HARTMAN VALUE PROFILE FOR ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTS

The Hartman Value Profile (HVP) is based on the research of Robert S. Hartman’s formal axiology, a structured approach to understanding how individuals perceive and assign value. This profile is built upon three core dimensions of value:

• Intrinsic (I) value: Pertains to the unique, inherent worth of people or singular things, often associated with empathy, love, and appreciating individuality. Intuitive thinking.
• Extrinsic (E) value: Relates to the practical, functional, or comparative worth of things, tasks, and roles, based on their properties and utility. Practical thinking.
• Systemic (S) value: Concerns the conceptual, logical, or structural worth based on conformity to systems, rules, ideas, and definitions. Conceptual thinking.

Hartman’s profile further distinguishes how these valuing capacities are directed: either towards the internal Self (one’s own identity, roles, goals, and self-concept) or towards the external World (other people, objects, situations, tasks, systems). Applying this profile may offer valuable insights into the practices of enterprise architects, both individually and as a collective practice, by articulating the cognitive and valuing patterns that shape their effectiveness and the overall impact of an enterprise architecture (EA) function.

Table 1 Hartman’s core value dimensions and their primary focus

When these dimensions and focuses are applied in an enterprise context for enterprise architects, the following can be derived:

1. Intrinsic (I) value – Self-focused – Self-esteem
   A well-developed capacity for intrinsic, self-focused valuing allows an architect to operate with confidence and authenticity, valuing their unique perspective (intrinsic value of self) apart from their formal role or tasks. This is important when advocating for architectural principles or challenging the status quo. Self-awareness, a key component, helps architects recognize their own biases in judgment. This inner clarity and self-acceptance can foster resilience in navigating the often complex political terrain of large organizations.
2. Intrinsic (I) value – World-focused – Empathy
   For an enterprise architect, a strong capacity for intrinsic, world-focused valuing is crucial for understanding the diverse needs and perspectives of various stakeholders, from business leaders to IT operations teams and end-users. This involves recognizing them as unique individuals (intrinsic value) and tailoring communication effectively, which is vital when translating complex technical concepts into business-relevant language or when gathering requirements. An architect with this strength can better discern the unique aspects of a business problem or a proposed solution, fostering creativity and ensuring that architectural designs are not only technically sound but also genuinely meet user needs and enhance their experience.
3. Extrinsic (E) value – Self-focused
   This dimension relates to an architect’s clarity in perceiving their professional role and the value they contribute through their tasks (extrinsic value of self in a role). For an EA, this means understanding their responsibilities in aligning IT with business strategy, guiding technology decisions, and facilitating communication between diverse stakeholder groups. Satisfaction is often derived from successfully fulfilling these role-specific functions and seeing their architectural work add value.
4. Extrinsic (E) value – World-focused
   A strong capacity for extrinsic, world-focused valuing enables an architect to ground visionary plans in tangible reality. This means assessing the feasibility of architectural solutions considering current constraints like budget, resources, and timelines (extrinsic value of solutions), which is essential for developing realistic implementation roadmaps. It drives architects to focus on concrete actions and deliver solutions that provide measurable value, such as improved efficiency or cost savings. This dimension is key for day-to-day problem-solving and making sober choices that lead to the successful realization of projects and goals.
5. Systemic (S) value – Self-focused
   A strong capacity for systemic, self-focused valuing empowers an architect to focus on medium to longer-term personal and professional goals, thinking in terms of an “ideal self” or an ideal future state for their contribution to the enterprise architecture (systemic value applied to self-development). This drives continuous self-improvement, encouraging architects to stay updated with emerging technologies and methodologies, a necessity for high-calibre talent in EA. It fosters a proactive, visionary approach, looking beyond immediate demands to shape their long-term impact on the technological landscape of the organization.
6. Systemic (S) value – World-focused
   This is a cornerstone of an enterprise architect’s skillset. A strong capacity for systemic, world-focused valuing involves the ability to discover logic, see structures, and apply conceptual thinking (systemic value) to organize complex tasks, people, and resources. Architects rely heavily on this dimension to understand the entire enterprise ecosystem, design coherent and scalable architectures, and develop frameworks, standards, and policies. It’s about applying “hard” criteria and ensuring solutions meet defined parameters and objectives.

A well-rounded architect ideally demonstrates a capacity to engage effectively across all these valuing modes, applying them appropriately to both external challenges and internal self-management. This nuanced understanding of value processing, as outlined by Hartman’s formal axiology, can significantly enhance an EA’s ability to navigate complex enterprise environments and deliver strategic impact.

By understanding these core Hartmanian value dimensions and their world- or self-focus, organizations may gain deeper insights for assessing and developing their enterprise architects and the EA practice as a whole.

Hartman References

• https://www.hartmaninstitute.org/articles/defining-formal-axiology
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_S._Hartman
• https://jmuellerassociates.com/hartman-value-profile/
• https://assessmyteam.com/hartman-value-profile/

This was my last Sogeti blog in this series about the fundaments for enterprise architecture for now. I hope to have contributed to our common understanding of our beautiful expertise as enterprise architects and somehow make it more into a recognized profession.

Hans Nouwens – June 2025

• 2025
  • Business Capability Modeling and Strategic Portfolio Management practices as a river Mar 2025
  • Technology standardization and solution architecturing practices as a river Mar 2025
  • Architecture Review Board(ARB) Mar 2025
  • Understanding the difference between implications and consequences Feb 2025
  • Enterprise Architecture as a practice: A river journey through complexity Jan 2025
• 2024
  • The Gabriel software module, uplifting users with a touch of ai, Oct 2024
  • What is a sustainable architecture? (Part 3: the principles), Feb 2024
  • What is a sustainable architecture? (Part 2: vitality), Feb 2024
  • What is a sustainable architecture? (Part 1: discovering), Feb 2024
• 2023
  • The modern enterprise architect must make room for creativity, 23 Oct 2023
  • Comparing moral values using metaphors, 20 Jul 2023
  • Growing our understanding of metaphors, 13 Jul 2023
  • Deep diving with metaphors, 31 May 2023
  • Sensemaking and (re)discovering the value of metaphors, 25 May 2023
  • Stop and start making sense?, 26 Apr 2023
  • Fundamentals for architecture principles (part3), 18 Jan 2023
  • Fundamentals for architecture principles (part2), 04 Jan 2023
• 2022
  • Fundamentals for architecture principles (part1), 19 Dec 2022
  • Do requirements have a function?, 15 Sep 2022
  • Situational Architecturing – a DYA Whitepaper by Sogeti, 23 Feb 2022