On Explorers Villager and Towns Planners of Simon Wardley
_Note: When I first learned this theory, it was called by another name. I’ve updated it here based on Simon’s updated work.*
I recently dove into the backlog of writing by Simon Wardley. If you get nothing else out of this post, go read and respect the energy he has put into his work at Simon Wardley’s Blog.
This is a reflection on myself, so it’s helpful to know how much I disagree with oversimplified opt-in classification systems. I passionately reject theories that pigeonhole me into hand-wavy definitions. To list a few: fortune cookies, whatever portion of astronomy that’s responsible for horoscopes, much of pop psychology, some of practiced psychology with definitions of disorders that will make anyone paying attention certain they are a mess, most presumptions based on gender, theology, or race when not appropriately compared or normalized.
While many of these theories of explanation are fun conversations over a beer, they attempt to make me simpler to explain in a non-specific way. This generates a caricature of me, not a science, and leads to the worst kind of assumptions.
I do have to admit that I find this inability to be put in a box reassuring: I like to think systems of categorization rarely capture an aspect of who I am to myself in a way that results in more answers than questions.
Knowing this about me, you can imagine my surprise as I dove into the work of Simon Wardley, who captures such a thoughtful truth about my preferences at work. It’s not Wardley Mapping, which I would like to master at some point, but rather something more personal. I recommend you explore his concept of Explorers, Villagers, and Town Planners (EVTP for short).
The Basics of EVTP
Simon explains there are three important types of work to do in each and every part of the business. The three types interact in a cycle of theft that leads to their value within an organization. What they steal, enjoy, dislike, and use are outlined quite nicely in his latest writing:
This model is more than just theory - it’s a practical organizational framework that can be implemented through careful evolution. In Wardley’s latest writing, he shows how organizations can transition to this model:
In my own words, Explorers create, which allows Villagers to refine, which allows Town Planners to sustain. This allows each type’s preferences to flourish while adding a unique quality to any product lifecycle.
And the separation of E from V from T has nothing to do with intelligence: each type is necessary. Each type of mind is brilliant. They are all wired a little differently in a way that feels infinitely more logical to me than organizational structures we have today. People in the EVTP system are organized by motivation instead of function. As Simon writes it:
“Under EVTP, there is no IT, Finance, or Marketing departments or any grouping by type. There is only a structure defined by evolution and flow, hence explorers, villagers, and town planners.”
Where I Fit
My preference for work fits, to my shock, fits right into the Villager role. The columns in the model are like a map of my world: I have a love for feedback (V) and a dislike of experimentation (E). I prefer market analysis (V) over being truly driven by metrics (T). I thrive on building technical ecosystems (V), which my work calls a Community. I’m not as motivated by Agile (E) as I am by Lean, and I die a little bit every time I’m asked to participate in Six Sigma (T). The verdict is out: I’m a Villager.
Simon describes the Villager role this way:
“The job of the villagers is to identify common patterns in the ecosystem (whether just internal explorers or internal & external). This can be done by leveraging consumption data of the underlying components or simply inspecting a range of new activities for common elements or simply taking something an internal explorer developed. Once a pattern or activity is identified, the job of the villagers is to turn it into some sort of product i.e., they steal from explorers and productize it (make it manufacturable, documented, profitable, stable, etc.). You can incentivize villagers by product profitability and by which products make it to utility services.”
What This Means
I don’t call myself a Villager in this system of thought so I can buy matching t-shirts with other Villagers (though that’s a very Villager thing to do…). The joy I find from this categorization is in my ability to communicate where I fit inside an organization. Through the EVTP model, I find it easier to describe what kind of work I love to do and what kind of people I work best alongside. I want to build a team of Villagers that learns from Explorers and hands off sustained work to Town Planners. I now explain how all projects require multiple types of contributors. That’s powerful to recognize.
Further Reading on Wardley’s EVTP Model:
- How to organise yourself - the dangerous path to Explorer, Villager and Town Planners
- On Being Lost
- Finding a Path
- Exploring Value
Where do you find yourself fitting in this model? Do you also find it helpful?