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Múcua Guide

Work Structures
Work Structures

How to structure people in the Múcua Model

How to structure people in the Múcua Model

Introduction

In the section

Múcuaverse⁠

we discussed, among many things, the thinking behind the structures of the Múcua Model. We talked about small clusters that we referred to as “Cells”; and we talked about bigger clusters “of Cells” that represent “zones of influence”.

In this Chapter, the nesting of clusters becomes more precise and concrete. Structures have names and they also have rules on what makes them what they need to be. It’s a very simple model, really, backed by the principles and the thinking of The Múcuaverse.

In this section, we provide guidelines on how to surface those gravitational goals and thereby give shape to specific Cells. We will also sort out how that is done without a Hierarchy and without bureaucratic centralization.

Note: the Outline on the right sidebar (browser version) is a table of contents of this entire document. Use it to jump to the sections you’re most interested in or simply to give you some idea of where you are. Note that the Outline is scrollable (there may be more sections at the top or bottom than what you are seeing).

Remember...

Múcua is concerned with structuring the work people do in a Digital Enterprise. As described in the Múcuaverse, the Múcua model follows a strategy of the world of humans moving to the world of computers - Cyberspace - where there is freedom from physical constraints.

As you read through this document, always remember: when we talk about people being in a network, we are referring to individuals communicating with each other inside Cyberspace.

People working together means people communicating; but the communicating here is done through social networks or through VR/AR Metaverses. Thus:

Nowhere is it assumed that people are in a physical location.

Everything is done in Now Mode. As such, there are no “periods” and there are no frequencies. Nothing is assumed to be done Weekly or Monthly or...

There are no meetings - meetings are similar to frequencies in that meetings require that the world waits for everybody to be available for the meeting to occur. This is contrary to Now Mode.

The Múcua Model

The basic constructs of the Múcua Model are, essentially, nesting arrangements of cells and clusters of cells. To get an overview of these constructs, please look at the following video:

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Nests

As you move through this section of the Guide, keep bringing your mind to these key notions:

An Enterprise is a multitude of individuals working and communicating with each other.

Individuals + communication = a Network

Networking is spontaneous [Spontaneous Association]. Some forms of communication are prescribed but the communication that happens while people are working is spontaneous - even in old-style organizations.

Clusters occur when people work; they are a natural phenomenon. Thus, the entire Enterprise is a Network - a continuous, connected space.

In Múcua, when we identify Clusters and give them names, we are not clipping the network; we are not snipping lines; we are not raising walls. All we are doing is recognizing what occurs and simply equating clustering to results.

Whether one takes an existing Network and recognizes its clusters; or one designs top-down what the clusters should be (and guide the network), we never constrain the links throughout the network.

Keep the network picture in your mind; tell yourself “I am not creating enclosed boxes”.

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Pods

The ‘cells’ we referred to earlier are called Pods.

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What’s important about Pods is how they are defined, i.e., how you carve them within the Enterprise Network.

Any business enterprise operates through basic standard practices. If an organization is producing engineering designs, engineers don’t do structural analysis in a random way; they follow established methodologies which are part of the engineering profession. The same can be said of accounting, logistics, supply chain management, loan administration, investment account administration, etc.

These standard practies are not followed just once. They are typically repeated for multiple instances over time. If you manufacture a batch of a product, you will manufacture many batches. Hence, the manufacturing process is being repeated over and over. If you approve a loan, you follow a practice; you will approve many loans. Producing financial statements each month - same thing.

Thus, we can see a company’s operations as a collection of cycles - sets of activities that are repeated over and over.

In the Múcua model, we look specifically at End to End cycles. What defines an E2E cycle, in this model, is the result of the cycle - what is produced or delivered.

Our definition of an E2E cycle requires that what is delivered has meaning to a Customer; i.e., the Customer finds value in that Deliverable.

For example: let’s say a manufacturer has produced an item (an instance of the item) but the item hasn’t been released by quality control. The item at that stage is not a result that is meaningful to a Customer because the Customer couldn’t do anything with it. So, the activities that end with manufactured goods uncertified by quality control cannot be considered an E2E Cycle, for purposes of Múcua.

If an Architect is designing a house and she came up with a sketch of the house. That sketch may be interesting for her Customer and the latter may appreciate providing input at that early stage; but the Customer can’t do anything with a sketch. Hence, the sketch is not something of value to the customer and can’t be associated with an E2E cycle.

With this in mind, we identify Pods with two attributes:

They encompass sets of activities that end with a result that is meaningful - i.e., of value - to a Customer;

They include individuals with all the skills needed to deliver that result.

That’s a Pod. The scale of a Pod is in the order of a dozen people. An Enterprise Network, then, has many Pods.

People in Pods

Once Pods have been identified, it’s easy to figure who goes into a Pod.

A Pod is always identified by the E2E cycle it performs - always. That E2E cycle comprises tasks that must be done by qualified individuals. So, then: every skill needed to perform those tasks, such that the Pod is self-sufficient, will have to be included in the Pod team.

Now: remember that this is Cyberspace, a free zone without artificial, unnecessary boundaries or walls. For that reason, when Pods are carved or emerge, we are not limited to people from one Company or Enterprise. For instance, a Servicing Pod could contain people from a “Customer” entity. A Supply Pod could have people from a “Supplier” entity.

Huts

While a Pod may produce a result that is of Value to a Customer, it doesn’t necessarily deliver a promise to the market - not by itself.

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As an example, look at a manufacturer of pharmaceutical drugs. It’s a long way to get a batch of medication into a Pharmacy. Along that path, there are various points that may be meaningful to a Customer:

An inventory of raw materials has been acquired and released by Quality Assurance (QA). Thus, it can be used to produce medication.

Finished Goods have been relased by QA.

Finished Goods have been shiped to the Customer.

Each of these 3 points of value delivery corresponds to a Pod. However, if the promise to the market is that goods ordered will be delivered on time, then it takes all 3 Pods, working in a network, to deliver on that promise.

There can be other promises to the market. For instance, one promise pharmaceutical manufacturers make is to certify recipes of new drugs in a market - so that those drugs can be manufactured and consumed.

A Hut is a big cluster made of multiple Pods which corresponds to the delivery of a major promise to the market. The scale of a Hut is in the order of a 100 people.

Villages

A nest of many Huts is called a Village. What does it equate to? Why are the Huts nested into a bigger cluster?

Villages have the same attributes as Huts do. A Village is associated to multiple promises to the market, within a broad domain.

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Hence, a Village may equate to any of the following:

A major product class. In the example above, we may have a village for cancer drugs; or one for mRNA based therapeutics; and another for CRISPR-based therapeutics.

A Village may represent a broad domain of the industry. For instance, it’s pertinent to consider a Village for Generic Drugs; and another for Innovative drugs.

Worlds

A World is an Enterprise. In a large multi-national, there may be multiple operating entities as Villages; and then the full network of all the Villages would be a World.

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Universe

Finally, many Worlds networked amongst themselves make up a Universe.

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A Universe will typically correspond to an entire Supply Chain where many supply chain partners work together in servicing a particular market.

As an example, in the Pharmaceutical industry, there are manufacturers of active ingredients, others for packaging components; there are manufacturers of finished goods, distributors and retailers.

One can foresee, in the Digital world, a Universe being supported by a blockchain capturing all the transactions across that supply chain.

In a large country like the US, the federal government is so large that it could easily be conceived as a Universe. You could have major distinct areas of government - like Defence and Education - as Worlds.

The Video at the onset of this section provides a simple illustration of this model, with imagery that may help the reader create a mental map of the model.

All the Levels?...

As described, there are 5 possible levels of Nesting in Múcua. Are all these levels present in all cases?

No. The Model doesn’t assume, let alone impose, all Nesting levels.

In a small Enterprise, one may need a few Pods in one Hut. Nothing else. A case that justifies a Universe will be rare, in today’s environment. It may become more frequent as the world migrates out of the legacy of the 20th century but at the moment, this won’t be the main preoccupation with missions of people working together.

Depending on scale, you may find few Huts, many Huts, one Village or multiple Villages.

Nothing in Múcua expects the network of human activity in the scope of the Enterprise concern to be of any specific scale or within a maximum or minimum scale.

Leadership

The Network of human activity that constitue an operation - business, government, NGO... - in Múcua, is ‘made of’ Pods that are self-sufficient and self-managed. Big enough Networks have several levels of Nesting - Huts, Villages, etc.

But if everything is self-managed, where does Leadership fit - or does it?

Yes, it does - but it’s not the same concept as in hierarchical structures. In a hierarchical structure, Leadership = Authority and Power. Not in Múcua.

Eagles

All the individuals in Pods are working ‘close to the ground’ and human beings at ground level are not capable of visualizing more than a small portion of the ‘big picture’. You can’t be inside the forest - where your visibility is limited by the trees - and be above the forest, where you can see all the trees.

A network of human activity isn’t just a network; it’s not something that’s moving in some random direction. It could be but then, how would an Enterprise accomplish a mission? How would the boat travel to the intended or promised destination?

Hence, just as individuals working at ground level are needed, individuals hovering ‘in the clouds’ are also needed.

In more concrete terms, imagine a supply chain in some industry - food and beverage, energy, pharmaceuticals, retail banking, personal transportation, etc. - that delivers some form of finished product or service to customers. Along that supply chain, there will be many Pods and probably several Huts, even if one considers a single Enterprise.

Huts exist because it takes a network of multiple Pods to achieve that one thing that was promised to the market.

Eagles are individuals that look at all the Pods and guide them to ensure that the flow of activities ends in the right place.

Eagles help monitor whether the network of Pods is working harmoniously; and whether new Pods are emerging and need to be recognized.

If the market shifts - either customers, competitors, products and services or general conditions - what will happen is that Pods interacting with the outside world will be compelled to shift; new clustering will occur; there will be new networking circuits emerging as new activities are necessary.

Eagles help with the efficiency of the arrangement of Pods and guide people in those Pods maintain their respective focus.

In Múcua, there are the following types of Eagles:

Hut Eagles

Village Eagles

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