Page 45 - Fundamentals of Management Myths Debunked (2017)_Flat

44 Part 1 • Introduction
in one shared space in order to work as effectively as possible on people tend to work outside their tribe is when taking part in
one long term mission; usually improving a specific area or part ‘Guild’ activities. The guilds are cross tribe groups of people
of the Spotify experience. Squads do not have a manager and in- who have similar interests but again do not have any formal
stead work together to ensure the overall problem is solved. Each management, and are instead autonomous and self managed,
squad does however have a ‘Product Owner’, and it is their job working on projects or problems that interest them. 39
to ensure that work is prioritized across the whole squad. Within As a fast-moving technology company it is of course es-
each squad you will find employees with different skills that can sential for Spotify to be able to react, change, and adapt their
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contribute towards the squad achieving their goal. 37 online content quickly. In approaching management in a non-
‘Tribes’ are groups of squads that work in similar areas. traditional manner they have allowed individuals to be more
This means that all the squads who are working on web creative whilst still meeting the overall goals of the business.
based services are part of the same tribe; and squads who There are however potential difficulties with adopting this more
work on the mobile Spotify application will be part of a dif- relaxed attitude to management, as there is an overall lack of
ferent tribe. Each tribe, like the individual squads, is able to control and there are opportunities for the freedom offered to
work autonomously with very little traditional management staff to be misused. The increase in technology companies such
taking place. Within the Spotify offices the multiple squads as Spotify is changing the landscape of management, with many
that make up each tribe sit close together to allow collabora- trying to avoid traditional management practices altogether.
tion between squads as needed, however the ethos of Spotify Spotify is somewhat unique in its field as they have recognized
aims to discourage squads and tribes being dependent on one the need for management within the organization, however they
another so that change can happen as quickly as possible, have attempted to find a unique way of balancing the need for
something that is incredibly important in the ever changing freedom and creativity in the workforce whilst still undertaking
technology markets. 38 basic management activities. As Spotify grows in size they may
In order to be able to manage the staff and structure need to reflect upon their approach to management. 41
throughout the organization Spotify utilizes what they term
‘Chapters’. These chapters are collections of people who have Discussion Questions
similar skills but who work in various squads; for example a 1-13 Who undertakes management at Spotify?
chapter may be comprised of all of the programmers in the 1-14 How could Spotify manage poor performing individuals or teams?
various squads within one tribe. It is within these chapters that Do you think this is a problem at Spotify? Why or why not?
we see more of a link to traditional management theory with 1-15 Are there any similarities to traditional management at Spotify?
clearer lines of management and responsibility for staff mem- 1-16 Do you think that this approach to management would be
bers, their development, pay and progression. The only time effective within another company?

CAse AppLICATION 2
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Building a Better Boss

oogle doesn’t do anything halfway. So when it de- • Express interest in employees’ well-being;
cided to “build a better boss,” it did what it does best: • Ensure you have the necessary technical abilities to support
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Glook at data. Using data from performance reviews, employee efforts;
feedback surveys, and supporting papers turned in for individu- • Display effective communication skills, especially listening;
als being nominated for top-manager awards, Google tried to • Provide coaching support when needed;
find what a great boss is and does. The project, dubbed Project • Focus on being productive and on end results; and
Oxygen, examined some 100 variables and ultimately identi- • Avoid over-managing; let your team be responsible.
fied eight characteristics or habits of Google’s most effective
managers. Here are the “big eight”: At first glance, you’re probably thinking that these eight
attributes seem pretty simplistic and obvious and you may be
• Provide an unambiguous vision of the future; wondering why Google spent all this time and effort to uncover
• Help individuals to reach their long-term work goals; these. Even Google’s vice president for people operations,