Have you ever wondered why so many companies act irrationally? Commonplaces like: “The main objective of a company is profitability” or “The customer always comes first”… Are they true? Do we really believe in it? The client can be second, third… or eighth. But not only the client, also the profitability. As? The profitability? Yes, you read it right. Profitability can also be second or third in a company. How is this possible?

Everyone knows that in organizations the official “rules” are not the real rules. Which of the official “rules” must be followed, and which must not? Who should be listened to and who should not? Time and experience will offer us answers to these questions, which will not be obvious in any way. There is an element missing from the picture, and that determines the true rules. What or who is it?

Sometimes we come across companies that make seemingly incomprehensible decisions. Why is a profitable and clear opportunity missed? Why are initiatives of dubious success started and with collaborators who are not the most suitable? If we don’t understand it, there is something we are missing. We are missing a variable.

Are the criteria of profitability, ethics and legality not enough? That is to say, when making a decision, is it not enough to determine the alternative that offers maximum profitability, within the limits of ethics and legality? No, it’s not enough. Among other things, this is because the real objective of a company, more than profitability, is to serve a powerful group. At least that’s what Art Kleiner thinks, who develops it in his book Who Really Matters. The Core Group Theory of Power, Privilege and Success.

Usually this privileged elite is at the top of the organization, but not always, and in fact they do not even need to be part of the hierarchy. Furthermore, its influence may be unconscious for many. But directly or indirectly, the members of this power group will be present in all important matters. Once you know who the members of a company’s power group are, it will be possible to understand decisions, even the most irrational ones. It will be possible to move comfortably around its structure. And most importantly, it will be possible to influence the organization.

This power group, “the people who really matter,” by itself is neither good nor bad. It is simply a reality that we must accept and internalize in order to exert a real influence in any sense. Where are they? Usually at the center of the organization’s informal networks, perhaps because of their position, rank, or ability to hire or fire. Maybe because they solve a key problem, or because of their personal charisma, or for whatever reason. The important thing is that they are the important ones.