Exploring Self-Managing Workplaces #3

Solits (Wateringen, the Netherlands)

The day had finally come for my visit to Solits in Wateringen. This was my third visit to a self-managing organisation and for a change, it wasn't raining in the Netherlands— it was beautifully sunny! Upon arriving at Solits, I was greeted by owner Brenda and after grabbing a coffee, we headed upstairs to discuss self-management.

After a brief introduction, Brenda gave me a short overview of Solits' business. They sell plinths for product presentation, an idea that stemmed from Brenda and her husband Diego's gallery in Wijk bij Duurstede, where they sold African sculptures. Customers who purchased the sculptures often wanted plinths to display them, and thus, they began selling plinths.

Brenda explained how they started from the gallery and eventually hired someone to help with deliveries. Over time, they brought in more staff for assembly and bookkeeping, and now Solits employs around 30 people, selling across Europe.

Brenda and her husband Diego started this adventure together and have always had the ideal of wanting the company to continue without them. Both have a lot of trust in their employees.

Transitioning to Self-Management

Brenda's journey to self-management at Solits began with the book "Reinventing Organizations". While she's unsure if it was the true catalyst or if the idea had been brewing beforehand, the book introduced her to “Het Eerste Huis”, a consultancy that helps organisations become self-managed.

What resonated with Brenda was the book's human-centric approach. "I've always believed that work-life balance is important. Both aspects take up equal space in your mind, so they both need attention," she explained.

"I found it interesting that people can manage complex tasks at home, like getting a mortgage, but still need guidance at work”

She wondered about how they could achieve that same in the workplace.

Solits worked with Het Eerste Huis to change how they operate. "They showed us how to move from traditional jobs to people taking on different roles with specific responsibilities," Brenda explained. The team mapped out all company activities on large sheets of paper, using post-its to list tasks. They grouped these tasks into roles, creating a comprehensive list of responsibilities.

This change wasn't just about reorganising tasks; they learned that self-management also involves new ways of running meetings and making decisions, focuses on using the creative forces around you instead of seeing yourself as a victim.

Embracing the Creation Triangle

Brenda discussed moving away from the Drama Triangle, a concept introduced by Stephen B. Karpman. According to Karpman, there are three common roles we all slip into when we’re in challenging situations:

• Victim: Feels helpless and blames others for their problems.

• Persecutor: Controls or criticises others, often creating conflict.

• Rescuer: Attempts to help but ends up disempowering others.

The problem with embodying any of these roles (often cycling between them) is that you end up perpetuating conflict rather than mitigating it. Recognising these dynamics in yourself and others is the first step to breaking the cycle and moving forward.

Instead of the Drama Triangle, Solits adopted the Empowerment Dynamic, developed by David Emerald. This model focuses on more positive roles:

• Creator: Takes charge of outcomes.

• Challenger: Questions and supports growth.

• Coach: Guides others in their development.

The Empowerment Dynamic encourages individuals to shift from a problem-focused mindset to an outcome-focused one. When triggered, it's important to:

1. Notice which role you are embodying.

2. Calm down and reflect on actions that can break the cycle.

3. Aim to move into Creator mode. If someone else is struggling, be a Coach or Challenger to support them.

This approach helps Solits to build a stronger, more independent team and helps improve internal dynamics, aligning with their goal of becoming a true self-managing organisation.

Imagine someone at work who says:

Things aren't going well. Someone should do something!

This person is acting like a victim, pointing out problems without offering solutions.

Now consider a different approach:

I see the issues, so I have a proposal to fix them.

This person is taking on the creator role and trying to improve the situation.

Interestingly, even well-trained individuals can struggle to make this shift. A clear meeting structure can help maintain this positive approach, although people often resist such structures. However, following a good meeting format can effectively keep the focus on solutions.

Tensions: A Key Tool for Improvement at Solits

At Solits, they adopted the concept of tension from Holacracy as a key tool for improvement. A tension is defined as the feeling you get when you sense a gap between what is and what could be. It's essentially recognising a difference between the current reality and a potential future state.

Understanding Tensions

• The word "tension" comes from the idea of stretching, which is not inherently negative. In fact, tensions are opportunities for improvement and moving the organisation forward.

• Tensions are personal - you can only feel your own tensions, not someone else's.

• It's important to distinguish between organisational tensions and personal tensions; Holacracy focuses on addressing organisational tensions.

• Tensions should be processed one at a time, not bundled together.

• Tensions can include sub-tensions or multiple aspects.

Using Tensions

• Anyone in the organisation can raise tensions they sense within their roles.

• Individuals are responsible for monitoring tensions related to their roles and comparing current reality to the ideal potential expression of their role's purpose and accountabilities.

• There are clear processes for addressing tensions:

  1. Tactical meetings: For getting information, sharing information, requesting resources, or asking someone to do something.

  2. Governance meetings: For changing roles or creating new ones.

• The goal is to empower everyone to act on tensions they sense to move things towards their potential.everyone to act on tensions they sense to move things toward their potential.

The image included above was created by Jonathan Yankovich.
You can find his article on Medium here.

Example of a Tension

Let's say Tom works in the marketing department and notices that the team often misses deadlines for social media posts. This creates a tension for him because he knows timely posts are crucial for engagement.

1. Tom identifies this as a tension between current performance and potential effectiveness.

2. As part of the marketing team, Tom takes responsibility for addressing this tension.

3. In the next tactical meeting, Tom adds this as a single agenda item.

4. Tom gathers information about the current process and bottlenecks.

5. He decides to bring it up in the team meeting for discussion.

6. Tom proposes creating a content calendar with clear deadlines and responsibilities.

7. With no objections, Tom takes action to implement the new system.

8. Over the next few weeks, Tom follows up to ensure the new system is working and deadlines are being met.

By following this process, Tom has used his tension to drive a positive change in the team's workflow, potentially improving their social media performance.

Benefits

• Allows continuous adaptation based on what people are sensing.

• Taps into the wisdom and insights of everyone in the system.

• Provides a structured way to turn frustrations into positive change.

• Helps the organisation increase its capacity, similar to how progressive overload in exercise builds stronger muscles.

See the following links for more information on processing tensions and understanding their role in Holacracy:

• Holacracy Basics: Understanding Tensions

• There is always more than one way to process a tension

• 7 Things You Can Learn From Holacracy Even If You Don't Practice It

Decision-Making through the Consent Method

Solits uses the consent method as part of its decision-making process. In Holacracy and Sociocracy, the consent method is essential for effective decision-making. It focuses on collaboration and empowerment, enabling teams to make choices without requiring full consensus. This approach fosters inclusivity, allowing every voice to be heard.

Core Principle

The consent method operates on the principle that a decision can be made as long as no team member raises a critical objection. Consent is given when there are no objections, rather than needing everyone to agree.

Key Steps

1. Present Proposal: A proposal is introduced to address a specific issue.

2. Clarifying Questions: Team members ask questions to clarify the proposal.

3. Quick Reactions: Participants share brief initial thoughts.

4. Check for Objections: The facilitator asks if there are any critical objections.

5. Test Objections: Valid objections are evaluated for reasonableness.

6. Resolve Objections: The team works to integrate valid objections and modify the proposal as needed.

7. Final Consent Round: A last check for consent is conducted once objections are resolved.

Key Aspects

• Objections vs. Concerns: Objections must be based on concrete risks, distinguishing them from mere concerns.

• Facilitation: A facilitator ensures all voices are heard and helps resolve objections.

• Flexibility: The process can be adapted as needed for efficiency.

Benefits

• Efficiency: The method is quicker than seeking full consensus.

• Inclusivity: All team members can raise concerns and contribute.

• Action-oriented: Decisions can proceed if they are "good enough for now and safe enough to try", encouraging experimentation.

  “Good enough for now and safe enough to try”

Strategic Planning and Budgeting

At Solits, they take a straightforward approach to strategic planning and budgeting. They don’t believe in complicated, long-term plans that can quickly become out of date. Their experiences, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, have shown them how important it is to be flexible.

Instead of sticking to rigid plans for several years, they set goals for the year and adjust as they go along. For instance, they might decide to focus on a specific market, aim for a certain level of sales, or look for opportunities in new places like Ireland. However, they are always ready to change direction if things don’t go as expected.

Their budgeting is also flexible. They might set aside €2,000 for a catalogue, but if a crisis happens, they can quickly move that money to where it is needed most.

They encourage team members to make decisions. If someone sees a need for something and there is money available, they can act on it right away. If the funds aren’t there, they are clear about what can’t be done at that time.

This way of working helps them stay quick and responsive to changes in the market. They believe it is better to set short-term goals and change their plans as needed rather than following long-term plans that might not work anymore.

Challenges

The Need for Skilled Facilitators

One challenges they face at Solits is finding good facilitators for their meetings and decision-making processes. Facilitators are very important because they help guide discussions and ensure that everyone has a chance to speak. They make sure that the group follows the established processes and stays on track.

When meetings do not have skilled facilitators, things can easily become unfocused. People might start talking over each other, or discussions can drift away from the main topic. This can lead to confusion and frustration among team members. As a result, important decisions may not be made effectively, and the group may miss out on valuable ideas and insights.

Having a good facilitator can make a big difference.

The Owner's Role: A Delicate Balance

At Solits, they has been exploring the idea of handing over more control to employees. After all, the staff are already doing most of the work themselves. However, this approach isn't as straightforward as it first seemed.

They have realised that there is a real need for entrepreneurs within the company. It's a special skill to be the one who puts their foot on the gas, so to speak. The organisation needs someone with guts, someone who dares to make decisions.

It has become clear that having that one person - the owner or director - is still necessary. There's something about their presence that seems to be felt throughout the company, providing a kind of energy that's hard to explain. It's a bit puzzling, but the presence of an owner is apparently quite important.

Giving and Receiving Feedback

Giving and receiving feedback can be quite challenging. Team members sometimes find it difficult to voice their thoughts when they notice areas where a colleague could improve, whether in their work or behaviour. This hesitation can lead to missed opportunities for growth and development.

It's particularly tricky to give honest feedback to a direct colleague you work with all day. Addressing someone about their responsibilities or telling them they're not fulfilling their roles properly is far from easy. Pointing out issues like not carrying out tasks or being late can be uncomfortable.

Asking for feedback can be equally daunting. Imagine giving honest feedback to your partner - it's not simple, even though you've chosen to be together. Just imagine how hard it can be to give honest and constructive feedback to a colleague.

Language Barriers

In a self-managing organisation, clear communication is crucial. At Solits, they've noticed that it can be more challenging for non-native Dutch speakers to fully participate in discussions and decision-making processes.

The complexity of communication increases dramatically when people are not using their mother tongue. Nuances, subtle meanings, and cultural references can be easily lost or misunderstood, potentially leading to confusion or misinterpretation. This underscores the critical importance of a shared language in fostering effective teamwork and collaboration.

As a consequence of these language barriers, self-managing structures might unintentionally create fewer opportunities for those who are not fluent in the local language. This can lead to a situation where some team members feel excluded or unable to contribute fully, despite potentially having valuable insights and ideas to offer.

Moreover, the informal nature of many interactions in self-managing organisations can worsen these challenges. Without the structure of traditional hierarchies, non-native speakers might find it even more difficult to navigate conversations and ensure their voices are heard. This could result in a loss of diverse perspectives and potentially valuable contributions to the organisation's success.

Next time

Next time, I will share insights from my visit to COENCAD. They digitise and visualise real estate data for housing corporations focusing on integrating data management solutions to support informed decision-making in property management.

Keep reading, because there are many more fascinating topics and insights to discover in the articles ahead! I'd love you to come along with me on this exciting trip of learning new things. Sign up to my blog right away to embark on this adventure together.