Using the GRPI model to debug and design organizational development
Good frameworks help teams create shared understanding about how to address a difficult problem. One delightfully simple framework is GRPI – my thanks to Bob Weiler for sharing it with me.
GRPI stands for Goals, Roles, Processes, and Interactions – four dimensions that must be clear for the organization to function at a high level.
There are three core insights that make GRPI a powerful tool for organizations of all sizes that I’ll introduce here:
Problems cascade
If an organization’s goals are unclear, dysfunction will flow into all other aspects of the business. Noel Tichy, one of the pioneers of the GRPI model, found that the root causes of an organization’s issues follow the 80:20 rule; that is to say, unclear goals are the root cause of 80% of problems.
Symptoms are squeaky wheels
Despite this Pareto distribution, few organizations dedicate sufficient time to getting clear on their goals. That’s because problems more often manifest in other dimensions. Without a framework like GRPI, it’s easy to get confused between symptoms and root causes. Playing whack-a-mole with interpersonal conflict and broken processes can be one sign of this kind of confusion. According to Tichy, there’s an 80% chance these issues are attributable to under-the-surface problems with goals.
That’s not to say you should ignore issues within your organization’s interactions, processes, and roles. Investigating them is the most effective way to discover underlying issues upstream.
In other words, GRPI flows downstream when it comes to problem-solving, or designing, and upstream when it comes to problem-finding, or diagnosing:
GRPI is fractal
This all might sound quite heavyweight, and only relevant for large organizations that maneuver like cruise ships. This would be a mistake. GRPI is indispensable for something like yearly planning, but it’s no less relevant at the team or individual level.
Consider – and this is Bob Weiler’s example – a team meeting. What’s the goal of this meeting? What’s my role? What’s the agenda? What are the ground rules? Answering those questions up front will lead to shorter, more effective meetings.
The reason GRPI has survived 50 years is because it is an evergreen framework, rather than a playbook that can be followed. The activities appropriate for designing and debugging an organization’s goals, roles, processes, and interactions are diverse and ever-changing. That said, the activities themselves are likely to flow naturally once an organization is aligned around a shared approach for addressing its biggest challenges.
I help social impact leaders develop technology strategies, with a focus on innovation, sustainability, and resonance. If you’re looking to create positive impact at scale, I’d love to connect – feel free to learn more about my work, or just grab time with me for an informal chat.