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Managers and You in The Workplace: Zappos: Who Needs A Boss
Managers and You in The Workplace: Zappos: Who Needs A Boss
ZAPPOS:
WHO NEEDS
A BOSS
Zappos
* Zappos
• Holacracy.” * Online
• That’s the word of the day * shoe
• at Zappos, * apparel retailer
• the Nevada-based
• online shoe and apparel
retailer.
ZAPPOS
What
is a holacracy, holacracy
you ask?
ZAPPOS
organizational system
In a nutshell, no job titles,
it’s an organizational system no managers
with no top-down hierarchy
- no job titles, upper, middle, or lower
levels
- no managers, and
- no top-down hierarchy decisions
with upper, middle, or hung up.
lower levels
where decisions
can get hung up.
ZAPPOS
The idea
behind this new type of arrangement
new type of arrangement focus on the work
is to focus on the work needs to be done
that needs to be done hierarchical structure
and not on some great ideas
hierarchical structure suggestions
where great ideas and lost
suggestions channels of reporting
can get lost
in the channels of reporting.
ZAPPOS
dreamed up
founder
The holacracy concept software start-up
was dreamed up
by Brian Robertson,
the founder
of a Pennsylvania
software start-up.
ZAPPOS
Its name comes
from the Greek word holos, a single,
- a single, autonomous,
- autonomous, self-sufficient unit
- self-sufficient unit dependent on a
- that’s also dependent larger unit.
- on a larger unit.
ZAPPOS
A simple explanation
of Robertson’s vision vision
of a holacracy is workers as partners,
job descriptions as roles
- workers as partners, partners organized into
- job descriptions as circles.
roles, and
- partners organized into
circles.
ZAPPOS
(It might help
in grasping this idea employee circles
by thinking of these overlapping
employee circles employee groups
as types of overlapping fluid membership
employee groups individual roles
but with more fluid responsibilities
membership
and individual roles and
responsibilities.)
ZAPPOS
In these circles, can take on
employees can take on any number of roles,
any number of roles, expectation
and the expectation is
that each employee will
each employee help out
will help out wherever he or she
wherever he or she can. can.
ZAPPOS
Without
titles or a hierarchy, titles or a
anyone can hierarchy,
- initiate a project and anyone
- implement innovative ideas. initiate a project
implement
innovative ideas.
ZAPPOS
circle members
will pool ideas
The hope watch out for each
is that circle members other.
- will pool ideas and
- watch out for each
other.
ZAPPOS
The goal
is radical transparency
and
getting more people
to take charge. Goal
radical transparency
getting more people
to take charge
ZAPPOS
Yet,
trusting individuals trusting individuals
who probably know details of the job
the details of the job better
better than
any manager to work conscientiously,
- conscientiously, creatively, and
- creatively, and efficiently
- efficiently
is good there is way
as long as there is way standards high.
to keep standards high.
ZAPPOS
The last thing
Zappos wants is
for a slacker mentality
to take hold.
slacker mentality
to take hold.
ZAPPOS
Hsieh
has always approached approached
leading his business leading
in unique and radical ways. unique
radical ways.
ZAPPOS
He strongly believes * power of the individual
in the power highly successful
of the individual and organization
has created
a highly successful organization (which is now part of
(which is now part of Amazon) Amazon)
that’s known zany culture,
for its zany culture, corporate values
where corporate values matched
are matched personal values
with personal values “weirdness & humility”
and where “weirdness and celebrated.
humility”
are celebrated.
ZAPPOS
However,
as the company moves away
from the
traditional work model
to this new system, moves away
it may face some challenges. traditional work
model
new system,
challenges.
ZAPPOS
Both
Zappos and Robertson
caution that while holacracy
might eliminate caution
the traditional Manager’s eliminate
job, traditional
there is still Manager’s job,
- structure and
- accountability. there is still
- structure and
- accountability.
ZAPPOS
Poor performers
will be obvious
because they won’t have
enough “roles” Poor performers
to fill their time, obvious
or a circle charged enough “roles”
with monitoring
the company’s culture a circle charged
may decide monitoring
they’re not a good fit. company’s culture
not a good fit.
ZAPPOS
Also,
just because
there are no traditional
managers
doesn’t mean
that leaders won’t
emerge. no traditional
managers
leaders won’t
emerge.
ZAPPOS
But
it will be important
to watch for
dominant personalities dominant
emerging as authority figures, personalities
which could potentially cause authority figures,
other employees potentially cause
- to be resentful or
- to rebel. to be resentful or
to rebel.
ZAPPOS
Zappos says that
it will not be leaderless. leaderless
Some individuals bigger role
will have a bigger role and scope of purpose,
scope of purpose, leadership
but leadership
is also distributed and
expected in each role.
ZAPPOS
“Everybody
is expected
- to lead and
- be an entrepreneur
in their own roles,
and holacracy
empowers them to do so.” Everybody
to lead and
be an entrepreneur
own roles,
empowers
ZAPPOS
Also,
there will be s
one structure arrangement one structure
where “the broadest circles arrangement
can to some extent “the broadest
tell subgroups circles
what they’re accountable tell subgroups
for doing.” accountable for
doing.”
ZAPPOS
But accountability,
rather than flowing only up,
will flow throughout
the organization
in different paths.
accountability,
flowing only up
flow throughout
different paths.
ZAPPOS
Other challenges
they’re still trying
to figure out include
who has the ultimate authority
to hire, fire, and decide pay.
challenges
ultimate authority
to hire, fire, and decide pay.
ZAPPOS
The hope
is that eventually
the authority
for each of these roles
will be done
within the holacratic framework
as well.
eventually
roles
holacratic framework
ZAPPOS
So, no one has a title
there are no
if no one has a title and bosses,
there are no bosses, CEO
is Tony Hsieh still the CEO?
So far,
he hasn’t publicly publicly
commented
how his own role
about how his own role impacted.
is impacted.
FINISH