Fractional COO or an integrator?
An integrator is the EOS name for the operating partner to a visionary founder; a fractional COO is the general name for much the same seat. A fractional integrator is usually a COO working inside the EOS framework, priced in the COO band: £5,367 to £9,967 a month at two days a week. Choose by whether the company runs on EOS, not by the title.
Below is what each one actually owns, what they cost on the same basis, how each one fails, and when to pick the other one.
| A fractional COO | An integrator | |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the outcome | The operating model, in whatever framework suits the company | Running the leadership team inside EOS: the weekly meeting and the quarterly priorities |
| Commitment | One to three days a week, flexing with the work, no end date assumed | One to three days a week when fractional; full-time once the company is large enough |
| How it is priced | £700 to £1,300 a day | Usually the same day rate as a fractional COO, because a fractional integrator is most often a COO working inside the EOS framework. |
| Typical monthly cost | £5,367 to £9,967 a month at two days a week | £5,367 to £9,967 a month at two days a week, priced as a fractional COO |
| How it fails | Being hired into a company that already runs on EOS without knowing the framework, so the weekly meeting, the scorecard and the quarterly priorities drift away from the system the team was trained in. | Being hired because the title sounds right, by a company that has not adopted EOS, so the integrator brings a framework nobody chose on top of the actual operating problem. |
| Pick it when | The company does not run on EOS and the operating model is still open | The company already runs on EOS and the leadership team uses its language |
What an integrator actually is
The operating partner to a visionary founder in EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System: the person who runs the leadership team, the quarterly priorities and the weekly meeting, and turns the founder's ideas into execution.
What each one owns
| A fractional COO | An integrator |
|---|---|
| The operating model, in whatever framework suits the company | Running the leadership team inside EOS: the weekly meeting and the quarterly priorities |
| The leadership team's rhythm and accountability | The accountability chart, and who owns each seat on it |
| Taking day-to-day decisions off the founder | Turning the visionary founder's ideas into priorities that get done |
| Structure, hiring and the operations team | Resolving conflict between leaders so the founder does not have to |
What neither of them does
Neither is an EOS Implementer. An Implementer is a coach who teaches the leadership team the system in facilitated sessions; the integrator, fractional or full-time, runs the business inside it every week.
How each one fails
The fractional COO: Being hired into a company that already runs on EOS without knowing the framework, so the weekly meeting, the scorecard and the quarterly priorities drift away from the system the team was trained in.
An integrator: Being hired because the title sounds right, by a company that has not adopted EOS, so the integrator brings a framework nobody chose on top of the actual operating problem.
What they cost, on the same basis
A fractional COO charges £700 to £1,300 a day, which is £5,367 to £9,967 a month at two days a week. Usually the same day rate as a fractional COO, because a fractional integrator is most often a COO working inside the EOS framework. The monthly and annual arithmetic for the fractional side, against a full-time equivalent, is on the cost page for this seat.
Pick an integrator when
- The company already runs on EOS and the leadership team uses its language
- The founder is a visionary who needs an operating partner more than a functional head
- An EOS Implementer has recommended filling the integrator seat
We would rather say that plainly than win an engagement that was the wrong shape. Nobody pays us to list on the bench, so there is nothing in it for us either way.
When you want both
Not as two people. The question is which description fits: an integrator if the company runs on EOS, a fractional COO otherwise. Many fractional COOs work in both, so ask whether they have held the integrator seat inside EOS before.
Visionary and integrator
EOS divides the top of a founder-led company into two seats. The visionary generates ideas, holds the big relationships and sets direction. The integrator runs the leadership team, makes the priorities happen, and keeps the founder's ideas from arriving faster than the company can absorb them. The framework treats the pairing as the engine of the business, and expects the two to disagree productively.
Outside EOS, that integrator description is close to what a fractional COO does for a founder chief executive, which is why the two titles overlap so heavily in search and in practice.
Integrator vs EOS Implementer
An integrator is inside the company, running the business week to week. An EOS Implementer is outside it: a coach trained and certified by EOS Worldwide who teaches the leadership team the system through a series of facilitated sessions and then steps back. A company can have an Implementer without an integrator, or an integrator without an Implementer; many have both, with the Implementer coaching and the integrator executing.
Common questions
Should I hire a fractional COO or an integrator?
An integrator is the EOS name for the operating partner to a visionary founder; a fractional COO is the general name for much the same seat. A fractional integrator is usually a COO working inside the EOS framework, priced in the COO band: £5,367 to £9,967 a month at two days a week. Choose by whether the company runs on EOS, not by the title.
Is a fractional COO cheaper than an integrator?
Not usually, because the two are priced alike. No separate band is published for an integrator, and a fractional integrator is priced as a fractional COO, £700 to £1,300 a day in the UK. What changes the cost is the number of days, not the title.
When is an integrator the better choice than a fractional COO?
The company already runs on EOS and the leadership team uses its language. The founder is a visionary who needs an operating partner more than a functional head. An EOS Implementer has recommended filling the integrator seat.
Can I use a fractional COO and an integrator at the same time?
Not as two people. The question is which description fits: an integrator if the company runs on EOS, a fractional COO otherwise. Many fractional COOs work in both, so ask whether they have held the integrator seat inside EOS before.
Is an integrator the same as a COO?
Close, and often the same person. Integrator is the EOS term for the operating partner to a visionary founder; COO is the general title. In a company running on EOS the integrator seat is frequently held by somebody titled COO, and a fractional integrator is usually an experienced COO who knows the framework.
What does a fractional integrator cost?
No separate band is published. A fractional integrator is priced as a fractional COO, £700 to £1,300 a day in the UK, which is £2,683 to £4,983 a month at one day a week and £5,367 to £9,967 at two.
What is the difference between an integrator and an EOS Implementer?
An integrator runs the business inside EOS every week. An EOS Implementer is an outside coach who teaches the leadership team the system in facilitated sessions and does not run anything. One executes; the other coaches.