Just had Martin Pfiffner, author of "The Neurology of Business," drop organizational gold on the show. If your team feels chaotic despite having good processes, you're missing the third dimension that makes everything click...

The "Third Dimension" Most Organizations Miss

Everyone focuses on anatomy (org charts) and physiology (processes), but ignores neurology - WHO decides WHAT, at WHICH level, based on WHAT information. This is why companies with perfect processes still can't make fast decisions. You need the decision and communication structure that connects everything.

Why Copying Competitors Kills Your Strategy

When you copy a successful competitor's structure, you're actually copying their strategy too. And you can't beat someone with their own playbook! Structure follows strategy - if you want to win differently, you need to organize differently. Focus on being decisively different, not incrementally better.

The "People First" Trap That Derails Success

Popular wisdom says "who not how" - find great people and give them freedom. Martin argues this is backwards. Start with what's right for the CUSTOMER first, then take compromises around people. As Drucker said: "The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer." Happy people and profits follow customer success, not the other way around.

The Five Functions That Make Organizations Unbreakable

Based on Stafford Beer's Viable System Model from the 1950s (studying how organisms stay alive):

S1: Direct value creation

S2: Coordination and support

S3: Reality check and monitoring

S4: Future scanning and adaptation

S5: Identity and purpose

I organize my phone apps this way - Gmail/Zoom in S1, calendar in S2, bank reports in S3, LinkedIn/Twitter in S4, spiritual apps in S5. It works for everything from personal organization to Fortune 500 companies.

The Constellation Software Model That Actually Works

This Canadian company buys vertical software businesses and does the OPPOSITE of most acquirers. They change nothing - all five functions stay local. Only requirement? Monthly standardized reports. They provide capital access, that's it. Each company stays autonomous while benefiting from the network.

From Vertical to Horizontal Control (The Swiss Secret)

Most organizations delegate power top-down. The VSM principle of subsidiarity works bottom-up - decisions only go higher if the lower level truly can't handle it better. Switzerland's political system works this way. Power flows UP from local levels, not down from central command.

The "Nice Weather Organization" Problem

Most companies are built assuming everyone gets along, stays disciplined, and communicates perfectly. Reality check: you need structures that work with average people during disruptions, conflicts, and chaos. Build for bad weather, not just sunny days.

👉 Ready to build the neurology your business needs? Watch the full video here 

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