The application of the ManOBiz™ Matrix

“And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”
– 2 Corinthians 3:18

Shepherding is a process which, when applied in the context of enterprise development, improves the chances of business success by clearing obstacles along the journey. Shepherding, when applied in the context of government departments, increases efficiency by clearing obstacles along the journey. It may be argued that the combination of successful enterprise development and government efficiency is the key to unlocking all doors leading to sustained economic growth.

Indeed, there is an inherent generic design which is common to the private and public sectors. This design manifests itself in the Corporate Governance system constituting the “Structure”, the Investment Finance system forming the “Security”, the Marketing system giving “Life”, the Operations system resulting in “Growth”, and the People Development system permitting “Sustainability”.

Glenn Harewood, a reader of this column, recently suggested that “life, growth, sustainability will attend any business system only when the human dimensions are fully taken into consideration”. We must remember that these human dimensions holistically reflect the glory of God.

In this world it is often very popular to adapt existing traditional solutions to problems on the grounds “why re-invent the wheel?”. Sometimes, however, because of a different local environment, the traditional solutions may not be a perfect fit.
The Management of Business Systems (ManOBiz™) Matrix is a Shepherding tool which facilitates the Shepherding process. It is, an innovative “home grown” approach which may indeed be very beneficial to other small island states.

If I may draw on my personal experiences, there are at least four areas where we can apply the ManOBiz™ Matrix, i.e. (1) the evolution from idea to business; (2) re-engineering an existing business; (3) institutional strengthening; and (4) monitoring towards sustainability.

(1) Individuals, some of whom are natural entrepreneurs but others are not, are very conscious of the fact that their own security might lie in their ability to establish their own business. Business ideas abound but the level of business knowledge does not match their often very creative skills. The ManOBiz™ tool can efficiently take you from “idea to business plan”.

Some government departments and private businesses have not changed with the times and find themselves at best struggling in the Information age but normally operating in a very chaotic and inefficient state. The ManOBiz™ shepherding tool can efficiently transform the public or private institution until it emerges from “chaos to order".

Many businesses have made a valiant effort to do things right but often end up not doing the right things. Hence, they struggle to grow on a sustained basis. The ManOBiz™ shepherding tool is a boon for the leaders of these businesses as they seek to transform to improved business health.

Those business who are pleased with their growth progress may well find that adoption of the ManOBiz™ shepherding tool serves to increase efficiency by continually monitoring and annually strategically reviewing the performance of their businesses against planning targets. This monitoring can be done semi-automatically through the development of digital dashboards.

Let us systematically apply the ManOBiz™ matrix to the private and public sectors to unlock the Divine energy and innovation that is inherent in our human dimensions so that our lives become transformed into something that is brighter and more beautiful.

(Dr. Basil Springer GCM is a Change-Engine Consultant. His email address is basilgf57@gmail.com . His columns may be found at www.cbetmodel.org , www.nothingbeatsbusiness.com and on https://www.facebook.com/basilgf .)

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