Building Change into Your Organisation
One of the lessoned ingrained into my mind during my IT school days was the non-stop change in the IT scene. Today’s software could be yesterday news in no time. But what if we could ride this wave to our own good? In this article, “Building Change into Your Organisation,” we dive into the thrilling world of letting people within organisations drive and make changes themselves.
Instead of just making ‘change for change’s sake’, we’ll look at the real benefits of letting workers kick-start and manage their own changes, without the hold-up of higher-ups or red tape. This way, we highlight how essential it is to give everyone the freedom and chance to decide what they think is best for their job and the wider organisation.
ihomer
Let me tell you about the company I’m part of: ihomer. As of now, we’re about 50 people strong. Unlike the usual business set-up, our organisation doesn’t believe in strict hierarchies. Every newcomer joins us with the job title “Participant” (or “Deelnemer” in Dutch), which shows our belief that every employee has an important role to play.
To boost our teamwork, we’re split into small, self-leading teams. These teams, though self-run, all share our main goal: creating impactful software and organisational solutions for our clients. In an environment that promotes individual control and fresh thinking.
Comparison
In the old-school business model, hierarchies call the shots. Orders come from top-down, putting a damper on new ideas and quick action. Change, instead of being seen as a driver of growth, is often looked at as a problem. Thick red tape and the need for the nod from multiple bosses slow things down, limiting how quickly a company can react to the ever-changing world.
But our side of the coin offers a fresh, forward-thinking way to do business. Quick decision-making is encouraged, crafting a workplace that’s flexible, creative, and ready to react. Small, self-guided teams work together smoothly towards our company’s goals, meaning we’re always ready to adapt.
Initiatives
So, how do initiatives get started? Most of the time, they start with a desire. This could be an internal desire or an outside desire from our current or potential clients. These desires could be small, like a group wanting to exercise at the end of the day by renting a paddle court every week. Or they could be bigger organisational desires, like kick-starting a training program for junior software developers.
All initiatives start without any top-down orders. Depending on the scale of the initiative, team members are encouraged to get advice from colleagues to form it. Bigger or impact fuller initiatives means more advice is collected. For this to work, we need to trust our team members to make the best decisions for the wider company. But since every team member is an experienced professional, they can make wise decisions without the need for hand-holding by a boss.
“No hierarchy”
So, is there no hierarchy at all? It’s easy to believe that companies without a manager have no hierarchy, but that’s not the case. Anyone who’s been part of a social group has seen natural leaders in action. We believe it’s better to rely on these natural leaders than assigned managers, which we see in projects for our clients or in our own internal work. Natural leaders take the reins, not just ordering a team to get tasks done. The book “Reinventing organizations” compares this form of hierarchy to nature. It flows with the current circumstances, one tree grows higher than the other. There is not one animal that calls the shot, but the system keeps on going.
Genuine change
Team members naturally step into the leader role when they see a chance for change and grab it. If the organisation gives these people the freedom to act and make the change, your organisation will be always changing by the people that see the need and benefit the most. No string of bosses needing time in meetings to argue the change or cutting down the decision until it doesn’t really meet the original need. The outcome will be genuine change, identified and implemented promptly by those most familiar with the need.
Want to learn more about how ihomer is organized different, join our Dutch meetup “Buiten de lijntjes organiseren” on the 19th of september!
