Our Integrator is doing a great job running the daily business, but I feel like our Accountability Chart lacks a dedicated seat for strategic R&D and innovation. As the Visionary, should I create a separate Innovation department seat under me, or does that structure undermine the Integrator?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Creating a separate department reporting directly to you as the Visionary completely undermines the Integrator and breaks the integrity of your Accountability Chart. In the EOS® framework, all operational departments, including marketing, sales, operations, finance, and technology, must report directly to the Integrator. This ensures there is one central leader coordinating the execution of the entire business.

If you bypass the Integrator by running an independent innovation department, you create silos, cause communication breakdowns, and trigger major power struggles. Instead, look at where strategic R&D and innovation actually belong in a healthy structure.

Innovation is typically a sub-function of either marketing, product development, or technology. If your business requires a heavy focus on R&D to prepare for an exit, define those roles clearly within one of these existing seats reporting to the Integrator.

As the Visionary, your role is to provide the ideas, vision, and strategic direction during your Same Page meetings and quarterly planning sessions. You hand these big ideas off to the Integrator, who then oversees the execution of those ideas through the proper channels on the Accountability Chart. This structure keeps you in your true unique ability while preserving the Integrator's authority to manage the business successfully.