🤘🏻 Corporate Rebels

🤟 Beyond Hierarchies: The Real Org Chart

A month ago, white smoke curled from a chimney in Rome. Crowds gathered. News anchors speculated. The world held its breath. A new pope was about to be revealed. But while most waited for the name to be spoken, a small group of researchers from Bocconi University already knew it. Not because of divine prophecy. Because of data. By analyzing the relational structure of the Vatican’s inner circle (who consulted whom, who trusted whom, who spent time with whom) they predicted the outcome before...

about 1 hour ago • 3 min read

🤟 We’ve just acquired another company, but not without a ballot box...

Last week, in a warehouse just outside Barcelona, a plain cardboard box sat on a wooden chair. It wasn’t there for shipping. It was a ballot box. Around it, just under fifty workers gathered. Some in overalls, some in steel-toe boots, many with grease still on their hands. One by one, they stepped forward, slipped in their vote, and returned to their seat. What were they voting on? Whether or not to sell their company to us. Let me explain. Not your average acquisition Our other company,...

28 days ago • 2 min read

🤟 The middle manager myth dissected

This morning I read a piece in Harvard Business Review — the apex of thoughtful, measured, data-rich corporate discourse — titled “What’s the Future of Middle Management?” Spoiler: It's not extinction. The authors make a reasonable case: middle managers are still vital because of their unique position in the organizational food chain. But — and it's a big but — to stay relevant, they need to shrink in numbers and evolve in function. Less compliance cop, more talent developer. Less...

about 1 month ago • 4 min read

🤟 We met the legend. Then we met the one who made him one.

It was hot, loud, and late in São Paulo. We had just arrived, jet-lagged and buzzing with questions, about to meet one of the most iconic figures in the world of radical work design. The restaurant was sharp—white tablecloths, waiters with straight backs, and Ricardo Semler at the center of it all. He spoke with fire. Ideas about trust, freedom, decentralization, democracy at work. His vision was bold, clean, and intoxicating. But it wasn’t until later—hours later, in a quiet living room...

about 2 months ago • 3 min read

🤟 Inside our masterclass: Building organizations without the B.S.

Hi Reader, One of my highlights every year? The 6-week masterclasses we run a few times annually. In each masterclass, we guide a cohort of about 30 practitioners through how to move their organizations beyond hierarchy. It’s a deep dive into progressive organizational design—topped off with hands-on work transforming their own organizations. No more layers of bureaucracy, no more sluggish decision-making, no more command-and-control nonsense. Just real tools for building better ways of...

2 months ago • 4 min read

🤟 Start a movement they said. It will be fun they said.

Ever since we ditched our corporate jobs and kicked off Corporate Rebels, we’ve been on a mission: end the frustration and inefficiencies of traditional management. We knew (or let’s be honest, hoped) to turn Corporate Rebels into a global movement. And “movement” is the word we used from day one. But truth is, we weren’t a movement. Not yet. We were a team of workplace geeks with a big audience. Powerful? Sure. But not nearly as powerful as a true movement can be. So, 14 months ago, with...

3 months ago • 4 min read

🤟 What Career Growth Looks Like in Self-Managing Organizations

Hi Reader, One of the most common questions I hear in self-managing organizations is: "How do you grow your career when there’s no hierarchy?" For many, career progression means climbing the corporate ladder—getting a promotion, earning a new title, managing a bigger team. But what happens when there’s no boss to promote you? This month in our Corporate Rebels Community, we’re exploring career growth in self-managing organizations. It’s a hot topic in our Masterclass on Running and Scaling...

3 months ago • 5 min read

🤟 The trap of organizational complexity (and how to escape it)

Hi Reader, I've seen it happen countless times. A growing organization reaches about 50 people and suddenly things start to fall apart. Communication breaks down. Decision-making slows to a crawl. Politics emerge. And the entrepreneurial spirit that fueled early growth? Gone. Most leaders respond by adding more control. More managers. More coordination meetings. More reporting. They do exactly what they shouldn't. Last month, I talked to a 120-person manufacturing company in Germany that was...

4 months ago • 4 min read

🤟 A 6-Step Playbook to Self-Management (When You’re Not the Owner)

Hi Reader, In Pim’s latest newsletter, he shared how we bought and transformed Indaero into a self-managing company. But what if you’re not the owner? What if you’re the transformation agent or consultant leading the charge? How do you make it work when you don’t have the power to make unilateral decisions? For the past month, I’ve been deep in the mechanics of self-management transformations, analyzing Q&A sessions from our Masterclass cohorts with Jabi Salcedo from the consulting team K2K....

4 months ago • 6 min read

🤟 Step-by-Step: How We Unbossed the Company We Bought (and Doubled Profits)

Hi Reader, It was one of those simmering hot days in July 2023 in Seville, Spain. But the sweat pouring out of our pores wasn’t only due to the oven-like temperatures. It was a big day for us. We were about to sign the contract to acquire our first company, Indaero, an aerospace manufacturing and engineering company—through our impact fund, Krisos. And this wasn’t just any acquisition. We were about to completely transform the way this company operated. Dunia, our transformation lead, put it...

5 months ago • 6 min read