Systemic work on organisation and marketing

A company wants to reach a new market, but keeps putting its existing offer front and centre. A team is given responsibility, but asks for permission before every decision. Marketing and sales both want to grow, but mean something different by a good customer.

Looking at things systemically starts with the connections in situations like these. What is the task? Who holds which responsibility? What happens between people and departments? And how does the organisation relate to its customers and the market?

At upMention we connect these questions to strategy, marketing and execution. A conversation, an analysis or a constellation can help explore the question. The next step then needs to gain meaning in everyday work.

What do we mean by systemic work?

By systemic work we mean here that we examine a question within the context in which it arises. We look at people, roles, agreements, goals and how they relate to one another. The organisation's history can also be relevant: why did a way of working come about, and does it still fit the current situation?

The word "systemic" is not an explanation in itself. The fact that a decision keeps coming back, for example, does not prove that someone is unwilling to take responsibility. Perhaps there is no room to decide, a decision is later reversed, or nobody knows which consideration takes priority. Such possibilities need to be examined separately.

Two applications of constellations

Organisational constellations

In an organisational constellation, a business question about the organisation takes centre stage. You might examine, for example, the relationship between management and teams, responsibilities around a growth plan, or the consequences of a new direction. Roles, teams or goals are given a place in the room, using people or objects.

Marketing constellations

A marketing constellation focuses on a commercial question. You might, for example, map out organisation, offer, target audience and alternatives spatially. This lets you explore assumptions and perspectives around positioning, customer value and the choices your organisation makes.

Both applications can touch each other. A new offer, for instance, calls for a choice in the market as well as different agreements within the company.

Start with the question you recognise

Collaboration and responsibility

Does the same discussion keep coming back? Read how to examine the undercurrent in organisations in concrete terms. If it is mainly about the handover between departments, the article on collaboration between marketing and sales will help.

Do decisions keep landing back with the owner? Then first look into how decision-making authority and responsibility are divided.

Offer, target audience and positioning

A positioning only becomes a real choice once it is clear who you are there for, what you promise and what you deliberately do not do. In examining positioning and target audience you can read how to distinguish internal convictions from information from the market.

Understanding the method

Are you exploring whether a session makes sense? Read how to prepare an organisational constellation.

From research to a next step

We keep a distinction between what has been observed, how you interpret it and what still needs to be tested. A follow-up step could be a different division of tasks, but also a customer conversation, a targeted test, or revisiting a decision.

You do not need to decide on a constellation in advance. Start with the business question. Together we determine which kind of research fits and what step is needed after that.

Discuss your business question→