How we enable switching roles and positions

Being able to switch one’s role and position is part of the autonomy we provide to foster individual growth. Based on the assumption that individual growth is a key factor for motivation, enabling each person at Gini to reach their maximum potential is crucial.

The way we are structured, each Gini fills one position within an academy or CSI, and has one or more roles (i.e. faculties).

While there are plenty options to take on additional responsibility, we also offer options for each Gini to transform completely how they are contributing value. The intention is to avoid anybody feeling stuck in a certain position and seeing leaving the company as the only option in order to break out of it. In order to help Ginis work in their perfect position at any given time while also ensuring continuity of ongoing work, we follow this process for smoothly switching roles and positions.

TL;DR

• Temporary faculty switch or addition within academy: academy decides with consent
• Temporary help for another academy: involved academies decide with consent
• Permanent faculty switch or addition: new faculty decides with consent
• Permanent academy switch: new academy decides with consent after consulting old academy
• Permanent switch to CSI: faculty decides with consent after consulting all of Gini

Temporary faculty switch or addition within an academy

Temporarily switching or taking on additional roles within an academy is frequently necessary — especially in small academies. Academies can decide to do so autonomously with the advantage of high flexibility. This is a powerful way for individuals to try out new roles and responsibilities for their individual development.

Temporary help for another academy

Faculty members — people with the same role and expertise — are spread out across academies due to our cross-functional academy setup. As a consequence it is occasionally necessary to help each other out, e.g. for code reviews or in case someone gets sick. Both involved academies agree on a timeframe and capacity of the support. Together they decide on a case-by-case basis if the academy costs will be adjusted to reflect the changed capacities.

Permanent switches

Permanently switching faculty (e.g. mobile to backend) or academy (e.g. photo pay to credit application) has bigger implications for the organization and is hence a more elaborate process. However, we don’t go through a full-blown hiring process, since cultural fit is already established. If a Gini wants to switch their faculty or academy three conditions need to be met

• the organization needs more capacity in the new faculty or academy
• the person is a fit for the new faculty or academy
• Dthe organization’s need for capacity in the current faculty or academy are covered

We expect a switching Gini to discuss with their current faculty and academy how to ensure that the needs for capacity in the current position are covered. This may include helping ramp up another Gini to fill their current position, or continuing to act in the current position at a bare minimum capacity until a new Gini can be hired to fill the gap. We expect the switching Gini to take responsibility in ensuring the tasks they are leaving behind still get done.

Permanent faculty switch

Ginis are part of faculties because of their expertise and role they fulfil for the organization. In that sense, one doesn’t join a faculty by signing up or applying for it, but rather by matter of fact of the area of expertise and contribution. A Gini that would like to change role — i.e areas of contribution — expresses their intention to the new faculty. Faculties are open but not arbitrary. The new role’s faculty and the switching Gini will have a discussion to evaluate fit for the role and level of expertise. A switch will affect a person’s salary depending on the market value of the new role and the person’s level of expertise in it. The new faculty has the mandate and responsibility to evaluate fit, decide with consent, and communicate if the switching Gini is suited for the new role. If so, they will onboard the switching Gini into the new role with guidance as necessary, e.g. through mentoring, clarifying missing skills, or discussing quality standards. If the switching Ginis wish to join is denied, the faculty provides reasons for their decision and outlines conditions that would have to be met to change the decision.

Permanent faculty addition

Many Ginis fulfill more than one role and are hence part of several faculties. We consider one of these their primary faculty and the other ones their secondary faculties. No matter if primary or secondary the process of joining is the same as described in the previous section. We want faculties to strive for excellence in their expertise. Having members that are not fully committed to the topic is therefore at best a temporary solution. It is not enough to be vaguely interested in a topic to join a faculty. As a rule of thumb, if someone has never read a book concerning this topic — or has invested similar effort — to develop in this are, they are probably not suited to join the faculty.

Permanent academy switch

The switching Gini discusses with their current and potential new academy that they would like to permanently switch academy. The new academy and the switching Gini will have a discussion to evaluate fit, taking the Gini’s strengths and the academy’s lifecycle phase into account. The new academy has the mandate and responsibility to evaluate fit, decide with consent, and communicate if the switching Gini is suited for the new position. If so, they will onboard the switching Gini into the new position with guidance as necessary, e.g. academy vision and aligned principles, and current OKRs.

Permanent switch to CSI

While the value created by academies is expected to fulfil an external market need and create return on invest for Gini, the value created by CSI is expected to benefit all academies internally. Consequently, CSI doesn’t have its own funds to hire new Ginis. It is collaboratively funded by all academies as part of Gini’s shared costs. Hence, the decision that a Gini is to join CSI isn’t made by CSI itself, but via consent by the faculty of the role after consulting all of Gini with the advice process.

Keeping the overview

Reflecting the fact that switching roles and positions is simple and nothing out of the ordinary, our org chart is made of magnets that allow for easy rearrangement.

 

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If this sounds like an environment where you would thrive, have a look at our open positions and get in touch. We are looking for people to join us on our mission.