Operating Principles, or as they are often referred to, a company’s operating system, are essentially the way that organizations put their values into practice and get things done.
Many companies rely on operating principles to get things done faster. They also influence culture and values. Colorcon states that their operating principles “define our culture, values, and organization.” Wistia takes a slightly different angle, stating that their operating system is a “new methodology for how Wistia gets work done.”
There may be differing definitions of what operating principles are, but it’s clear that companies use them to create a company-wide focus and awareness of what the long-term, “big picture” objectives are for the organization.
Why and when to use operating principles
By choosing to use operating principles, you’re choosing to do much more than simply create another version of your previous business strategy or processes.
Operating principles give you a chance to clearly state what should not be done, as well as what should be done. This is an important detail to consider. Let’s look at an example from Boggis and Trafford’s work on how operating principles can forge meaningful strategy.
They refer to a situation in which a business opts to use an operating principle of “We continue to grow organically,” as opposed to: “We grow through acquisition.” By stating that the business opts for one thing over an alternative, they’re clearly articulating how they want to spend their time. This can be liberating for employees: it delineates an area of work that doesn’t need time or focus.
With operating principles, you can create a strategy that makes more sense to your employees, and as Boggis and Trafford suggest, a strategy that’s actually meaningful. This approach to strategy can be useful for managers or leaders who want to make their expectations and long-term aspirations clear, with operating principles offering guidance on how everyone can contribute through their decisions and actions.
What does mountain climbing have to do with operating principles?
Wistia, in introducing their “operating system,” found that mountain climbing was a helpful metaphor for their team to show exactly how they wanted them tackling their work on a daily and weekly basis.
According to Ed Viesturs, the only American to have climbed all fourteen of the world’s most legendary mountains, mountain-climbing is all about “coordinating responsibilities and pacing with your team of fellow climbers.”
Wistia took this approach and applied it to their product development. The result? An operating system that uses a base camp and summit strategy. During the base camp, team members explore new ideas and unleash their creativity. Once they begin the “summit” each person will have a series of expeditions (tasks, basically) that they have to carry out to ensure that the entire company reaches the peak (finishes the project).
Wistia believes that the operating system is their answer to keeping the business nimble, even as it grows. The principle of working in “short, controlled bursts with high-frequency feedback,” means that they can maintain control over how their company and product evolve over time.
Examples of operating principles
We’ve given a few examples of how different organizations define specific operating principles and why they’ve introduced them. Now, let’s see what operating principles actually look like.
Tettra
We share our own operating principles as well as our core values in this post about Tettra’s core values. We also share specifics on how we use this system on a day-to-day basis.
Finally, we offer best practices on how to build out your own operating system. This includes details on how to get everyone involved, but also how to clarify the directly responsible individual who’s ultimately accountable for finalizing the system.
Our operating principles include being:
- Caring
- Humble
- Inclusive
- Rigorous
- Positive
Chewy Operating Principles
Chewy, the pet ecommerce store, lists their operating principles front and center for anyone thinking of applying to their company.
Their operating principles include:
- Customers first
- Deliver results
- Earn trust
- Operate at depth
- Accelerate time
- Act as an owner
- Debate openly; commit fully
- Build high-performing teams
- Keep it simple
- Think big
Fort Wayne Metals
Fort Wayne Metals lists their seven operating principles after their company values. Their values and operating principles play a big role in attracting talent and helping candidates determine if they’re a good fit for the company. For example:
Operating Principle: “Everyone must be accountable for producing to his/her potential each day: We can only accomplish our goals if everyone is focused on their responsibilities each and every day. To do less is not respecting your co-workers, everyone must participate to reach our potential.”
UserList
The email automation software also has a group of operating principles that they tell their employees about and then use in conjunction with their customers. Take a look at this “pragmatism” operating principle:
Operating Principle: “Pragmatism. We strive to build a no-fluff product that delivers value in the most straightforward, practical manner. We set down-to-earth goals and don’t chase trends. Instead of reinventing the wheel, we absorb best practices and come up with reliable solutions for real people. We don’t set out to change human behavior. We take the risk to apply our expertise and figure out simple solutions instead of offering endless customization.”
A principle like that is easy to grasp and rally behind, especially the part about solutions instead of continual customization.
How to document and gain buy-in on operating principles
If you think your organization is struggling to turn values into actions and results, it’s worth considering implementing operating principles of your own. Try running a workshop to define your core values and operating principles. We even built a template you can use to run this workshop with your team.
Here are other steps that can help you create your own set of operating principles:
- Ask yourself (or brainstorm with a colleague): “What does this look like day to day?” “What does this sound like?” For example, the core value “collaboration” might look like people from different teams sitting together at lunch. It might sound like someone asking “Hey, can I bounce something off you for a gut check?” Though it might seem goofy, envisioning actual examples will help you define how you want the company to run.
- Solicit feedback and input; do this early and often. It’s critical that people feel invested in the process. Explain what your goal is, and share these drafts with others on your team or in the company.
- Make these operating principles as accessible as possible. Put them in a place that everyone can access and seek input. Determine a date by which you’d like to receive final feedback, so that people know the process has an end date.
- Get to a stopping point, and publish your final version. Remind people not to let the perfect get in the way of the good. You can (and should) iterate on these later, once you’d had the chance to test them.
Ideally, you’re giving your teams and individual employees a clear focus on a daily and weekly basis that they can relate to the wider goals of the company, and in turn, feel like their work is having a meaningful impact.
Easily store and access your operating principles in Tettra
Tettra is an internal knowledge base, wiki and knowledge management solution in one. Tettra has a streamlined interface that is beginner-friendly. It has a question and answers feature, as well as content verification which keeps knowledge base content up-to-date.
Tettra offers a full suite of tools for sharing knowledge.
With Tettra, you’ll get:
- Q&A workflow to capture questions
- Knowledge base to document answers
- Knowledge management features to keep content up to date.
- Integrations with chat tools to make sure your team actually uses Tettra
