When we founded Arineo, our vision was to become the best employer in the IT industry – and it still is: we want people to enjoy working here. We knew that to achieve this, we needed an organizational structure that is people-oriented and strengths-based, where decisions are made quickly and by the people with the greatest expertise on the topic. It should also be agile enough to respond to market changes and foster innovation. A traditional hierarchical organization cannot achieve this. So, we began developing a structure tailored to our needs. Then we did what we do best: we turned it into an agile project and developed our organization step by step, with sprints, work packages, trials with reviews and adjustments, and regularly presented results to the entire company. Until we reached a working model that we considered good and implemented it. Are we done developing the cooperative organization? No! On the one hand, we are constantly evolving; on the other, requirements can change. If something isn’t working, we identify the adjustments needed to ensure it continues to meet our needs.
Based on our individual skills, we are assigned to a team, a so-called base group, in which similar competencies are brought together. In these groups, we share the leadership tasks across three coordination roles: capacity coordination, team development coordination, and organizational coordination. So, we don’t have one person leading the team but a coordination team for each base group. Capacity coordination ensures that the base group has sufficient capacity and monitors the workload. Team development coordination focuses on the group’s further training and personnel development. Organizational coordination involves administrative tasks, such as organizing base group meetings and representing the group in other circles or teams.
Each role is filled by at least one person – appointed based on strengths and group consensus. If, for example, you have an affinity for numbers, enjoy capacity management, and your team supports you in the role, you can become a capacity coordinator for your group. In addition, each of us has an individual partner for contractual matters. You can choose them freely. With them, you discuss topics related to your contract (e.g., development opportunities and salary matters);
they are also available for other work-related issues and conduct annual feedback and development discussions with you.
Before taking on this role, the contract partners go through a development center and training program to be optimally prepared.
A base group typically consists of colleagues with similar professional skills. These skills are coordinated and further developed in the base group.
Skills within a base group may vary in focus. Some groups concentrate on technical skills, while others emphasize industry expertise or specific process knowledge. Here are a few examples: if colleagues have industry knowledge in manufacturing, they form a base group. If they possess e-commerce development expertise, they also create a base group.
These skills are then put to use in our operational teams.
We form operational teams for our daily work. Depending on the focus, these teams bring together colleagues with diverse skills. Here are a few examples: business groups handle selling and providing services for a target market. Some teams work directly for customers, providing operational services for them. Our process teams provide internal services across the entire company. And project teams are assembled temporarily for specific projects.
We initiate a new operational team if we see the need or necessity to advance topics and implement requirements. We disband the operational team once the need or requirement no longer exists.
Where our colleagues feel they belong is entirely individual. Some see Arineo as their professional home. Others feel most at home in their customer team, process team, at a sports meeting with colleagues, or in their region. With us, you’ll find your home where you and your colleagues feel most at home.
Our organizational model is people-oriented and strengths-based. We want people to enjoy working here and want to stay. Our colleagues can apply their skills and talents more effectively, as roles and tasks are more flexible. Avoiding long hierarchies makes us more agile, and can act quickly when market or environmental changes arise. This also fosters open communication and teamwork, leading to greater employee engagement, as we have more autonomy and decision-making authority and feel jointly responsible for Arineo’s success. The cooperative organization also promotes innovation and creativity, as we have more freedom and responsibility, motivating us to develop new ideas and solutions. Furthermore, our organizational model supports a stronger, community-oriented corporate culture based on trust, respect, and shared responsibility. We think long-term and sustainably, making decisions collectively and not focusing on short-term gains.
Showing initiative and actively seeking communication is essential here. Depending on the topic, your contract partner, team coordinators, mentor, or one of your teams can help you, including teams that support collaboration at Arineo, such as our conflict resolution and mediation team. You’ll always find the support and responsibility you need without a traditional boss.
We’ve tried to summarize the core principles of our organizational model briefly and clearly. Perhaps there are topics that you would like to discuss in more detail. If so, feel free to reach out!
We look forward to talking with you.
