On ThursdayagAugust 16, 2018, nine Netstream company Sipgate in Düsseldorf because they apparently work completely differently than is typical in other companies. They have no managersagno overtime, and no budgets. In their book "24 Work Hacks," they describe in detail how they work and think.
Since we ourselves are currently undergoing a transformation as a company, we wanted to take the opportunity to be inspired by their way of working. I would like to briefly note here what impressed me most after this incredibly exciting, but also demandingag.
1. Decentralized and self-organized product/feature teams
They organize themselves so that each team can develop and operate a product completely independently. This means the teams have end-to-end responsibility and can make independent decisions and take action within their area. Of course, this also means they need diverse experts and roles within the teams. This allows them to ensure that a large number of employees can consistently and quickly conduct experiments and successfully operate a broad product range. What I particularly like about this? Every employee can work effectively, and the team can act independently if changes are needed. This eliminates dependencies, which I imagine is very liberating and satisfying. However, point 2 is a prerequisite for this to be possible.
2. Transparency – Portfolio, Mission and Analytics Report
In order for the self-organized teams to make decisions, they need all the information relevant to those decisions. A specialized team is dedicated solely to the data. They regularly publish a 90-page report containing decision-relevant information.
In addition to the analytics report, a centrally managed and transparent portfolio is needed. This portfolio is aligned with the "winning aspiration," which serves as the roadmap for the next five years. This portfolio board, in turn, manages the individual teams, ensuring that all teams are pursuing the common goal.
3. Learning Organization – Library, Continuing Education and Experiments
They give their employees space to learn, space to develop, and space to find inspiration outside the company. They do this with a large library and without a dedicated training budget (everyone is allowed two training courses per year, regardless of cost or location; the only requirement is transparency and knowledge sharing). As I understand it, it's incredibly important to them that their employees don't have to reinvent the wheel but can adapt existing concepts and solutions to their environment. Learning means keeping people moving forward, and in my opinion, that's one of the most important things in an agbusiness world.
Experimentation is an integral part of any learning organization. The outcome of experiments is completely open, because the most important thing is to understand and learn. When ideas arise at Sipgate, a small team is formed who are then given the time and space to develop and test the idea. Development doesn't take years; the goal is to quickly launch a solution to market simply to see if it works or not.
What I find particularly exciting about experiments is the uncomplicated way of simply doing things and being open to what happens. It's not essential that an experiment be financially successful, but rather that the experiment is used to generate new knowledge.
4. Peer feedback
Management by Objectives (MbO), performance reviews, and performance measurements have been debated in the HR world for years. My opinion on the matter is quite simple: abolish them. That's why I found the feedback room particularly interesting. Here, employees receive honest and well-intentioned feedback that actually helps them develop. They don't receive this feedback from their supervisor, because there isn't one, but from five or six people they themselves select. These individuals prepare thoroughly and provide 10-minute, personalized feedback on topics such as "What should be continued," "What ideas do I have as a feedback provider about how someone could develop," and "What were the highlights of our collaboration?".
The recipient of the feedback remains silent and listens; there is no justification offered. Moderators can be brought in to ensure that the feedback sessions run smoothly and the principles are followed.
The underlying attitude is important and crucial for me, because it's about giving positive feedback and having a genuine interest in the feedback provideragto the development of the feedback recipient.
For me personally, receiving this kind of feedback is much more meaningful and effective for personal development than simply having a conversation with my supervisor once or twice a year.
5. Culture
There were so many other things that really impressed me. The time clock, the open Fridays, the childcare, and the peer recruiting. But for me, it's these many small things that ultimately define the culture. It's characterized by personal responsibility, a focus on the essentials, and a constant desire to develop and advance both themselves and the company. They clearly enjoy what they do and want to share that with the world.
It's difficult to truly put into words why thisag and the culture of Sipgate fascinated and inspired me so much. But I imagine life in such a work environment to be very fulfilling. As an individual, I can influence my surroundings; I have the freedom to make changes if something bothers me; and the team trusts my abilities and my ability to act in the best interests of the company. Furthermore, the entire company sees me as a person with all my talents, potential, desires, and goals. This leads me to want to fully dedicate myself to the company and likely achieve considerably more than if someone from "above" dictated what to do, even though I probably know better in my role. Because I know the goal precisely, I'm ready to run towards it with fullag, knowing that everyone around me is also heading in the same direction. This gives me an enormous sense of cohesion, belonging, and purpose.
As I mentioned at the beginning, we at Netstream are also undergoing a transformation, and I sense from many small things that we, too, are moving in this cultural direction. This makes me personally very proud, and I am passionately driving this change forward. Of course, this doesn't mean that we will simply copy Sipgate's way of working and structure, but rather that we will find our own way of shaping our world. Sipgate has been a wonderful and lasting inspiration on this journey, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them again most sincerely!
I'm excited to see where this journey (Netstream) takes us and where we'll be in a few months. One thing is for sure: things are moving forward, and I'm happy to be right in the middle of it.
