🤟 A list of circa 50 case studies of self-managing organizations


Hi Reader,

In about a month, the ZeroDX awards will take place in Qingdao, China. This event—initiated by the Chinese manufacturer Haier, Gary Hamel & Michele Zanini’s MLab, and Thinkers50’s Business Ecosystem Alliance—celebrates the most forward-thinking companies around the globe.

Not long ago, they threw down the gauntlet, asking us to nominate companies for these awards. We didn’t just take up the challenge—we ran with it. Together with our community and our colleague Svetla, we dove into creating case studies on self-managing companies and a few innovative subsidiaries within more traditional organizations. These are companies we know well, with whom we’ve built strong connections, and who gave us the green light to dig deeper.

Over the past few months, we’ve delivered case studies on 50 self-managing companies to the ZeroDX awards—each one a standout in its industry, each one radical in making work more fun. We didn’t just settle for a single type; we cast a wide net, covering a range of industries, company sizes, and geographies.

Here’s the lineup of the self-managing organizations we’ve spotlighted so far:

  • 10Pines, an Argentinian software development company.
  • Accigo, a Swedish consulting firm.
  • Basetis, a Spanish technology and consulting company.
  • Buurtzorg, a Dutch home-care provider
  • BvdV, a Dutch law firm.
  • Camplight, a Bulgarian worker-owned cooperative.
  • Centigo, a Swedish management consulting firm.
  • Chorus, an Australian care provider.
  • Clarasys, a British management consulting firm.
  • Codewave, an Indian design-led technology and service company.
  • Cyberclick, a Spanish digital marketing agency.
  • Epoch, a Chinese high-tech design and manufacturing company.
  • EPPO, a Brazilian urban cleaning and engineering service company.
  • ET Group, a Canadian audiovisual technology integrator.
  • ForYouAndYourCustomers, an Austrian digital transformation and consulting firm.
  • Fujitsu Europe, the European branch of a Japanese IT and communication company.
  • Gaiax, a Japanese holding company.
  • Great Place To Work Netherlands, the Dutch part of the global network.
  • Happy, a British IT training company.
  • HOLIS, a Japanese holding company.
  • Hoxby, a British freelancer collective.
  • HR-ON, a Danish IT company.
  • Indaero, a Spanish aerospace manufacturer.
  • Ivy Global, a Dutch engineering consulting firm.
  • Kimua Group, a Spanish manufacturing firm.
  • Kitamoku, a Japanese wood products manufacturer.
  • Latro, a Turkish chemical company.
  • Liip, a Swiss digital agency.
  • Mayden, a British health-tech company.
  • Mindera, a Portuguese IT company.
  • Morning Star, an American tomato processing and packing company.
  • Net Protections, a Japanese financial services company.
  • PTHR, a British consulting firm.
  • Rebel Energy UK, a British energy company.
  • SINA, an Ugandan non-profit.
  • Sonic Garden, a Japanese software development firm.
  • Target Teal, a Brazilian organizational design consulting firm.
  • TiER1 Performance, an American consulting firm.
  • Unity Group, a Polish IT consulting and service company.
  • Vagas, a Brazilian e-recruitment company.
  • Vertica, a Danish e-commerce solution provider.
  • Viisi, a Dutch financial services provider.
  • Viva! Conversion, a Spanish digital marketing agency.
  • Vivobarefoot, a British sustainable footwear manufacturer.
  • Voys, a Dutch telecom provider.
  • Walter Pack, a Spanish automotive manufacturer.
  • Wethod, an Italian digital agency.
  • Wildling Shoes, a German sustainable footwear manufacturer.
  • WWF Brazil, the Brazilian branch of an environmental non-profit.

Yes, it’s a long list. Whether all these self-managing companies will win a ZeroDX award isn’t up to us—that’s for Haier, MLab, and BEA to decide. But here’s what we know: every single one of them deserves it. They’re all pushing boundaries in their own unique ways.

For us, compiling these case studies was just the beginning. We’re ramping up to build an extensive database of self-managing companies, with over 1,000 firms and much deeper data on each one.

Stay tuned.

Updates from Corporate Rebels HQ

Here's a quick overview of everything happening at Corporate Rebels:

  • Rebel Cell Info Event: Not familiar with our Rebel Cells yet? You're in luck! We're hosting our first-ever info session on Rebel Cells soon. Are you part of a progressive organization? Does your company challenge the status quo? Want to connect with like-minded changemakers? If so, register for the event here.
  • Rebel Cell Annual Meetup: Last week, our colleagues Marisa and Karlijn visited Seville to select the venue for our annual Rebel Cell meetup. On November 21-22, Rebel Cell members are invited to come together for two days of radical inspiration, sharing unique insights from self-managing organizations around the world, connecting with fellow rebels, and simply having fun. Want to join us? Start by joining your local Rebel Cell. Apply here.
  • Our Masterclasses: The open cohorts of our flagship Masterclass are starting soon. There are only 2 days left to take advantage of our lifetime access promotion by enrolling in the upcoming Masterclass.
  • Rebel Guide: Our colleague Emma is currently working on a “Rebel Guide to Working With Me” to continually enhance our ways of working. If you have any examples or ideas for inspiration, please get in touch.

New articles

A new article has been published on our blog earlier this week:

  • Profit Through People: The Enterprise Model of Decentralization and Extreme Customer Care
    Personal What happens when a company makes decentralization and extreme customer focus central to its strategy? In my latest article, I explore how American rental company Enterprise has implemented these principles, resulting in more engaged employees and happier customers. Read more here.

What inspired us

Here's something noteworthy we discovered this past week that you’re going to love:

  • Reinventing Organizations 10-Year Anniversary Party
    Reinventing Organizations, the landmark book by Frederic Laloux, has significantly impacted the management world over the past decade. To celebrate its 10-year anniversary, an online interactive event will be held, bringing together everyone who has been inspired by the book, including a live conversation with the legendary Frederic Laloux himself. You can register for the event here.

Your weekly challenge

At Corporate Rebels, we believe that small changes lead to big results. That's why we challenge you each week to make a small but significant change. This week....

Click the link above to register for the 10-year anniversary of Reinventing Organizations, mark 10 October in your calendar, and get ready for a perfect opportunity to be inspired by new ways of working.

Cheers,


Time-Limited Offer: Complimentary Lifetime Access (only 6 spots left!)

A new Masterclass, "Running and Scaling Self-Managing Organizations" kicks off on March 11!

If you enroll before February 20, you’ll get:

  • Lifelong access to our online community—monthly events, exclusive interviews, cutting-edge case studies, and more.
  • Unlimited access to your Masterclass content, beyond the usual one-year limit.
  • Ongoing access to all current & future on-demand courses (worth €948/year).

That's right - all of this is included in the one-time Masterclass fee of €5,000—no annual subscription fees, ever.

But act fast—this offer is limited, and only 6 spots remain! Click below to learn more.


Follow us on:

🤘🏻 Corporate Rebels

Join 38,000+ changemakers from all corners of the globe. We share insights on self-managing organizations, new ways of working, and global pioneering companies. Every other week: blog on Monday, newsletter on Thursday. Are you up for some fun, inspiring and rebellious content? Become part of the workplace revolution! 💌

Read more from 🤘🏻 Corporate Rebels
Pim De Morree

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...

Joost Minnaar

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....

Pim De Morree

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...