This is a case study I presented at the HIVE 2014 conference in Seattle about how Yammer, by giving up micro-control enabled their designers and engineers to work directly and collaboratively, ultimately creating an effective workplace.

11. What was the problem?

12. What was the problem?
We were slowing down…

13. What happened

14. What happened
• LOTS of documentation

15. What happened
• LOTS of documentation
• Slow to staff projects

16. What happened
• LOTS of documentation
• Slow to staff projects
• Slow to ship

17. What happened
• LOTS of documentation
• Slow to staff projects
• Slow to ship
• Lack of enthusiasm and ownership

18. Why was this happening???

19. Why was this happening???
Functional silos

21. broken link

22. • Designing is painfully slow because it has to be signed off by 10
different people.

23. • Designing is painfully slow because it has to be signed off by 10
different people.
• Design has no real seat at the table when discussing business
strategy.

24. • Designing is painfully slow because it has to be signed off by 10
different people.
• Design has no real seat at the table when discussing business
strategy.
• Design details are consistently cut back due to “scope creep”.

25. • Designing is painfully slow because it has to be signed off by 10
different people.
• Design has no real seat at the table when discussing business
strategy.
• Design details are consistently cut back due to “scope creep”.
• Teams spend more time defending turf than collaborating.

27. PM & Designers
are slowed down
making specs

28. PM & Designers
are slowed down
making specsConfused coders—
decoding specs

29. PM & Designers
are slowed down
making specsConfused coders—
decoding specs
Frustration when a
spec goes nowhere

31. Battle over who owns who’s time

33. So we tried something different…

34. So we tried something different…
Decentralized decision making.

35. broken link

36. Autonomous
Team

37. Autonomous
Team

39. The results?

40. Autonomous
Team
Fewer top down decisions.

41. Sitting together fostered organic sharing and
involvement.

42. Sitting together fostered organic sharing and
involvement.

43. Sitting together fostered organic sharing and
involvement.

44. Got rid of a lot of bottlenecks
broken link

45. Before
Got rid of a lot of bottlenecks
After

46. Balanced input
the product

47. Trust feedback cycle between designers and engineers.

48. Fewer meetings.

49. Faster ship dates.
Shipped a
lightweight chat app
in only 3 months.

50. The results?
We had fun!

51. What you can do in your
company tomorrow?

52. #1 Cross functional seating

53. #1 Cross functional seating

54. #1 Cross functional seating
#2 Decentralizing decision making

55. #1 Cross functional seating
#2 Decentralizing decision making

56. Questions?
Jenny Mullins
@pixelfat
jmullins@yammer-inc.com