Thanks Erik for the extensive response.
Ultimately what counts is ongoing progress. If the model proposed is an improvement from the current, solving specific problems we currently have, then fine and I'm all or it.
I'm still stuck in one point:
On 11/19/2012 07:54 PM, Erik Moeller wrote:
- Why not have an even flatter structure?
My prediction with a structure like the one you propose would be the following:
If you increase the number of direct engineering-related reports to Sue from 1 to 5, her ability to meet and seriously interact with any one of them will drop to close to zero, with no time for goal-setting conversations, career pathing, or serious conflict resolution.
One could ask why so many things need to be reported to or pass through a single person? This is the factor defining the angle of verticality of an organization.
Why not having more decentralized reporting (broadcasting), goal-setting, career path, or serious conflict resolution?
Why not betting on a more brave contemporary model being a non-profit foundation, with hundred-something employees, an open source culture, an Internet culture, a wiki culture, a remote work culture, a contributors culture, an online community culture, a San Francisco Bay tech startup inspiration?
I understand what you are explaining about the board being the first body defining this kind of game. As for today the board is an entity too unilateral and abstract for me, but I'm willing to help bringing this type of message to them if these opinions are shared by others.
BUT
Well, at least your proposal doesn't go against this scenario. Perhaps is one step in that direction. Good enough here and now, I guess. Thank you for trying! And for opening this discussion. Just please consider further steps flattening and decentralizing the WMF.
There is a blog post & video circulating these days, about how GitHub Inc is organized as a company. They also manage a version control system promoting decentralized collaboration, plus other tools supporting this core goal and the big community around it. They are also hundred-something. They have also offices in San Francisco. They are also a young organization growing fast. Etc.
The video is interesting and entertaining. The slides are simple and fun. I'm not a person for watching 40min YouTube videos, even less about HR & business management topics - but this one was very interesting to watch. Even if only as a documentary of how certain company running certain product I like happens to work:
Your team should work like an open source project http://tomayko.com/writings/adopt-an-open-source-process-constraints http://youtu.be/mrONxcyQo4E
-- Quim