Infrequently Asked Questions

Welcome to our Infrequently Asked Questions page! Most people have questions that they are too polite to ask, so we decided to help. Let us know if you have an infrequently asked question that you'd like us to address!

What is your approach? Which "model" do you follow?

Our model is that there is no final model. Rather, our practice is built on two guiding ideas:

• viable solutions to organizational problems come from empirical study (and not from imposing the management theory du jour)
• genuine work embodies ethical principles from the ground up (rather than appointing an ethics committee to address ethics violations once they have already become PR problems)

We believe that, whatever else an organization must do, it must live by these principles to remain healthy—and so must constant*information. In our view, the "right" model for your organization is the natural outcome of your organization's health.

What do you actually do?

We work.

Of course, if we stopped there, you wouldn't know much more than the question. That's because understanding the concept of work isn't as easy as it appears. Work involves overcoming obstacles in a principled, self-reflective manner. So, we ask questions

• that reframe problems in ways that help you uncover unacknowledged resources for health—and how to leverage those resources to achieve your strategic goals;
• that are informed by a deep understanding of organizational structures and processes based on empirical studies of organizations (including yours), so you know you're on solid ground; and
• that help your organizational leaders acquire skills that reduce dependency on outside experts.

What sort of questions do you ask?

Here's a sample. It's all about mission.

What is your organization's work?

This isn't as easy as it may sound. If your mission statement leapt to mind, then, first of all, we congratulate you: you are among the very few people who actually remember the mission statement. Second, mission statements are usually motivated by one of three things:

• It's a statement of what you would like to do (or better still, what you think other people think you would like to do).
• It's a statement of what your mission-statement facilitator thinks you would like to do;
• It's a statement the meaning of which is unclear because it was a "team-building" exercise anyway.

So, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's ask what your organization's work really is. The best way to find out is to ask yourself:

• How would the world be different if your organization did not exist?

If you and your organizational leaders (and board members) can answer in ten words, then your organization is genuinely guided by its mission. Most can't. When you don't know what you're doing, you don't know what you're doing ineffectively.

How will what you do help us succeed?

This is another way of asking why you should hire a constant*information analyst. The main points of our creed are on the main page, but some additional discussion may be in order:

We promote your independence. It’s true: We want to put ourselves out of business. Independence is a bit harder to achieve when you depend on consultants. Our goal is to help you grow your own expert analysts. With our approach, your leaders naturally acquire principles and skills that are right for your business or organization—principles that allow you to harmonize managerial structures and processes, and bring your practice in line with your values.

We investigate. First of all, we rely on empirical investigation of organizational structures and processes, including the pioneering work of Jaques and Cason in areas such as felt fair pay, capability, managerial leadership, and accountability. These investigations give us a baseline for assessing the general health of an organization.

Guided by these principles, we investigate your organization's alignment of managerial structures and accountability in light of your mission, to give you a thorough, information-driven understanding of the structures and processes characteristic of your organization. This understanding allows you to rethink your organization to develop and implement a model of health that is a natural outgrowth of your work.

This reveals that we are methodology-oriented. This allows us to treat your organization as unique, for which we help you find a natural, integrated, custom-designed solution.

How do I get started?

We bring a combined experience of over thirty years, so you could get to work right now—but why wait? Contact us for a consultation.

Back to the constant*information main page

Your work is making the world better.
Our work is helping you succeed.