Buffer, a social media scheduling tool company, has adopted a ‘no managers’ experiment, shifting to a more self-managed, horizontal structure. The goal is to empower every team member and encourage individual responsibility. This approach is based on the ‘advice process,’ where anyone can make a decision, provided they seek advice from those affected. The company believes this will lead to better decisions, as it combines individual autonomy with collective wisdom.
The experiment has brought several changes. Buffer has replaced managers with ‘role leads,’ who are not superiors but experienced individuals to learn from. They have also introduced ‘masterminds,’ where two people meet weekly to discuss their work and provide mutual support. The company has also started a ‘decision journal’ to track all decisions made, allowing for reflection and learning from past choices.
Despite these changes, Buffer acknowledges that the system is not perfect. Some team members miss the guidance traditionally provided by managers, and there is a risk of decision-making becoming too slow. The company is continually iterating on the process, seeking feedback and adjusting to make the system work for everyone.
Go to source article: http://open.bufferapp.com/decision-maker-no-managers-experiment/