Ways of working describe the lived reality of how work happens: how teams plan, meet, hand off, decide, and adjust. They are the behaviors that sit on top of formal structure and process, and they often determine whether a well-designed model performs.
They matter because operating models are executed by people. A sound structure and clear processes still depend on cadences, collaboration habits, and decision norms to come alive. When those are left implicit, the model rarely behaves as intended.
Deliberately shaped ways of working — clear meeting rhythms, defined handoffs, agreed decision norms — turn design on paper into consistent delivery. They are also where cultural change becomes concrete.