{"id":38485,"date":"2020-09-02T13:18:04","date_gmt":"2020-09-02T11:18:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cabreramc.com\/making-it-real-the-smartest-fastest-and-easiest-way-to-build-organizations-2-0\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T11:25:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T09:25:50","slug":"making-it-real-the-smartest-fastest-and-easiest-way-to-build-organizations-2-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cabreramc.com\/en\/making-it-real-the-smartest-fastest-and-easiest-way-to-build-organizations-2-0\/","title":{"rendered":"Making It Real: The Smartest, Fastest, and Easiest Way to Build Organizations 2.0"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]\"\"<\/a>I think we can agree that, over time, we have come to build exceptionally complex organizations, full of departments and hierarchies, full of instructions and rules, of very complex business processes and decision-making. In the current scenario, marked by accelerated change, competitiveness and the constant flow of information, our organizations have become inefficient, slow, bureaucratic and, what is worse, deathly boring, capable of killing the passion and creativity of the most fervent of our collaborators.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The good news is that Web 2.0 is showing us every day new ways to deal with these limits, characteristic of traditional organizations: from the harnessing of collective intelligence to create an open operating system like Linux<\/a> or an encyclopedia of free content that we can all edit like Wikipedia<\/a>, to the construction of social networks<\/a> like Myspace<\/a>, Xing<\/a> or Facebook<\/a>, where hundreds of millions of people can share, create and collaborate in global communities that just two years ago did not even exist. Following the guidelines of these and other innovative experiences, when creating together with <\/span>
\nAgust\u00edn Cuenca<\/a>
\n<\/span> and Xavier Noria<\/a>, our own company Web 2.0 – ASPgems<\/a> – we chose as a frame of reference <\/span><\/p>\n

the model of 37Signals<\/a>, an agile and innovative company that has become a world leader in the development of Web 2.0 applications. 37Signals has developed a whole philosophy that it has called “Getting Real”. <\/strong>From our own experience, can be considered as the smartest, fastest and easiest way to build Organizations 2.0. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

“Making It Real” as a paradigm<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>The central idea of the “Getting Real”<\/a> philosophy for application design and business problem solving is that, instead of spending a lot of time “representing” the real through specifications, mockups, diagrams, etc., we must “make it happen”, creating the first version of our solution as soon as possible. Then we can improve it based on the interaction with reality (with real customers and users). The paradigm of “Getting Real” means<\/a>, in short, less complexity in design and less of everything that is not essential. Practice teaches us that most of what we think is essential, in reality is not. <\/span><\/p>\n

This philosophy means accepting that in a complex world like today’s, where time is the fundamental variable, less is better than more; that it is better to consider limitations (time, resources and budget) as real allies that help us build simple and practical things, instead of assuming them as enemies, and lamenting how well everything would go without limitations. It means abandoning forecasts associated with hypothetical problems to concentrate on real and current problems; it means limiting the aspirations of greater functionality to build limited, but highly efficient solutions; it means, in short, prioritizing design over theoretical architecture, thus bringing our products and solutions closer to the real use that our customers and users will make of them as soon as possible. <\/span><\/p>\n

“Less is more” as an organizational culture<\/h3>\n

A week ago we celebrated the second anniversary of ASPgems and, reflecting on the typical messages and discourses of these occasions, the key question arose: What makes us different as an organization 2.0? What, after these two years, are our values and our organizational culture? What makes our products and services different? I have come to the conclusion that beyond the human team<\/a> \u2013 highly qualified professionals who have shown their capacity and responsibility in previous experiences \u2013 what truly differentiates, the real key is, without a doubt, in our commitment to
\n“Less is more”<\/strong>
\n<\/a> as a value and organizational culture. Our commitment to eliminate the superfluous to keep what is truly essential. It is, after all, a matter of priorities. You have to choose. It is about defining what the “heart” of your value proposition is, and building an agile and flexible organization on it; it is about keeping what really adds value to your customers, and eliminating everything that is excessive. That is why our software products, unlike others, only include what users always use, instead of everything that someone has ever used. For us this is essential, since our products are dedicated to SMEs<\/a> and freelancers<\/a>, who need easy-to-use, low-cost tools in “service on the network” mode. The use of agile technologies such as
\nRuby on Rails<\/strong>
\n<\/a>, which allow agile and flexible development, has been a perfect complement to make our motto a reality: “Less is more”. You can see a good example of what I am talking about in our FACTURAGem<\/a> invoicing solution. As you can see, the application is very clear and easy to use. It knowingly and intentionally does fewer things than other invoicing solutions on the market, but it does the essentials for an SME or freelancer.<\/p>\n

The “Getting Real” philosophy applied to Organizations 2.0<\/h3>\n

Although the “Getting Real” philosophy was born in the highly innovative environment of technology companies, I believe that its reach goes much further. Some of its principles can serve as a guide in the exploration of new forms of leadership for organizations. These are the ones that have been enormously valid in our own entrepreneurial experience:<\/p>\n