Source | hrblog.spotify.com | Alexander Westerdahl
We launched our Work From Anywhere (WFA) program five weeks ago, and it’s early days for big reflections on how successful the program is overall, so we can’t speak to that at the moment. What we can share is a bit more around our thinking and the data that we used to inform us before we took the decision to become a distributed-first workplace, offering our employees more flexibility in the way they work. There’s also been articles and posts in social media that have made assumptions on what our program is and is not, e.g. we are moving fully remote (hint, hint – we are not).
Management and Leadership
Your management model and leadership style is one of the most critical components when building a distributed-first organisation.
I’ve had many discussions with old friends, people within Spotify, other companies and reporters since we officially launched our Work From Anywhere (WFA) program. Many of whom share our beliefs on how to build a culture that embraces uncertainty, a fluid organisation, with leadership that enables its people.
In the other camp, there are many people who operate in regulated industries that therefore require more control. For example, those organisations that have production staff who are required to be in a specific location. And of course, there are those who hold a different belief on what culture and leadership works for them. There is no right or wrong answer but your choice will impact your likelihood of success (or lack thereof) in a distributed world.
