The debate over health care reform is dominating the airwaves.  It’s a tough issue that seems to have no clear-cut answer.  At its core, health care reform is a classic case of organizational alignment as our government tries to find the proper role to play.  As such, the solution would seem to lie in leveraging the process of alignment that organizations in the private sector utilize to drive success.

Alignment is defined as the state of cooperation among persons or groups with a common cause or viewpoint.  For a minute let’s assume that everyone shares the common cause of providing quality health care for all (a point that’s hard to argue).  The real sticking point in the debate then is the lack of a common viewpoint on the best way to accomplish this.  To simplify the debate, let’s say that one side looks health care as a ‘right’ while the other looks at it primarily from the standpoint of ‘responsibility’.   Time has taught us that in a well-functioning society, rights and responsibilities go hand-in-hand.  In the case of heath care reform, if we want to provide coverage as a basic right – then we have to determine who is going to bear the responsibility for covering the cost.  Digging deeper we can even ask the question of what responsibility individuals bear in making sure they live a healthy lifestyle – or making sure they are utilizing care in a responsible manner.  And what is the role of the public and private sectors in all of this?

In the corporate world, fundamental questions like these are best answered when there is a solid alignment between corporate values and strategic goals.  Values flow from purpose, which makes a purpose statement a great place to start.  Our company’s purpose statement reads as follows:

Salva O’Renick exists to foster highly valued, mutually beneficial connections and relationships between good people and good organizations.

So for us, it’s all about connections.  Within our company.  With our clients.  Helping our clients build connections and relationships with their customers.  And ultimately building a positive connection between our company and the world we live and work in.

Taking it one step further, our purpose aligns with our mission or overall strategic direction, which is to be known as the preeminent leader in helping companies align and optimize sales and marketing efforts. So our purpose of building connections and relationships is focused specifically (and strategically) on sales and marketing alignment and integration within companies.  From that perspective, we study it.  We hire folks who live and breath it.  And we look for clients who want to engage us (and see value) in our field of expertise.   This direction sets the stage for the alignment of strategic initiatives (projects) within our agency so we integrate ‘what we do’ with ‘how we do it’.

In our company or in any organization, the process of aligning purpose, strategic direction and initiatives is the same.  It has to be done, or as the old saying goes, “If you don’t know where you’re going all roads lead there.”  Here’s to hoping our government gets the health care issue figured out in a responsible and effective manner that balances rights and responsibilities.  Approached in the right way, we will end up with “highly valued, mutually beneficial connections and relationships” between individuals and the public and private sectors.  And that seems like a benchmark of success that we can all live with.

As is the case with any alignment progress can only be made if steps are taken to gain agreement on cultural values.