As the Cells within Matt Black Systems took over the business administrative work in addition to the product operations work, they were taking on the obligations of the whole company. It made sense to measure them the way you’d measure a whole company’s performance – with balance sheets and P&L statements. As burdens were devolved to the cells so were rewards both in pay and autonomy.
Cells did not impair teamwork. Instead, they caused better teams to form because employees saw that better opportunities could be landed by working together. The cells took more responsibility. Control of the company became more like that of a roundabout than a traffic light.
Optional Reading to do:
500%: How Two Pioneers Transformed Productivity – The First Truly Self-Leading Organisation
Chapter 10, 11, 12, 13
Sub-topics in the Chapters:
- Adding a Balance sheet
- Self-management v Self-leadership
- Traffic lights to roundabouts
- Fractal approach
- Getting to 500%
- Emergent Properties
- Bottom up; power to the edge
- Workforce impacts
