I’ve been rereading Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras.
In the newer edition, they build on the Hedgehog Concept that Collins introduced in Good to Great and make a distinction I hadn’t spent much time thinking about before.
They describe two kinds of hedgehogs: content hedgehogs and process hedgehogs.
A content hedgehog stays tightly focused on what it does. A process hedgehog, as Collins and Porras put it, “preserves the core and stimulates progress.” The core stays firm, but how it comes to life can evolve over time.
That made me think about Core Focus.
Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time helping leadership teams get clear on what belongs at the center of their business.
Collins’ distinction pushed that idea one step further for me: How much of the business around that core is allowed to change?
If you’re a content hedgehog, maybe your focus is closely tied to a particular product, service, or way of delivering value.
If you’re a process hedgehog, maybe the core stays just as firm while the mechanisms around it have more room to evolve.
EOS helps define the core. How much flexibility you allow around it is still yours to decide.
I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer. But I do think it’s worth taking into your next Clarity Break. What really has to stay the same, and what have I just gotten used to doing the same way?
Am I a content hedgehog or a process hedgehog?
