-Minute Workshop
At OXMODE, we begin every consulting engagement with an OMC workshop with the Board of Directors. You can run one yourself:
- Print a large-format OMC board and put it on a wall. Give each Manager sticky notes.
- Spend the first 15 minutes defining the Value Proposition.
- Go through each POLISM box. Write down the "As-is" reality, not the theoretical ideal.
- Look for misalignments. For example: The Process demands high speed, but the Organization structure requires approval through 3 management layers.
The Outcome
After just 90 minutes, you will possess the most transparent bird's-eye view of your company. "Invisible bottlenecks" will instantly materialize on paper, telling you exactly whether you need to optimize software or reorganize people before pursuing digital transformation.
