Hi Reader,

One of my favorite voices in the field of self-managing organizations is Lisa Gill. I first met her many years ago in Barcelona, over a few beers, where we bonded over our shared fascination with self-management. Since then, I've closely followed her inspiring work, especially her deep thinking about what it takes to make self-managing organizations truly successful.

For years now, Lisa, alongside Karin Tenelius, has emphasized a key principle: to successfully implement self-management, we need to fundamentally shift the way we relate to one another. This shift is about moving from parent-child dynamics to adult-adult relationships. Understanding the distinction between these two types of relationships is crucial, as it helps us recognize the expectations and behaviors that come with each.

While both relationship types can be meaningful and important, they require vastly different environments to thrive. In other words, you can’t introduce self-managing practices in your organization without also encouraging people to interact in an adult-adult manner. Similarly, you can’t expect non-hierarchical collaboration while still operating within a hierarchy driven by parent-child dynamics.

Let’s break down what this really means.

Parent-Child relationships ​
Parent-child relationships are inherently hierarchical. The parent, with more authority and responsibility, guides and supports the child, who in turn looks to the parent for instruction, correction, and care. In a work context, if you replace 'parent' with 'manager' and 'child' with 'team member,' this mirrors how many traditional workplaces function. The manager sets the rules, makes decisions, and holds authority, while team members rely on them for direction and boundaries.

Adult-Adult relationships​
In contrast, adult-adult relationships are built on equality and mutual respect. Both parties share responsibility and decision-making, with a balance of independence and interdependence. This doesn’t mean everyone does whatever they want, nor that leadership disappears. Instead, it’s about maintaining accountability while fostering open, honest communication. In these relationships, people feel empowered to give and receive feedback, express thoughts and needs equally, and engage in conflict resolution through dialogue and compromise.

We all engage in adult-adult relationships every day, whether with friends, partners, teammates, or peers. These dynamics also exist in many professional settings, such as client-advisor, buyer-seller, or freelancer-client relationships. In these situations, we expect a balanced power dynamic, mutual respect, and shared responsibility—just as we do in successful self-managing organizations.

The key takeaway? We already know how to relate to one another in an adult-adult way. And these are exactly the types of relationships that drive the success of self-managing organizations, where people feel empowered, respected, and able to contribute meaningfully.

The challenge for many organizations lies in motivating and engaging their people through adult-adult dynamics, rather than falling back on parent-child structures. That’s where Lisa and her colleagues at Tuff come in. I’m excited to share that, for the past few months, we’ve been working with Tuff to co-create an intensive, practical training designed to help individuals and teams develop the mindset and skills necessary to thrive in self-managing environments.

Interested in joining us for this transformative training with me? You can find the full program details and join the waitlist here.

Updates from Corporate Rebels HQ

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

• Bayer’s Radical Transformation Event: Last Monday, we hosted our LinkedIn Live event on “Bayer’s Radical Transformation,” and it was a fantastic success, with hunderds of participants. Missed it or want to watch it again? You can find the recording here.
• Dive Deeper into Bayer’s Journey: After watching the recording, if you’re eager to explore further, you can access the event slides here.
• Global Rebel Meet-up – November 21 & 22 in Sevilla: Next month, we’re excited to host our Global Rebel Meet-up in Sevilla, headlined by Lisa Gill and Luis Simoes. This year’s theme is “Work with Passion.” The event will bring together around 100 participants from 47+ companies across 14 countries – all organizations that are either fully self-managed or on a transformational journey toward self-management. Want to join us a these meet-ups? Be sure to connect with your local Rebel Cell.
• Team Tuff Training: This month, a large part of our team participated in Tuff training, and they loved it! We’re committed to walking the talk.
• First Rebel CoLab Session: We also held our first Rebel CoLab session this week, where we collectively worked on improving our ways of operating.

New article

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

• Overcoming the Top Challenges of Self-Managing Teams ​
  In her latest blog post, Lisa Gill discusses the top challenges of self-managing teams, including struggles with leadership vacuums and letting go of old habits. She emphasizes that shifting from parent-child to adult-adult dynamics requires upgrading both organizational structures and individual mindsets. You can read more about Lisa’s insights and how they connect to our upcoming training program here.​

What inspired us

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

• Rethinking management: The story of Jellyfish’s non-hierarchical model
  ​Jellyfish, a digital consultancy, eliminated traditional hierarchies, allowing employees to manage their own career paths without line managers. This self-management approach contributed to the company's growth and success. However, after being acquired by The Brandtech Group, I can’t help but wonder how they are doing now. Curious? Read more 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....

Cheers,

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