Becoming Self-Organized: A Leader’s Take On Driving Change

When Sam Spurlin first asked me to write an article about my experience working introducing a self-organization initiative I was a little…

“Group Stretch” by Siliana. This photo is part of a UK initiative to provide homeless people with disposable cameras and let them bring their London perspectives to life. http://petapixel.com/2016/08/15/20-best-street-photos-shot-londons-homeless-2016/

When Sam Spurlin first asked me to write an article about my experience working introducing a self-organization initiative I was a little bit hesitant. What was something new I could add to the conversation? Stories about self-organizing companies raving or fuming about their experience trying something new are all over the internet. To that end, Sam proposed I take an interesting angle, “What if you approach it from a leadership perspective? What’s it like to be a leader of an organization trying to adopt self-organization?”

That seemed much more intriguing to me. And, hey, who can say no to Sam?

Build It And They Will Come?

When we kicked-off our self-organization initiative at LAPIZ, 9 months ago, the initial reaction from employees was …