The Grain

All organisations have a direction, a focus, a momentum which arises from their roots. As a wood-worker, I like to refer to it as the 'grain'. It is possible, and sometimes necessary, to work against the grain, but things flow and match so much better when you work with it.
For companies this grain is part of both the current culture and from the history - from the underlying purpose and goals which prompted the organisation to be started in the first place. A start-up which is 'pivoting' is shifting direction, but the people and ideals are the same. The group dynamic is the same. The core of what makes it real may shift, but it carries the background with it.
I have seen this in a couple of companies that I have been part of which have been acquired by larger rivals. There is a battle of cultures, which everyone recognises and tries to mitigate. But there is also a core group who will always identify with their origins. The parent company can accept this and use the strong bond within the believers, or they can try to stamp them out. Either way it is usually an unconscious decision since the larger group rarely realise the sub-culture that exists within their ranks.

But my point...
I was thinking about this because I have been involved in a market scan for a new (software) product for a client. There are a lot of Rules Engines out there, and they all have very similar features. Based purely on the functionality and capabilities there is little to choose from. But there it is, inherent in the marketing and implicit in the product roadmap. The grain. The direction that the product is coming from and where they are going. Finding a product that aligns with the grain of the client means finding the product that will fit with the culture and growth and direction and grain of the way it will be used.
Once I can see that, the rest is just making the right case to convince the major stakeholders; many of whom wouldn't have a clue about the airy fairy "vibe" of the thing. Many of which have seen slick marketing by vendors who don't even understand the business the customer is in. Or who want "what she is having".
An example in an area more familiar to, well, software people anyway - Case Management. Big thing at the moment and everyone is doing it. Any product that can include case management is doing so since it is a great selling point. So what grain do each of the products have?
Salesforce - it is in the name. Started in sales and marketing and still the foundation of their business
Dynamics - Microsoft's strength is in customer retention and their CRM reflects this. They bend over backwards to make sure they are backwards compatible and keep customers on-side
ServiceNow - big in problem solving and fixing issues. Great when you want to follow ITIL Service Management principles.
Pegasystems - all about process and efficiencies and automation.
Each can handle any case, but they are so much better when playing on their home ground. So the goal, as a consultant, is to understand which fits best with the approach of the client and the grain of the way they operate.