Master Strategy Techniques to be the Analyst Rock Star

How do you win support among stakeholders for the project proposal? One relevant concept here is that of the threshold model for collective behavior, formulated by the American sociologist Mark Granovetter in the late 1970s. According to Granovetter, each person has a certain threshold on which their decision to join in other people’s behavior depends. This threshold is defined as the number of people the person has to see join in the collective behavior before this person does as well. The lower the threshold, the sooner this person will join in.

The model stipulates that this threshold depends on a wide range of factors such as age, gender, personality traits, and the actual situation in which the collective behavior is displayed. To illustrate, imagine a beach full of people, some lying under the sun, others playing in the water. Suddenly, one person starts dancing. This is the leader, the one who starts the behavior. Then, a second person joins in. This is the person with the second lowest threshold, the leader being the one with the lowest. Then, more people may start joining in the dance. These are people with even higher thresholds for collective behavior since they will need to see more dancers before deciding to start dancing themselves. If the behavior continues long enough, everyone would decide to join in, to be part of the in-crowd, otherwise they would feel left out.

Here’s an interesting example put together by Derek Sivers in a talk he performed at the TED2010 event held in Palm, Springs, California in February, 2010. 

https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement?language=en

Welcome to this e-learning module on Organizational Modeling. I’ve designed this session to be more than just a lecture; it’s a toolkit for understanding the "bones" and "nervous system" of any company or team you work within.

1. Defining the Landscape

First, let’s start with a definition of what we are covering. I like to think of Organizational Modeling as a diagnostic tool. We use it to determine if the organizational units or people involved have unique needs, interests, or constraints that must be considered for the business to function.

In this session, I’m going to walk you through what an organizational model actually is, why they are structured the way they are, and finally, we’ll examine the classic organization chart.

What is an Organizational Model?

At its simplest, an organizational model explains how a unit is set up. The goal is to group people together to fulfill a common objective or goal. That purpose might be functional (people with similar skills or knowledge) or market-based (people grouped because they serve the same customer or geographic area).

2. The Three Basic Structures

There are three frameworks you’ll encounter most often. I’ve worked in all of them, and each has its own "vibe":

• Functional Organization: This is "business as usual." Everything is based on what you do every day—your specific job craft. It’s stable, but it can be rigid.

• Matrix Organization: This is where things get interesting. You might have multiple reporting lines—a solid line to one boss and a dotted line to another. If it sounds confusing, it is. I can tell you from personal experience, balancing two bosses is an art form.

• Projectized Organization: Here, the project is king. Virtually all activities are tied to specific projects rather than ongoing departmental work.

? Reflective Exercise: Where Do You Fit?

Stop for a moment and look at your current (or most recent) workplace.

• Do you report to one person or many?

• Are you grouped with people who do exactly what you do, or people who serve the same client?

• Reflect: How does this structure affect how quickly you can get a decision made?

3. Deep Dive: Purpose and Silos

The form an organization takes speaks volumes about how they do business. Structure is a clear environmental factor that dictates how work flows.

• Functional Structures group people by expertise. It’s great for keeping costs down through standardized processes, but it’s the best model I know for creating silos. People stop talking to other departments, and information gets trapped.

• Market-Oriented Structures mimic the customer. They are agile and customer-focused, but you often lose standardization. Service standards can become inconsistent because every "market" or region is doing its own thing.

4. The Org Chart: The Essential Diagram

The essential tool here is the Org Chart. While there’s no formal "legal" standard, we usually follow these conventions:

1. Organizational Units: These can be small (one person) or large (entire departments or regions).

2. Lines of Reporting: A real labyrinth! A solid line usually denotes formal authority (the person who signs the paycheck), while a dotted line is often for administrative or efficiency-based communication.

3. Roles and People: It should show the roles that exist and who is currently assigned to them.

A word of caution: You might find that an up-to-date org chart is the hardest document to find. Some companies treat them like goldmines for the competition, fearing outsiders will "read" too much into their inner workings.

5. Beyond the Chart: The Ecosystem Map

Traditional charts are great, but they don't show how work actually happens. For that, I look at the SIPOC model (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers).

When we turn this into an Organizational Ecosystem Map, we see the interactions. It’s a flow: Suppliers on the left, Customers on the right. Sometimes, the customer is the supplier (giving you raw materials so you can give them a finished product).

My "Recipe" for Building an Ecosystem Map:

1. Validate the Org Chart: Find the latest one and see if it’s actually accurate today.

2. Cross-Reference Process Diagrams: If a department exists in a process map but not on the org chart, you’ve found a discrepancy. One of them is obsolete!

3. Map the Interrelationships: Draw the flow between suppliers, departments, and customers.

4. Validate (Carefully): You usually can't ask customers or suppliers directly, so validate internally as much as possible.

6. Why Bother? (The "So What?")

Why do I spend time on this? Because an Ecosystem Map is a powerhouse for:

• Process Improvement: You’ll hear people say, "Why am I doing that? I just throw it away when I get it from you anyway!"

• Impact Analysis: If you change a process here, who "downstream" gets hit?

• Strategic Alignment: Are we actually doing what we planned? Or is the "process tail wagging the strategic dog"?

? Final Reflection: The "Invisible" Map

Think of a process you handle daily.

• Who is your "Supplier" (who gives you the info or material to start)?

• Who is your "Customer" (the next person in line who relies on your output)?

• Reflect: If you disappeared tomorrow, who would feel the "gap" first? That link is the most important line on your ecosystem map.

? Navigating the "Hidden" Office: A Guide to Informal Organizations

In this session, I explore the fascinating (and often messy) world of informal organizations. While the official org chart tells us who reports to whom, it rarely explains how work actually gets done. I’ve lived through enough "reorgs" to know that when the formal structure breaks down, the informal one—the real engine of the company—kicks into high gear.

What We Covered:

• The Formal vs. Informal Divide: I define the difference between the rigid, documented structure of a company and the fluid, human-centric ways employees solve problems.

• The "Mushroom" Effect: I describe how procedural workarounds "pop up like mushrooms" during organizational changes, especially when roles and responsibilities become blurred.

• The Jack and Jill Dilemma: Through a relatable story, I illustrate how employees often perform "forbidden" tasks or help each other out of sight just to keep things moving.

• Communities of Practice: I dive into the concept introduced by Lave and Wenger—social learning networks where people share expertise because they want to, not because they’re told to.

• Motivators: I contrast external motivators (bonuses, sales targets) with internal motivators (autonomy, mastery, and the simple desire to help).

? Reflective Exercises

Take a moment to think about your own workplace through the lens of our discussion.

1. Mapping Your "Mushrooms"

Think about a recent change or bottleneck at your company.

• What "workaround" did you or your colleagues create to bypass a slow or broken process?

• If that informal step were removed tomorrow, would the work still get done?

2. Identifying Your "Joe"

In the video, "Joe" was the bridge between Jill and Jack.

• Who is the "Joe" in your department? The person who knows everyone and knows exactly who to call to get a "favor" done?

• How can you better support these informal connectors?

3. Your Community of Practice

Think about the last time you learned a new skill at work.

• Did it come from a formal training manual, or a casual conversation with a peer?

• What topics or skills would you be willing to share with others for free, simply because you enjoy the mastery of it?

"We share because it doesn't cost us anything... and we never know when we might need that help in return."

In this session, I’m taking you beyond the textbook. We aren’t just memorizing a list from 1980; we are diving into the "perfect storm" of the European Aviation Industry to see how Michael Porter’s framework actually functions in the real world.

Think of these five forces as a hydraulic press. When they all push inward at once, profit margins are what get crushed. I want to show you why it’s significantly harder to keep a plane in the air profitably than it is to sell a can of soda.

The Five Forces in the Cockpit

• Industry Competitors: I look at the European skies and see a "clash of titans." On one side, we have the legacy giants like Lufthansa; on the other, the relentless efficiency of Ryanair. Because a seat is essentially a commodity, I see a permanent price war where the only way to win is to be the cheapest.

• Suppliers: This is where the squeeze gets real. If I’m running an airline, I can’t just "shop around"—I’m stuck in a duopoly between Airbus and Boeing. To make matters tougher in 2026, I’m now mandated to use expensive Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), giving fuel suppliers massive leverage over my bottom line.

• Buyers: I recognize that the modern traveler has unlimited bargaining power. With tools like Skyscanner, I know my customers will swap loyalty for a €10 saving in a heartbeat. There is zero "switching cost," which puts the buyer in the captain's seat regarding ticket prices.

• Potential Entrants: I’ve watched how the internet lowered the barriers to entry. New players like Norse Atlantic can bypass traditional agents and sell directly to my customers, forcing even the most established legacy carriers to rethink their entire transatlantic pricing strategy.

• Substitutes: I never assume the customer has no choice. In Europe, my biggest threat isn't always another plane; it’s the High-Speed Rail. If a train is greener and faster from Paris to Lyon, I’ve lost that passenger. Even digital tools like Zoom have become substitutes for my most profitable business travelers.

Reflective Exercises

Pause for a moment and consider your own professional context through this lens.

Exercise 1: Identifying Your "Squeeze" Of the five forces mentioned, which one currently exerts the most "pressure" on your specific business or industry? Is it a powerful supplier, a price-sensitive buyer, or a new digital entrant? Write down one specific way this force limits your ability to raise prices.

Exercise 2: The Substitute Reality Check Think about your primary product or service. If it vanished tomorrow, what is the least obvious thing your customers would use instead? (Remember: for airlines, it was a webcam and a Zoom link). Does that substitute offer a convenience or environmental advantage you are currently ignoring?

Welcome to this session on understanding the Customer Journey and Customer Touchpoints. In this lesson, I’m going to walk you through how to shift your perspective from internal operations to your customers' lived experience.

Whether you are a marketer, a software developer, or a business analyst, the goal remains the same: to look at your organization through your customer’s eyes. While different departments might call these artifacts "use cases," "epics," or "process diagrams," we will focus on the Customer Journey Map as a tool for meaningful review and improvement.

What We Will Cover

In this lecture, I will guide you through the essential components of mapping a journey:

The Persona: We start by defining exactly who our customer is. We’ll move beyond basic demographics to create a detailed persona—like a 50-year-old father who’s traded his love for alternative music for a more mellow attitude—so we know exactly how to speak to them.

The First Interaction: We track the progress from the very moment a customer realizes you exist, through your first value proposition, and finally to the call to action.

Identifying Touchpoints: We will plot the specific interactions a customer has across various departments.

The Experience Factor: We’ll look at the "cross-channel" reality—how it feels for a customer to move from an online booking to a phone call, and where those "disconnects" often happen.

Elicitation Methods: I’ll share practical ways to gather this data, including focus groups, interviews, observations, and questionnaires.

By the end of this exercise, you won’t just have a map; you’ll have a granular understanding of how your customers feel about their relationship with your organization.

Reflective Exercises

To help you apply these concepts to your own work, take a moment to consider the following:

1. The Persona Deep Dive

Think of a current customer segment you serve. Instead of just listing their age or job title, try to describe their "mellowed attitude" or personal history as I did in the lecture.

How does knowing their personal background change the way you would write a "call to action" for them?

2. Spotting the Disconnect

Recall a time you (as a consumer) were told, "I can’t help you because you booked online and I have no access to that".

Does a similar "cross-channel" wall exist in your own organization?

Which department owns that specific touchpoint, and what is one small change that could bridge that gap?

3. Choosing Your Elicitation Tool

If you had to gather data on a customer's experience by tomorrow but had a very limited budget, which method would you choose?

If you chose a questionnaire, what is one "open-ended" question you could ask to get more than just a 'yes' or 'no' answer?

The Kano Model, named after its creator, Noriaki Kano, provides a framework for categorizing customer requirements into three distinct types:

1. Standard Elements (Basics): These are the baseline features that customers expect and take for granted. Their absence leads to significant dissatisfaction, while their presence doesn't necessarily increase satisfaction. Think of a mobile phone's battery life – it needs to last more than a few hours for the phone to be useful.

2. Performance Elements: These are features that linearly impact satisfaction – more is generally better. Think of things like faster processing speeds or more storage capacity. This is often where companies compete most fiercely.

3. Delighters (Surprises): These are unexpected features that go beyond customer expectations and create a sense of "wow." They can be powerful differentiators, but they often become standard requirements over time as competitors catch up. Think of a unique and convenient packaging design or an "all-you-can-eat" pricing model.

Reflective Exercises

Exercise 1: Identifying the "Basics"

• Think about a product or service you use regularly. What are its "standard elements" – the features you take for granted and would be incredibly frustrated if they were missing?

• Now, think about your own work. What are the "standard elements" of the service you provide to your customers or colleagues? Are you consistently meeting these baseline expectations?

Exercise 2: Finding the "Performance" Drivers

• What are the key performance metrics for the product or service you're analyzing? How can you improve these metrics to increase customer satisfaction?

• Are you currently competing with others on these performance elements? If so, what can you do to differentiate yourself?

Exercise 3: Discovering "Delighters"

• What are some "latent requirements" – needs that your customers may not even realize they have? How could you address these needs to create a "wow" experience?

• Can you think of any "delighters" that have become standard requirements over time? What does this tell you about the need for continuous innovation?

By understanding the Kano Model and reflecting on these exercises, you can gain valuable insights into what truly matters to your customers and develop strategies for creating products and services that truly delight them. 

In this session, I explore the psychology behind customer satisfaction and why organizations often struggle to differentiate between basic performance and genuine delight. I introduce the concept of Routine as a double-edged sword: while it's essential for efficiency, it can also lead to stagnation and "Creatures of Habit."

To break this cycle, I challenge you to experiment with your existing processes. By adding, substituting, or removing "actors" (steps or people) within a routine, you can uncover creative solutions and new business rules. These modifications allow for a more tailored experience that can ultimately serve as a powerful delighter for your customers.

Reflective Exercises

As you work through this material, I’d like you to take a moment and reflect on your current workflows:

1. Identify your "Must-Haves": List three routines in your daily work that you consider "standard." How would the customer experience change if one of these was absent?

2. The "Actor" Experiment: Choose one of those routines and imagine adding a new step or person into the mix. Does it make the process more complex, or does it open a door for a creative improvement you hadn't seen before?

3. The Substitution Challenge: If you had to remove one "actor" or step from your most frequent process, how would you maintain the same level of quality? Could this reduction actually lead to a faster, more "delightful" result for the end user?

4. Redefining Success: Look at your revised process from exercise #3. Does this new way of working require different "Business Rules"? How do these new rules better align with customer satisfaction?

In this session, I introduce a technique developed by Edward de Bono in the mid-1980s. The "Six Thinking Hats" method enables individuals and groups to move beyond simple brainstorming by adopting six distinct roles, or "hats," one at a time. This structured approach fosters parallel thinking, where everyone in a group looks at the same aspect of a problem simultaneously.

The six hats are:

• White Hat: Focuses on available facts and data.

• Red Hat: Expresses emotions and intuition without the need for justification.

• Black Hat: Identifies potential risks, problems, and what could go wrong.

• Yellow Hat: Represents pure optimism, focusing on benefits and advantages.

• Green Hat: Encourages creativity, ideas, and solutions.

• Blue Hat: Acts as the facilitator and analyzer, managing the overall process.

By the end of this session, you'll understand how to apply this technique to real-world scenarios, such as improving customer service, while following specific ground rules to ensure objectivity and structure.

Reflective Exercises

To help you internalize this method, I invite you to complete the following exercises:

1. Analyze Your Natural "Hat": Think about a recent decision you made. Which of the six "hats" did you naturally wear the most? Were you more focused on the facts (White Hat), the risks (Black Hat), or your feelings (Red Hat)?

2. Practice Parallel Thinking: Identify a current challenge in your work or personal life. Spend five minutes looking at it exclusively from the Yellow Hat (optimistic) perspective. Then, spend five minutes looking at it only from the Black Hat (critical) perspective. How does this shift in focus change your understanding of the situation?

3. The Blue Hat Challenge: Imagine you are leading a team meeting to solve a specific problem. How would you use the Blue Hat to structure the order of the other hats? Remember, the process should always begin and end with the Blue Hat.

4. Objectivity Check: Think of a topic you feel strongly about. Try to analyze it using the White Hat (facts only). How difficult is it to separate your emotions from the data? What steps can you take to improve your objectivity in the future?

In this module, I’m going to walk you through one of my favorite tools for navigating the professional world: the SWOT Analysis. I’ve found that whether I’m leading a massive project or just trying to improve my own department's efficiency, I need a way to cut through the noise.

I designed this course to show you how to look at any situation through a four-part lens: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. I’ll show you how I separate the internal factors we can control from the external forces we can’t, and most importantly, how I turn those observations into a concrete plan of action. My goal isn’t just to teach you a definition; it’s to give you a framework that helps you decide—with confidence—whether a solution is actually viable or if a risk is worth taking.

Reflective Exercises

I’ve included these prompts to help you bridge the gap between theory and your actual daily work. Take a moment to grab a notebook or open a blank doc.

Exercise 1: The "Internal Mirror"

Think about a project you are currently working on or a team you belong to.

• Reflection: If I had to be brutally honest, what is the one "Weakness" currently holding us back? Is it a lack of resources, a gap in knowledge, or perhaps a communication breakdown?

• The Pivot: Now, look at your "Strengths." Which specific strength do I possess—or does my team possess—that could directly neutralize that weakness?

Exercise 2: Scanning the Horizon

Think about your industry or field over the next twelve months.

• Reflection: What is one "Threat" I see looming on the horizon? (e.g., a new competitor, a shift in technology, or a change in regulations).

• The Strategy: Instead of just worrying about it, I want you to identify one "Opportunity" that this threat might actually create. How can I position myself to take advantage of that shift before others do?

Exercise 3: The Viability Test

Consider a "New Idea" or a change you’ve been wanting to implement at work.

• Reflection: If I plot this idea into a SWOT matrix right now, does the "Opportunities" list outweigh the "Threats"?

• The Decision: Based on this visual, is this a solution I would advocate for in a high-stakes meeting? Why or why not?