This project of teal has been created together with Zordan, a shop-fitting and custom interior design company. For 50 years Zordan has been realizing the ideas and dreams of their customers with reliability, flexibility and the traditional Italian craftsmanship. With one extra detail: sustainability, in fact, since 2016 the company is a certified B-corp, a movement of companies which operate for creating positive impacts for people and the environment.
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Our path crossed the one of Zordan’s during an event which was organized by Peoplerise in collaboration with Fondazione CUOA, a management school in Vicenza. Here, Zordan’s world met the Teal paradigm which views organizations as living organisms, able to transform themselves in a self-organizing way, without the need of central controlling bodies. What was particularly interesting for Zordan was the practical applications of the Teal approach, allowing organizations to face the complexities of the markets, while keeping the organization lean and flexible. In other words, able to adapt quickly to external changes.
Beyond the pillars of Hercules
This is how Maurizio Zordan, part owner di Zordan, describes our journey together.
“The joint reading of “Reinventing Organizations” had been going on in the company for 3 years now. We didn’t know exactly what it could do for us but, in a time of a heated internal conflict and an increasing external complexity, we had found elements in the book that attracted us.
Having reached the top of confusion and with many people asking for more procedures and clear references, we decided to make a complete paradigm shift and hire Peoplerise to accompany us on this U-turn toward self-organization, beyond the Herculean pillars of hierarchy.”
Maurizio Zordan, part owner of Zordan
How did we work?
The aim of the journey which was undertaken with Zordan was to activate a deep entrenchment of the Teal model, both in the company culture and in the operating methods. In order to develop this path, we identified a representative sample of the company involving, in addition to the entrepreneur, 11 people including project managers, commercial figures, representatives of the administration, production, communication and planning.
3 pillars of the Teal model
During the workshops and the coaching sessions, we worked by operating simultaneously on three focuses of observation and action:
- Organizational culture
- Customer service model
- Leadership style
Inspired by the Teal model, we encouraged thoughts and implemented actions that went in the direction of the three pillars suggested by the Teal model:
SELF-ORGANIZATION
Of teams and individuals in regards to the service offered to the customer, in order to promote autonomy of initiatives for improvements and effective actions.
WHOLENESS
In working relationships, so that all individuals are free to express their opinions and relate to the various professional and “hierarchical” figures in the company.
EVOLUTIONARY PURPOSE
Shared between all, to spread and include in the identity of the corporate population, the values and themes which are important for the Property, such as for instance sustainable development.
What are the results?
Already after 8 months from the beginning of the project, the first results of several initiatives could be seen. These are also very different from each other and have helped to start the transformation to the Teal model.
EBITDA
From the third quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2020, EBITDA increased from 5% to 18%.
CONDUCTING MEETINGS
Zordan has for example moved from a top-down mode to the sharing of principles and practices which make the meeting participatory. For instance, by identifying the meeting facilitator on a rotating basis, sending out handouts at the time of the meeting, etc…
MORE EFFICIENT CUSTOMER PROCESS
To make the process with clients more efficient, the service model was firstly mapped, which allowed an identification of the areas which had the most delays and/or rework. Thereafter improvement initiatives for reducing waste could made.
SPREADING TEAL CULTURE IN ZORDAN
To spread what “Teal” means in the company, screens have been put up in common company areas, running quotes from the book Reinventing Organizations.
DEVELOPMENT OF A WORKING COMMUNITY
Changes were made for improving the common areas, a kudos box was created, in which one can leave appreciative feedback to colleagues and thank them for an actions and kind gestures. In addition to this, the detected level of work related stress was classified as “negligible”.
All the carried out activities have found a space of narration at the company event organized every year by Zordan. It was a beautiful moment of sharing and a representation of the Teal transformation experienced until then. People were in charge of organizing the event in a self-organizing mode. It represented an opportunity for the entire organization to look back together at the starting initiatives, the steps taken and celebrate the results achieved!
Do you want to learn more?
Watch the video of the event organized by CUOA Business School “I vantaggi dell’auto organizzazione per affrontare la complessità: il caso Zordan”
