5. History
• Start in 1975 with a management buyout
– 25 people
• In 1990 2500 people
– in 50 Ltd. companies
• 1991 acquired outsourced Philips IT
– 4000 people
• In 1996 sold to Philips
– 6000 people
6. Mission
Helping
medium
and
large
organiza0ons
with
the
introduc0on
of
new
technologies
(secondment)
9. Effects
• Shared Genes
– Unwritten procedures
• “this is how it is done”
– Shared culture (almost the same DNA)
• Mutual dependency, human sized
– Dunbar number: 50, the band
• Many entrepreneurial roles
10. Each cell a profit centre
• Freedom in:
– Approach to the market
– Selection of colleagues
• No separate HR, IT (self supporting)
• No check on contracts ex ante
• Cooperation with other cells
11. Focus
• No Freedom in:
– Where to sell
– Housing, Logo’s, house style, Office decoration
– Financial system
– Press relations
12. Difference from Self Management
At first sight…
Director
Technical manager Commercial manager
Office manager
Employees
16. Transparancy
• Peer audits
– Semi yearly audits by colleague directors
– Audits with understanding
• Monthly reports visible for all
– Easier to help
– Finding best practices
17. Selection of colleagues
• 4 hours off / 4 hours awake
• Danger of storms, hurricanes, icebergs
• Risk of getting killed
• Pay: -100.000
19. Selection of colleagues
• Interviews with at least 6 future colleagues
• When one person hestitates: NO
• Everything within the cell
• Strong buy in from both sides
• For key roles internal candidates
24. Less coach, more boss
• Eckart Wintzen until 1996
• Henk Cohen (until 1998)
– The quarrel Boonstra
• Tom Butler & Geoffrey Carroll (until 2000)
– Tom & Jerry, EDS, Rationalisation
– Goodbye to cell structure: chaos
• In 2000 sold to ATOS (French…)
