These and similar questions probably occupy many companies. We have found answers in the Spotify agile model.
The streaming service provider Spotify has developed a model that enables even larger and fast-growing companies to work in an agile manner. The organizational model is based on so-called tribes , which are subdivided into squads. A tribe functions similar to a business incubator, in which the appropriate "mini startups" are formed in the form of squads depending on the current order situation. As autonomous teams, the squads work independently on a topic/project.
Other components of the agile organization according to Spotify are chapters and guilds - structures that facilitate the exchange of knowledge between employees. But before we get lost in terminology, let's just show how we've applied the Spotify model to our everyday agency life.
To best serve our clients, we have formed three Tribes, each serving specific technologies (stacks): Tribe Digital Commerce, Tribe E-Commerce, and Tribe Digital Marketing. Similar customers with similar technical and content requirements are assigned to a tribe. Within a tribe, all the skills needed to meet the respective customer requirements should be present (e.g. web developers, graphic designers, SEO/SEA experts, copywriters). The size of the subordinate squads is based on the efficiency of the collaboration. The squad itself estimates the size at which cooperation becomes difficult and a new squad is formed. In a tribe, there are three additional collaborators besides squad members:
The agile tribes model creates the organizational framework for self-responsible teamwork in flat hierarchies. A squad has the task of implementing project requirements in a customer-oriented, effective and efficient manner. How a squad achieves the best result is left to the squad. Since projects are always handled by the same squad, the members of a squad know each other's working style, know who can do what, and can tackle tasks together. This is the only way that employees and squads can make projects their own and take joint responsibility for the success of the project, instead of only looking at the fulfillment of their partial task.
The project manager (in the original Spotify model: the product owner) manages the squad's projects, leads the team and coordinates all tasks that arise. He is responsible for project costing and budget monitoring as well as coordination with the customer.
To ensure that the subdivision into squads does not slow down the exchange of knowledge and experience as well as the communication between colleagues with a similar focus of tasks, the agile methods according to Spotify provide for so-called chapters and guilds:
Since the tribes at Blackbit are comparatively small and tribe masters and tribe leaders take care of the personnel and technical development of the tribe, we use a mixed form of chapters and guilds: Cross-tribe technical departments that can be shared later if needed. Cross-tribe and cross-site knowledge exchange takes place in our company, for example, via group chats and regularly scheduled discussion rounds/video conferences - on topics such as leadership, management, web development or online marketing. For example, our developers regularly invite us to TechTalks, where they present new application developments. The video recordings of the sessions are then available to all interested colleagues.
Organizing according to agile methods brings all kinds of positive effects and is an essential cornerstone of a successful digital transformation. According to our experience, agile companies benefit in particular from the following advantages:
Our CEO Stefano Viani reveals more about how we have evolved as an agency over the past years and how we have reorganized our organizational structure according to the Spotify model in an interview with SAR Business Solutions. Click here to listen to the podcast