Tanker behavior
Strategy comes from above — and dissipates in the day-to-day.
Board has a strategy paper. Divisions build their own plans around it. Operating teams hear about purpose only at the all-hands. Daily work follows its own logic.
P
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POWER · Principle 1 / 5
P · Positioning
Clear about where you're going.
An octopus organization starts with clarity. Who are we? Why do we exist? Where do we want to go? Whom do we serve?
The idea
Positioning is not rigid planning — it's shared orientation.
Like navigating at sea, you need an honest assessment of where you are, a clear picture of where you want to go, and a shared route. In complex environments this clarity creates stability. It allows autonomous teams — the arms of the octopus — to act on their own without losing the shared direction.
Eine Beispiel-Blockade aus dem POWER-Prinzip Positionierung.
What it means in practice
Four building blocks of shared orientation.
Fixed point
A clear north star.
Purpose, mission, values as a shared reference — not as decoration, but as a compass for everyday decisions.
Standpoint
Honest assessment of where you stand.
Where are we really — as a market, as an organization, as a team? Not embellished, not shamed. Clear.
Target
Shared picture of the future.
What are we building together? Concrete enough that everyone rows in the same direction. Open enough that each finds their contribution.
Route
Shared, adaptable paths.
Clear strategic milestones — and enough room for teams to make local routing decisions on the ground.
In everyday work
What you notice in practice.
Octopus behavior
Every team knows the north star — and decides accordingly.
Board and teams have the same target in mind. Operating decisions are checked against the north star. When a team sees a route correction, it can act without asking the board.
On point
Identity and meaning, paired with strategic clarity, align all forces toward the same goal.
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