First, Let’s Talk About Alignment as a Concept…
Alignment is one of those words that gets thrown around in boardrooms and strategy meetings, but what does it actually mean? At its core, alignment is about getting everyone moving in the same direction, reducing friction, and ensuring that an organisation can execute its strategy effectively. It’s the secret sauce that makes change stick and transformation succeed.
When alignment happens, it feels like momentum, clarity, and progress—decisions get made faster, priorities are clear, and people know how their work contributes to something bigger. But when alignment is missing? Well, that’s when things get messy, frustrating, and downright exhausting.
The Science Behind Alignment
In their book, The Power of Alignment, George Labovitz and Victor Rosansky talk about vertical and horizontal alignment as essential for organisational success. They argue that alignment is not just about setting a strategy—it’s about ensuring that the entire system of an organisation, from leadership to frontline employees, is structured to execute that strategy effectively.
Labovitz and Rosansky describe vertical alignment as ensuring that strategic objectives flow downward from leadership to execution, while horizontal alignment ensures that departments and functions work together seamlessly across the organisation. Without both in place, an organisation struggles to deliver results efficiently. Together, they are the Glue that bind the organisation together.
This research underscores a crucial point—alignment is not a one-time exercise. It must be continuously maintained, reinforced, and measured to prevent drift. Organisations that fail to prioritise alignment see inefficiencies creep in and silos emerge.
So Where Does Herding Cats Come Into It?
Is it harsh or unkind to compare leadership alignment to herding cats? Well, possibly. But if you’ve ever tried to get a group of senior leaders to agree on a single course of action, you’ll know it often feels just like that.
Leaders are independent, strong-willed, and driven by their own expertise and perspectives—which is great! But without alignment, those diverse perspectives can pull in different directions, creating confusion, inefficiency, and internal competition rather than collaboration.
I’ve seen it firsthand—an organisation with a brilliant strategy on paper, but leaders working in silos, each interpreting the vision in their own way. The result? Conflicting messages, decision bottlenecks, and an exhausted workforce caught in the crossfire.
I remember working with a company where the IT and Marketing teams were constantly at odds. Marketing wanted more agility and new digital tools to engage customers, while IT, focused on security and cost control, kept blocking initiatives. Each function was prioritising its own objectives rather than working for the good of the whole organisation. It wasn’t until leadership aligned incentives and governance structures—forcing both teams to own shared outcomes—that they finally collaborated to deliver real digital transformation, benefiting the business as a whole.
Yet, despite all the benefits of alignment, I’ve learned that real resistance to alignment exists. Sometimes it’s about power struggles, sometimes it’s about fear of losing autonomy, and sometimes it’s just lack of trust among leaders.
Leaders might say they believe in alignment, but when it comes to actual decision-making, prioritisation, and resource allocation, personal and departmental agendas often take precedence. This is why alignment must be designed into the system—so that success is impossible without collaboration.
I’ve Always Been Inspired by the Concept of Starling Murmuration…
Have you seen a murmuration? It’s that breathtaking sight of thousands of starlings swooping and shifting in perfect harmony. No one bird is in charge, yet the entire flock moves as one—fast, fluid, and adaptable to changing conditions.
Murmuration is the opposite of herding cats. Instead of trying to force everyone into line, it’s about creating the conditions where alignment is the way of doing work —where leaders are attuned to each other, responsive to their environment, and moving with a shared sense of purpose.
But Alignment Doesn’t Just Happen Naturally…
While murmuration may look effortless, it is actually governed by subtle but intentional rules that allow the flock to move in harmony. The same principle applies to organisations—alignment doesn’t happen by accident. It has to be designed into the operating model through purposeful vertical and horizontal alignment mechanisms.
Labovitz and Rosansky emphasise that organisations that fail to deliberately structure alignment end up with inefficiencies, contradictions, and wasted resources. They stress that alignment requires measurement, involvement, and leadership commitment—it’s not a one-time event but a continuous, structured effort.
I once worked with a business where two previously autonomous and competing business functions had to find a way to work together. Historically, each operated independently, with separate goals and measures of success. This led to internal rivalry, inefficiencies, and roadblocks that slowed down the entire organisation.
The breakthrough came when shared objectives were designed into the operating model—so that the Managing Director of one business unit could not be successful without the other. Rather than working towards isolated functional goals, they were incentivised to prioritise what was best for the entire organisation. By aligning performance metrics and incentives across both functions, they were no longer competing against each other but instead working towards a unified goal, benefiting the broader business and creating a far more seamless experience for customers.
Another crucial impact of alignment—one that is often overlooked—is its effect on the customer experience. When leadership, departments, and teams are aligned, customers feel the difference. A well-aligned organisation delivers a seamless, consistent, and high-quality experience, while misalignment leads to frustration, mixed messages, and inefficiencies that customers ultimately notice.
Final Thought: The Power of Alignment
Alignment must be intentionally designed into an organisation’s DNA (its operating model). Without it, you’re herding cats. With it, you’re creating a murmuration.
So next time you think about alignment, ask yourself: Are we herding cats, or are we designing a murmuration? Because the difference determines whether your organisation stagnates or soars.
