Crisis at work: Self-organization in covid-19
At this point it is unlikely that any organization or workplace is untouched by the novel coronavirus global pandemic. Many have already lost jobs or face uncertainty in an unprecedented time of limbo, not knowing when things will change or what they will change to, even with the local various re-openings. Events are cancelled in many places, and school and work is disrupted to put it mildly. For those fortunate enough to have work, for now, then how will we face this situation? Stress may be at an all time high and people have more energy focused on survival.
Whether it is the coronavirus pandemic or some other factors causing your crisis, it can be helpful to have go-to resources and new strategies for working through times of crisis.
This is just part of reality and, as Marshall Goldsmith astutely pointed out on a webinar I recently attended, you should forgive yourself because you did not cause this crisis.
Is there any chance that self managed teams or self-organization practices can help us if we are not already on that path? Furthermore, what’s our crisis plan?
While it is not a time to add unnecessary weight to our loads, unless everything is going perfectly, I would still consider how non-traditional work practices such as role based work, consent decision making, and transparency can help. Please don’t take my word for it, though; self-managed teams are recommended here for crisis management.
Since hard times mean we need to come together in new ways, it could actually be an appropriate time to take steps on a journey to a new way of working, which can be more agile than hierarchy. Is it the time for self managed teams? It truly depends on the people and the context. Is there a problem, need, or openness to doing things in a different way? Why change anything if all is well? In that case focusing on how to be stronger and more fulfilled or even more productive could be your motivation, as the world around us increases in complexity and ambiguity.
There are many principles and practices that could help during this time of crisis, even if a full-fledged transition to self managed teams has too many parts to work with right now. In fact, for most the transition to a new way of working is such a journey that unfolds over a period of time it may make sense to start the journey with principles or simple practices. Some of the benefits of self-organization are to have greater clarity of expectations, differentiation between people and their work, and give proper attention to the contexts of personal, interpersonal, and organizational needs.
Now, we can create structure and weather hard times with more command and control or traditional ways too. However, agreements, clarity of roles, meeting processes, and other self managed team practices can provide the much needed structure during a hard time.
There’s good and bad news.
Changing is easier than you might think.
The bad news is that this crisis, nor any crisis, typically does not make adding more change easier. It isn’t a good time to change fundamental things about how we work… or is it?
Recently I heard advice at a meetup that was focused on Holacracy and suggested that, for most, now is not the time to start down the path of self-organization since there is a focus on survival. It seemed like good advice. An example was used to illustrate the difficulty of taking on changing to self-organization during a crisis, such as how search and rescue teams train before an emergency to go out and use those skills. While I think this is ideal and makes sense, I think there is also some good news. Given there are multiple forces that could be considered a crisis around the world now, it is not very helpful to say that the benefits of more inclusive ways of working are out of reach, or something to do later.
The good news is, it is probably not going to get any more difficult to adopt some different ways of doing things together, different ways of being, that ultimately could even help in this time of coronavirus. In times of crisis, beliefs are important, people need more structure, and sometimes innovation can even increase.
It is best to look beyond Holacracy for these immediate solutions, or at least view it as a tool for work, not a dogma to adopt or wholesale approach to change since it does not contain answers to aspects of worklife. More good news is there are a growing number of teams who have a perspective of Holacracy that is more practical than extreme. It is even possible to adopt it now if you want the structure, agility, and transparency it provides. Plus, there are many other methods and practices that are helping lots of people who don’t organize with Holacracy.
Why do something now? This is always a good question, worthy of engagement from everyone. When I consulted with leaders who were considering if it was time to make the move to self managed teams this was an important part of the plan, and one to keep revisiting.
If you are finding your way in the current process, great! I’ve heard countless stories of leaders taking lower pay, companies pivoting, and people coming together to make it through this time together. I am not saying it is easy. We have our creativity. We have each other. People need things. The world has plenty of examples of how self organized, responsive, and agile organizations are finding stability in their “new” ways of working.
One past colleague’s branding company is now sharing a lot of their lessons from recent months.
The main reason I would adopt self managed teams is to work better together. We can support each other through this time, build health, and strengthen some relationships, which makes adopting meeting practices or new ways of working much easier. I would argue that this is also part of self-organization anyway, even if rejected as none of the organization’s business by Holacracy in a misguided attempt to correct against some of the downsides of individuals co-opting the organization. Frederic Laloux, author of Reinventing Organizations, talks about evolutionary purpose, wholeness, and self management. So we need individual and collective ways of being that address all of these areas, not only the structure of the work, which is where Holacracy shines.
What next? Areas like check ins, team processes, and role crafting, to name a few could be adopted on your team, and all deserve their own explanations and could provide some structure in a time of crisis.
If those seem like too big of a leap, maybe schedule some time with your team, bring up the crisis or issues, share any hard news, and ask if you can go around and hear from each person how they are doing, what they think, and what they are facing. Do a round. Have a conversation too so everyone gets the opportunity to weigh in and understand what is happening. Can we listen with an open heart and mind? Building trust and increasing psychological safety is one of the best things we can do together, no matter what we call our organizational structure.
These check ins or team conversations may be something to do again or ongoing. A crisis team may form, or something else may come of facing the hard things together. People may step up and help each other in new ways. What needs to happen can’t happen without the proper support, plan, and structure, so create the space to make it okay for people to attend to what is important.
Regardless of whether self managed teams are a path you see yourself on, then an honest conversation would be useful, both to do the real work of connecting with each other, and to possibly explore how things could change going forward. Just don’t let a crisis be the reason you don’t try something that could potentially make things better.
by Karilen Mays,
Karilen values listening, community, and care. She draws on her experience as an entrepreneur, group facilitator, and as a Certified Holacracy Master Coach to support individual and group change. https://karilenmays.com
