The Une, Weekly #14 — The Coherence

Hi there, welcome to The Une, Weekly #14. This time, we’re looking at what it actually means for an organisation to move as one. Because what it does not mean is that everyone should think the same, work the same or express themselves in the same way.

The Between
Coherence becomes visible in the everyday life of an organisation.

In the decisions people make.
In how teams work together.
In what gets prioritised.
In how the organisation behaves.
And in how the brand is experienced.

Yet an organisation can have a clear strategy, capable people and strong expertise, and still struggle to act as a whole. The different parts may each make sense on their own, while the connection between them remains unclear.

And there is something about that between people that matters.

Research into collective intelligence points to the quality of interaction between people as an important factor in how well a group works together: how information moves, how different perspectives are combined, and how people respond to one another.

In an organisation, that connection can take the form of a shared and felt understanding of what people are part of, how their contribution connects to others, and what the organisation is here to create.

This leads to three questions we ask in the work we do:

1. Is there clarity about what creates value?

2. Do people share meaning and understand how their contributions connect?

3. Do decisions and actions reinforce the value the organisation intends to create?

Or, more simply:

Do we know what matters, do we understand it together, and does it show up in what we do?

1 - Do we know what matters?
Before people can contribute to something together, there needs to be clarity about what the organisation is here to create.

Value for themselves.
Value for their customers.
Value for their people.
Value for society and the planet.

Not as separate ambitions, living in different departments, but as connected forms of value that can reinforce each other.

When that clarity is missing, people naturally create their own interpretations. Different functions, teams and individuals can begin working towards slightly different versions of what matters.

Clarity gives people something to connect to.

2 - Do we understand it together?
Clarity on its own isn't enough.

People also need to understand how their contribution relates to everyone else's.

An organisation doesn't need everyone to think alike but people to understand how their different contributions belong to the same whole.

That gives teams the freedom to make their own choices without losing a shared direction.

And when people can see how their work connects to the work of others, different perspectives and capabilities can begin to add up to something greater than their individual parts.

3 - Does it show up in what we do?
Every choice creates value — for the organisation, for people, for society, and for the living world around us.

Coherence is not only about whether decisions reinforce what the organisation says it values, but also about whether what the organisation says matters is genuinely present when decisions are made.

What gets prioritised.
Where the money goes.
How people collaborate.
What gets innovated.
How customers are treated.
How impacts beyond the organisation are considered.
And how it all connects.

If the understanding of what matters lives in those choices, it becomes part of how the organisation works.
That is the real test. And the difference between good intentions and tangible impact.

Making the connection visible
Do we know what matters?
Do we understand it together?
Does it show up in what we do?

These three questions are connected.

Together, they give us a way to see whether the value an organisation intends to create is actually understood, shared and present in everyday practice.

That is where we see the role of value design.

With Une, we help organisations move as one by making how they create value clear, meaningful and present in the decisions they make.

So we understand what we are part of, how we contribute, and how our choices connect. And strategy, people, culture, brand and action can begin to tell the same story.

When they do, commercial success can strengthen social value. Meaningful work can strengthen the organisation. Better solutions for customers can support the planet. Responsibility for the planet can open new possibilities for the business.

Different parts. Different perspectives. Different contributions. One organisation.
Connected through what it is here to create.

For itself.
For its customers.
For its people.
For society.
For the planet.

For coffee's and chats about coherence 👋 hello@une.eco

Move as one. For the benefit of all.

— Laurens & Jorn