Doctrine: Use a common language
Collaboration is difficult when different departments speak different languages (e.g., Finance vs. IT). Maps provide a common language to bridge these gaps and enable effective coordination.
Passage Details
Use a common language
Instead of using multiple different different ways of explaining the same thing between different functions of the company then try to use one e.g. a map. If you’re using business process diagrams on one side and IT systems diagrams on another then you’ll end up with translation errors, misalignment and confusion.
Collaboration is important but it’s very difficult to achieve if one group is speaking Klingon and the other Elvish and let us face it, Finance is Klingon to IT and IT is generally Elvish to Finance. This is why companies often value people skilled in multiple areas who act as translators.
But a soldier doesn’t need to know how to operate a boat to work with someone from the Navy nor does a sailor need to know how to operate a mortar to work with the Army. They use maps to collaborate and co-ordinate. The problem in business is the lack of a common language i.e. the lack of any form of mapping. If you can’t map what you are doing, then I recommend you hold back from acting and spend a few hours mapping it.
Addressing the "Common Language" Paradox
A common question arises when considering the doctrine of "Use a common language" alongside the principle that "No one size fits all" (which advocates for using appropriate methodologies like Lean, Agile, and Six Sigma for different evolutionary stages).
If we use different methodologies, each with its own vernacular (e.g., Sprints in Agile, Waste in Lean, DMAIC in Six Sigma), aren't we violating the principle of a common language?
The answer lies in distinguishing between coordination and execution:
- Strategic Coordination ( The Common Language): A map provides a shared understanding of the landscape. It allows a Finance team and an Engineering team to agree on the state of a component (e.g., "This user database is a commodity"). This is the "common language" necessary for high-level alignment and resource allocation.
- Tactical Execution (The Local Dialect): Once the teams agree that a component is in the "Custom Built" stage, the engineering team uses the appropriate method (e.g., Agile/Scrum) to build it. The specific terms of that methodology (Story Points, Burndown Charts) are the "local dialect" needed for efficient execution within that domain.
Just as a multinational military force might use a standard map grid for coordination (common language) while individual units use their own specialized technical jargon for operating their specific equipment (local dialect), a business needs a map to align diverse functions while allowing them to use the best tools and terms for their specific tasks.
The contradiction is resolved by understanding that the map bridges the gap between the what and why (shared context), while the methodology handles the how (execution detail).