Will Holland is the Principal of Strategy and Marketing (PoSM) at ThreeWill, where he champions our core values by shaping and sharing how ThreeWill helps employees thrive. Using his love for storytelling, Will leverages his unique ability to balance technical depth and strategic vision, bridging the gap between developers and business leaders through clear, creative communication. Outside of work, Will can usually be found at the nearest soccer pitch, either cheering for his kids or for Atlanta United.
Productivity is often thought of as a straightforward equation: more efficiency equals better results. But at ThreeWill, we see it differently. We believe that productivity is not just about tools, automation, or even communication. It starts deeper, at the very foundation of an organization—its culture.
Recently, we’ve been discussing a concept we call the ‘Hierarchy of Productivity’ slide. We often reference Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which suggests that people must first have their basic needs met before they can focus on higher levels of personal growth. In the same way, an organization must first establish a strong cultural foundation before it can truly achieve peak productivity. Without the right culture, even the best processes and tools will fall short.
Culture First: The Foundation of Productivity
At the base of the hierarchy is culture. Why? Because an organization’s culture determines how its people think, interact, and solve problems together. Culture is not an afterthought or a ‘nice to have’—it’s the soil in which everything else grows. If the culture is misaligned or weak, communication breaks down, governance becomes a burden, collaboration is ineffective, automation is resisted, and intelligence is underutilized. But when a strong, values-driven culture is in place, everything else begins to fall into place.
A key part of culture is demonstrating that your organization is serious about maturing itself. It has to be obvious and intentional, or employees will see any attempts to improve productivity as disingenuous. Organizations that are truly committed to productivity continuously assess where they are, where they want to be, and how they plan on getting there.
At ThreeWill, we take culture seriously. We don’t just hope for a good culture—we build it intentionally. This starts with hiring people who not only have the right skills but also share our values and mindset. It’s about creating an environment where people are aligned in purpose and feel connected to something greater than just their day-to-day tasks.
EOS: Codifying and Strengthening Our Culture
Running on the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) has been a game-changer for us. EOS has helped us define and codify our culture, ensuring that it remains strong even as we grow and evolve. It provides a framework for keeping our vision clear, our team aligned, and our execution disciplined. With EOS, we’ve been able to ensure that our culture isn’t just an abstract idea but a tangible, operational reality that drives our decisions every day.
When we first start working with a client, we want to understand where they are, where they want to be, and how they plan on getting there. Ultimately, we seek to help them identify and define their most important workflows, or “Core Processes” in EOS language. These processes form the backbone of an organization’s ability to scale and thrive, ensuring that productivity enhancements are both meaningful and sustainable.
Building Up the Hierarchy
- Governance: Governance is about documenting and educating users on how to operate within an organization’s defined structure. Clear structures and expectations provide a sense of order and accountability, ensuring people understand their roles and responsibilities.
- Collaboration: Collaboration is about helping employees use technology that aligns with the processes that govern how they get work done. When people trust and respect each other, they work together more effectively, solving problems and innovating as a team.
- Communication: Communication is about creating mechanisms for two-way communication, keeping people updated on changes to processes, and giving employees a way to communicate issues that may lead to process improvements. With a shared understanding and strong collaboration, communication becomes more effective, reducing misunderstandings and inefficiencies.
- Automation: With clear processes and strong communication, automation enhances efficiency rather than creating confusion or resistance.
- Intelligence: Finally, organizations that get all these layers right can leverage intelligence—data-driven insights and AI-driven solutions—to optimize decision-making and stay ahead.
The Takeaway
If your organization is struggling with productivity, the answer may not be another tool or a new workflow—at least not yet—but it might be your culture. A strong culture creates alignment, drives engagement, and ensures that every layer of productivity rests on a firm foundation. At ThreeWill, we don’t just help organizations implement Microsoft 365 tools; we help them align those tools with the way their people actually work. And it all starts with culture.
