Some 25 years ago, the rise of self-managing teams began. Now there are companies where employees can determine everything, from strategy to each other's salary. People who believe in it see it as the holy grail. The sceptics among us see it as a way to take no responsibility anymore as leader. Organisational psychologist Lennard Toma falls into the believers category and is a good example of someone who always looks at: how far can you go with freedoms on the shop floor? What about unlimited holidays, determining your own salary and collective dismissals? Lennard does it at the company Key-too and shares his experiences today in the Werkprofessor.
Lennard Toma calls himself the most experimental organizational psychologist. Seven years ago he started working for a marketing organization and then started experimenting with a 'free way of organizing'. Each time with the question "how far can you go with that?" in mind. He has written the book 99 Problems but the boss ain't one and is currently working on a new book, about the absurdity of organizations.
New form of freedom or loose chaos?
What happens when you let colleagues set salaries for themselves? What happens when people can hire themselves instead of having to go through an application process? What if all information is always available to everyone in the organization? Lennard says: "If you don't have the steering within self-management, then you do have a problem. There has to be steering somewhere, but anyone can do that". How to handle this in a good way? Lennard explains in this episode.
Appropriate freedom
Still, some people need a certain kind of guidance, structure or perspective. "That's when the leadership piece comes back," Lennard says. Not every organization is the same and not every employee works in the same way. Wondering how you as an entrepreneur use free thinking in an appropriate way? Listen now and learn from Lennard's practical tips.
Links
More about Lennard Toma
The book 99 problems but the boss ain't one
More about the Working Professor
Do you have questions or input? If so, please contact Wendy van Ierschot at wendy@viepeople.com.
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