No heads, no subordinates. It is not a dream. Self-managed companies exist and work. The logic is that of self-governance, a sort of self-management in which all employees are managers of themselves. You work in independent groups on an equal footing, each with responsibilities, but without orders from above or from hierarchies. The first examples came into being abroad, from Holland to California. And now Italy too is following this trend. According to a study by the Boston Research Group the number of companies that follow the principle of self –governance in our country more than doubled between 2012 and 2016.
According to a study by the Boston Research Group the number of companies that follow the principle of self –governance in our country more than doubled between 2012 and 2016.
But why choose a company without a head?
There are at least five reasons for which it is possible and profitable to choose a company without a head. Let's take a look in detail.
- Intelligent management of time
Let’s take the case of TMC in Italy, a local subsidiary of the Dutch multinational that deals with technology consulting. 16 engineers work in the Italian offices, all employed with an open-ended employment contract. All of them are their own bosses. The company defines them as ”employeneurs”, a combination of employee and entrepreneur: each one is a mix between an employee and an entrepreneur with independent powers to make decisions. Work is results-oriented and each person has specific responsibilities. No one will ever check how many hours you spend behind your desk: you can manage your time exactly as you wish. As long as you produce the results, obviously. - Transparency and trust
In a company that follows the principle of self-governance, employees have access to all the information of the company, including the accounts and the budget. The company is therefore transparent. This implies a great climate of trust between all the workers, who also share values and objectives. - Cooperation among colleagues
The organisation into independent teams and on an equal footing, without heads to rely on and which can accept blame and responsibility for any malfunction, favours personal responsibility and cooperation among employees. Honing ingenuity also in terms of innovation in the organisation of work. - Comparison
In most companies managed traditionally there is often a great distance between the CEO and employees. In companies without a head instead there is a continuous dialogue and sharing of ideas and points of view that help the company to run well. Also from the financial point of view. - Best performance
According to "The How Report" of the LRN (Learning Resource Network), in companies without a head the favourable climate in the workplace increases productivity, ensuring better performance by workers. Cases of misconduct in companies based on self -governance are very rare. And this also generates greater customer satisfaction, with best market performance.
In other words not only is it good for the workers. But also for the budget.