Author Archives: andrew campbell

About andrew campbell

Ashridge Strategic Management Centre Focus on strategy and organisation Currently working on group-level functions and group-level strategy

Supplier relationships

Posted on June 24, 2020

An important topic in any operating model design is the design and maintenance of good supplier relationships.  The first step is to decide what should be done in house versus by suppliers.  For this, use the “supplier matrix” tool.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in Supplier Matrix | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Five guiding thoughts for good operating model work

Posted on June 15, 2020

I enjoyed reading an article by Marcia Blenko, a Bain & Co advisor, about operating model work for charities – https://www.bridgespan.org/insights/library/organizational-effectiveness/nonprofit-operating-models.  The article follows the Bain definition of an operating model, which is focused on organisation structure, accountabilities, governance, systems … Continue reading →

Posted in Decision grids, Design principles, Design tools, Strategy, Tips for design work | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Finance function operating model

Posted on April 1, 2020

I was recently asked to give some help to a team working on an operating model for their Finance function.  The prime objective was to upgrade the function, so that it added more value and cost significantly less.  The particular … Continue reading →

Posted in Finance function, functional alignment, Value chain | Tagged , | 16 Comments

The Operating Model Canvas, Kaizen and Agile

Posted on February 22, 2020

This week I was in Bologna and Vicenza helping launch the Italian edition of Operating Model Canvas.  The translation and funding for the Italian edition was provided by Kaizen Institute: who support companies wanting to improve their operations.  I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Operating Model Canvas | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Doing “genuine” work and being “genuine”

Posted on November 11, 2019

I have always been a bit suspicious of terms like “authentic” leadership or “genuine” leadership.  So I was interested to read Travis Bradberry’s “12 habits of genuine people” in Forbes. I had two reactions.  First, there is some good stuff … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A Critique of Deloitte’s Thoughts on Operating Models

Posted on August 7, 2019

I have just read one of the better articles on operating models.  It is from Deloitte, and it appears to describe their approach.  I recommend it to you because it is relatively easy to understand (if you skip over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Capabilities, OM frameworks | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The role of operations in strategy

Posted on February 25, 2019

I recently enjoyed an article by Kevin Laczkowski and colleagues at McKinsey titled “Seeing your way to better strategy”.  It argued for four lenses to help you “see your way” forward – Financial, Market, Competitor and Operating Model. The thought behind … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Comparing McKinsey’s procurement framework with the Operating Model Canvas

Posted on December 20, 2018

I have been reading a McKinsey article on procurement, titled “A next generation operating model for source-to-pay”, authored by Samir Khushalani and Edward Woodcock At the centre of the article is a “honeycomb” framework (see exhibit).  So I thought I … Continue reading →

Posted in Operating Model Canvas, Procurement operating model | Tagged , | 2 Comments

How to identify use-cases for new technology

Posted on November 28, 2018

James McGovern asked an interesting question on LinkedIn: “What Methodology Should BA Use to Determine Applicable Blockchain Use Cases For Their Organization?”  In this sentence, BA means Business Architecture rather than British Airways!  It got me thinking – what methodology … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology and operating models, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Comparing Agile and Cross-functional Teams

Posted on October 22, 2018

I was reading a McKinsey interview with the head of the Rijksmuseum on the subject of Agile. For some time now, since a conference I ran in July on Agile and New Forms of Organisation, I have been trying to get … Continue reading →

Posted in Agile and operating models | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment