The Organisational House

Introduction

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(This podcast was produced with AI.)

Finding Orientation in a Living Structure

What exactly is the Organisational House?

You can imagine an organisation like a house.
Inside this house, there are rooms in which people work and live. For the house to remain stable, it needs a solid foundation, supporting walls and a roof that protects and connects.

Such a house is constantly changing: it is built, tended to, shaped, renewed and sometimes extended. It provides structure for working together, while simultaneously being shaped by the people who live within it.

There is no universal standard for keeping a house stable and liveable in the long term. But there are conditions that offer safety and orientation, along with materials, tools and methods that help us take good care of it.

What we would rarely do at home, though, is tackle everything at once.
We wouldn’t decide to completely rebuild the house next week, redecorate every room and replace the roof all at the same time.

Yet this is often exactly how organisational change is approached and one of the reasons why it so often fails. Change takes time. It emerges step by step.

I believe in the horse. The automobile is only a temporary phenomenon.
(Kaiser Wilhelm II)

The organisational house is a model that connects the system with the people.
It shows how the different rooms interact and how organisations can develop from within.

Culture and values form the foundation. Purpose and vision, along with psychological safety and trust, carry the whole house and provide stability.
The roof represents the emotional layer of an organisation, the feelings and needs that play a role in every room.

The four rooms each stand for a core area of organisational life. Each room has its own dynamics, yet all are interconnected:

The individual room: The people
The relationship room: Team collaboration
The steering room: Structures, processes and rules
The operational room: The actual work and results

The organisational house makes visible what is often viewed separately: humanity, structure, effectiveness and culture. It helps us understand organisations as a whole rather than simply repairing isolated problems.
Because organisations are constantly changing, the house offers a way to maintain orientation and recognise the connections between different rooms.

Self-management is not a fixed state but an approach. It includes methods, tools and mindsets that make organisations more human, adaptable and effective.
The organisational house shows that safety and flexibility are not opposites. They reinforce one another.

Typical Challenges in Organisations

Change rarely fails because there are no good concepts. It often fails because structures, people and culture are not considered and shaped together.

Lack of orientation during change: “Things should be different, but we don’t know how.”
When structures shift but people are not brought along, uncertainty grows.
Example: A ward introduces a new documentation system, but no one explains why it is being implemented or on what principles it should be used.
Insecurity instead of relief: “Management needs to decide.”
When leaders are overloaded, pressure builds at the top and dependency grows at the bottom.
Example: In cases of conflict or bottlenecks, everyone turns to the manager, even though many decisions could be made within the team.
Conflicts remain unspoken.
When tensions are not addressed, they surface in relationships and atmosphere.
Example: Frustration grows between medical and nursing staff because tasks and responsibilities are unclear.
The organisation only works on paper.
Mission statements, values, responsibilities and workflows are written down but not effective in everyday practice.
Example: There are clear guidelines for collaboration, but in reality habits or the quick workaround determine what happens.

The Organisational House in Focus

Every organisation shares the same basic structure: a foundation and supporting walls, different rooms and a roof.
But every organisation is unique. Just as the houses we live in are all different.

Some rooms are well looked after and full of life; others are crowded or gathering dust. Sometimes a full renovation is needed, and sometimes it is enough to open a door and let in a little light.

Organisations do not change from the outside.
They change when people begin to inhabit their house from within.

Now it’s your turn: Which room would you like to explore first?

The individual room: This is about mindset and attitude, self-leadership, personal responsibility and strengths.
This is where everything begins. With you.

The relationship room: This is about communication and empathy, feedback and learning culture, conflict resolution and team development.
This is where it becomes clear that teams do not function by accident.

The steering room: This is about system clarity, responsibilities and roles, leadership and decision-making.
This is where orientation and safety are created.

The operational room: This is about efficiency, transparency, agility, ongoing development and results. This is where the impact of collaboration becomes visible.

The foundation and supporting walls: This is where culture and values live, including psychological safety, trust, purpose and vision.
This is what holds the organisation together.

The roof: This is where feelings and needs reside.
This is where the human side of the system is protected.