The Seven Circles of Coordination

An operating model for organizations with more interfaces than boundaries.

The model

The circles cover mandate, money, people, process, information, access and narration. A change in one circle is checked against the others. Narration earns its own circle because organizations frequently change what a program is called before deciding who will pay for it.

The working model
  1. 01Mandate and money
  2. 02People and process
  3. 03Information and access
  4. 04Narration

In practice

A new service moves into a shared function. Its mandate and people transfer, but its budget and access remain in the old business. The diagram reveals a service that has moved in the announcement and is still commuting in practice.

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