2022: a year of shifting governance, structures and organising approaches at Huddlecraft
5 posts reflecting on 5 experiments in doing work differently
We did A LOT of change in 2022.
From changing our legal structure, to changing the way we pay people (and how much we pay them), to reducing our working hours… We had more changes than hours in the day. We changed our name, which is A WHOLE THING, trust me.
It’s wonderful to be on the other side of some of these changes, looking back at them, and wondering how they happened!! With lots of change comes lots of growing pain — and tonnes of opportunity to learn about how to shift things (at the small scale).
I’ve written 5 posts — below —to reflect on 5 of these areas of experimentation and change. Why did we do them? What did we learn? How are we taking them forward in 2023?
I’m still surprised by how much fascination I’ve found in some of this really nitty gritty structural stuff, despite how dry it can be to implement it. If I were to show 20 year old me what I worked on in 2022, she would probably spit in my face. But there’s undoubtedly a connection between the structural, procedural stuff — and the human, dynamic, relational, cultural stuff. So, I’ve grown (against type?) to find it interesting.
5 posts reflecting on our 2022 experiments:
1/ Changing our company structure (and our name)
In 2022 Enrol Yourself Ltd became Huddlecraft CIC, after what seemed like a never-ending amount of patience. We were changing our legal structure and our company name, so the confirmation of CIC status was only the beginning of a longer road (that we’re still walking). Read on.
2/ Piloting a transparent pay formula
Over 2022 we piloted a pay formula, to figure out our salaries in the open. We hired 2 people during this time and experimented with how the formula might work for freelancers. Read on.
3/ Piloting a 9 day fortnight, for no less pay
We also piloted a 9 day fortnight, with every other Friday off, for no less pay. To support our pilot we also hosted the League of Less Work, a peer group for people and organisations reducing their working hours. Read on.
4/ Evolving our employment contract
We needed to reflect all the changes we were making in our employment contracts. But as we pulled on this thread the whole contract began to feel ripe for change. I joined Dark Matter Labs employment contracts peer group to further explore the potential. Read on.
5/ Navigating interacting uncertainties
Changing things means investing in them. We decided to make a lot of investments last year, fast followed by several bits of bad luck and lot of uncertainty. This made for quite a strong cocktail of challenge at times! This post reflects on how we navigated lots of uncertainty and offers a template for others to use. Read on.
2023 and beyond: what’s up next when it comes to shifting governance, structures and organising approaches?
Most importantly, a little bit less than we did in 2022! It’s time to consolidate and grow into the root system we developed last year.
There may be other structural changes glinting on the horizon, but they’re definitely further away than 2023.
For now we’ll be focused on:
- Further iterating our pay formula, getting it right for hiring, and getting clearer on how it works (if at all) for freelancers.
- Developing our employment contract and policies further, building on the learning from the Dark Matter Labs employment contracts peer group.
- Simplifying our approach to participant agreements and contracting within Huddles.
- Navigating interacting uncertainties as an ongoing practice.
- Beginning to imagine other, longer-term governance shifts.
And if you want to explore your own governance and organising shifts:
I‘m part of the Transformational Governance Project. We’re launching a learning cohort for organisations and the Transformational Governance Community (a slack space open to all governance enthusiasts).
There are several Huddles happening in 2023 that would make great incubators for your governance and organising shifts. For example:
- Emily Danby’s Power Trip will support you to test and transform how you work with power.
- Sarah King’s Connective Hybrid Culture will help you to embrace new ways of working to grow your organisation’s potential for deepening connection in a hybrid world.
- Lola Odunsi’s Our Financial Ease Legacy is acompassionate inquiry for black women, exploring ways to create lasting financial ease in their lives and communities.
Dark Matter Labs Beyond the Rules project is a hub of great thinking and writing about governance and organising.
Mark Eddleston has created a New Ways of Working Playbook on Notion that contains lots of ideas and tools for doing things differently, and you can also sign up for his newsletter.
Or if you fancy some facilitation to think through any similar transitions, drop me a line, I’d be keen! zahra@huddlecraft.com
