Every Operating System has design principles - do they suit you?

Want to be in a world of frustration? Pick a system to run your shit* on that was designed based on principles you disagree with.

(*Be it the operating system for a piece of hardware like your laptop, or the set of rules you run your organisation on.)

Because every system is designed based on a set of implicit or explicit Design Principles.

• Here are some examples as explained by a total N00b (me):
• Linux: make everything customisable. (Even if that means the basics are harder to master)
• MacOS: guarantee a smooth user experience. (Even if that means you can't do everything you want.)
• Early Tesla's: it has to be sexy and impressive.
• Toyota Prius: it has to be practical and responsible.

If you want to be able to customise your experience to the Nth degree, then you'll get pretty grumpy working on a laptop with MacOS installed.

And you will probably end up working around the design in some way, in stead of with it.

The system was fundamentally wrong for you. It was designed on principles you do not like.

On the other hand - give me a Linux and I expect to get pretty unhappy too. I'm glad to limit my options if it means my shit just works.

Linux was not designed with principles in mind that are important to me.

Once you point this out, it makes sense to most people. Even if we rarely think about the Design Principles behind the things we choose.

But it pays to do so.

Also when it comes to the systems we use to run our businesses.

Because we all import existing systems for running our workplaces - whether they have fancy patented names or not. You're not inventing the whole thing from scratch, are you?

Imagine running on a system developed with the following principles in mind:

• Radical Transparency;
• Small iterations are better than big changes;
• Organise around purpose, not individual people or teams;
• People thrive when they have autonomy;
• Very strict & clear rules for changing anything;
• Expect proactivity from everyone involved.

If you fundamentally dislike this set of principles, then you're better off looking for a system that wasn't built for people that do.

Of course you can try to tweak and modify.

There are people running Hackintoshes (MacOS on non-Apple hardware) too. And people modifying old Fiat Panda's to go 200km/h.

But at what point are you better off getting the fundamentals right first?

Do you agree with the design principles behind the things you work with?

If you're changing anything, it might pay to figure out what matters to you first, and go for something you don't fundamentally dislike.

Or make yourself miserable: pick the wrong operating system and try to work around it.

I'm Roshan de Jong. I help organisations build systems that scale their impact. Working on something cool? Say 'hi!'