IDEAS Framework

Optimize

Empower teams. Embrace data. Experiment.

A team of health educators wanted to reach teens with accurate sexual health info, but their old-school flyers weren’t landing. So they built an interactive website and tracked engagement in real time to see what actually worked. Instead of guessing, they tested memes, quizzes, and short videos. Some flopped, others took off. Each team had the freedom to launch new content every week without waiting for approval. They used Notion to plan and a shared board to vote on next steps.

Steps

1. Interfaces:

   Design clear systems to manage how your organization interacts with external contributors, customers/users, or partners.

   Example: App platforms or partner portals.

2. Dashboards:

   Use real-time visual tools to monitor key metrics, align teams, and enable quick decision-making.

   Example: Spotify’s internal dashboards show live user engagement data.

3. Experiments:

   Promote a culture of rapid testing. Encourage teams to try new ideas in small, low-risk ways to drive innovation.

   Example: Headspace empowers product teams to run A/B tests on user interface tweaks

4. Autonomy:

   Organize around small, cross-functional teams with decision-making power.

   Example: Team-led CEO voting at High Fidelity.

5. Social Technologies:

   Use collaborative tools (like Slack or Notion) to improve transparency, alignment, and speed of communication.

   Example: GitLab operates entirely remotely using tools like GitLab itself, Slack, and Google Docs.

Based on the ideas of Salim Ismail, Michael S. Malone & Yuri van Geest (2014).

Related Building Cards