We have seen how the Architect mindset, (i.e. being the master of the broader picture, and developing an incisive view of the organisation’s blueprint) allows for the most robust strategy formulation.
This next lesson outlines the key features of the Architect’s mindset.
The Architect Mindset – Part II: The Architect Mindset Explored
In the preceding lesson, we had seen how Travis Kalanick’s ability to connect seemingly disparate phenomenon helped inform Uber’s strategy. We also encountered Mohan, whose ability to see things from a ten thousand feet perspective aided his career progression.
In this lesson, we explore the three characteristics of the Architect Mindset:
The Three Characteristics of the Architect Mindset
a. A ‘business’ focus:
This is probably the most familiar aspect of the Architect Mindset, and so we won’t spend much time on it. However, we couldn’t leave it out of our discussion as well, considering how vital a part of this mindset it is.
The Architect Mindset looks at things from the perspective of the organisation’s business objectives. Every plan and decision is assessed to identify if these facilitate or impede the achievement of the broader organisational goals. This is what we call a business focus.
This mindset can see individual actions and endeavours in the light of the broader organisational focus.
The Architect Mindset has an understanding and appreciation of the entire business and the way that it operates. This bent of mind allows one to devise more robust strategies.
b. Multidisciplinary or cross-functional knowledge
The Architect mindset displays a broad spectrum of knowledge and skills, borne by a multidisciplinary viewpoint. Leaders with such a disposition tend to spend time interacting with and studying the ways, means, and running of other business functions within the organisation. This provides them with a unique and more well-rounded perspective into issues; perspectives far broader and holistic than those focused on by a business leader whose expertise lies in her or his function alone.
This cross-functional knowledge also allows them to adopt best practices from one business or functional unit within the organisation to aid another unit focused on achieving similar outcomes.
And, needless to say, but deliberations at the strategy formulation table are significantly furthered by such insights and viewpoints.
c. Seeing the potential for different skills sets and experts working in sync
Dr Stephen Friend, a former cancer researcher at Merck and President and Co-founder of Sage Bionetworks, exemplifies this aspect of the Architect mindset.
Sage Bionetworks was born when Dr Friend saw that connecting two seemingly disconnected fields, human gene sequencing and the increasingly growing quantum of clinical data for sick and healthy people could yield predictive and causal models to preempt or treat human diseases.
Importantly, he saw the need for traditional boundaries and silos in the medical field to be transcended. He recognised that Sage Bionetworks would need the coming together of a global network of academics, clinicians, biologists, industry specialists, computational engineers, and even patients themselves. Sage Bionetworks would need to function on an open platform and governance model, which supported ever-expanding connections and collaborations among experts, stakeholders and data.
Dr Friend’s ability to synthesise, to see how the efficient working of a system requires the coming together of individuals and teams with disparate skill sets is a critical element of the Architect mindset.
d. A deep understanding of the customer (and the customer’s customer)
Ensuring complete customer delight is the focus of the Architect Mindset. And that requires having a deep understanding of what the customer and the customer’s customer seeks. “What are the business metrics that my customer uses to define success?” “What are the short, medium and long-term plans that my customer has chalked out?” “What does my customer’s customer seek from my customer?” These are the questions that the Architect mindset concerns itself with.
In Conclusion: The Characteristics of the Architect Mindset
Here, in a nutshell, are the four characteristics of the Architect Mindset:
- A ‘business’ focus
- Multidisciplinary or cross-functional knowledge
- Seeing the potential for different skills sets and experts working in sync
- A desire to understand the customer (And the customer’s customer)
These four characteristics define the leader who can operate like the Architect; someone who can chalk out the blueprint of an endeavour; someone who can see how the pieces of the puzzle fit together or must fit together for the endeavour to succeed.
In the next lesson, we will share with you why you as a leader whose work is strategic in nature must focus on honing this mindset and how you can go about doing so.
