12 Principles

The Loop Approach is a transformation process that helps teams collaborate effectively. It didn’t emerge out of nowhere. We developed it based on many smart ideas, theories, and practices that inspire us in our daily work and that we draw on.

The tools and methods may look very different, but they often reflect a very similar mindset. This mindset—this attitude—is ultimately what defines the organization of the future for us. In the end, our goal is to bring certain principles into an organization that shape the thinking and actions of its people.

The organization of the future relies on autonomy and self-organization. Every team—and every individual within a team—is capable of acting independently and making decisions on their own. This makes an organization agile in the sense of being able to adapt and act quickly. Because an organization can only move fast at the edges if there are autonomous teams and individuals there who can organize themselves without first having to appear before committees and steering boards.

More and more companies are engaging with their purpose. It’s about deeper meaning and a shared foundation that everyone in the organization not only understands, but also emotionally connects with. Purpose is the big common denominator: it creates identification and allows people to navigate under extreme uncertainty. In times of heightened complexity and rapid change, it provides a basic stability that goals and strategies alone cannot deliver.

Perhaps the most important message of the Loop Approach is this: the transformation is you. Everyone can start within their own sphere of influence and change something in small steps. This should also be reflected in the language we use: “I need…,” “I feel…,” “I see it this way…” The organization of the future gives its members the space to start with themselves, to take full responsibility for their own actions, and to be a role model for others. None of us can do more than that—and honestly, more is not necessary.

Problem-focused thinking has a long tradition in the power games of classic organizations: whoever finds problems—preferably with a colleague they’re competing with for a position—succeeds. In the organization of the future, it’s different. Of course, it remains important to identify problems and weaknesses, but in the future it will no longer be enough to simply name them. Instead, we need solution-oriented thinking: “I observe the following problem: …, for which I propose the following solution.” Solution thinking is a shift in mindset, but fundamentally it’s just a continuation of problem thinking. If you master the latter, you can learn the former.

Where it used to be about either–or, it has become increasingly important today to think in both–and terms. Anyone who wants to succeed in complex environments must cooperate and pursue win–win solutions. Organizations that are designed more like networks and less like collections of silos only work if shared success is the goal—and that includes external partners.

Transparency and open communication are increasingly replacing secrecy and opacity. All practices and schools in the world of New Work rely on radical openness. In complex systems, it is often impossible to predict which information will be useful in which place, and the only way to deal with that is to make it available as widely as possible.

This mindset is particularly visible in movements like Design Thinking, but also in Holacracy with its continuous governance process and its constant question of “Is it safe enough to try?” In a complex world, the focus is on continuous progress and constant experimentation.

People should be able to show up at work as their full, whole selves. They are no longer defined solely by the role or position they hold; they also exist as human beings. This separation allows us to rethink responsibility in the organization of the future: alongside me as a person, there is me as the holder of a role. And I can hold not just one role, but many different ones. In the past, the boss was simply the boss. Today, any employee can fill one function here and another function there—and still show up as a person.

Where the pyramid used to be dominated by competing egos, the focus going forward will increasingly be on personal development—from ego to self. In such an organization, employees do not compete to be the best or to grab the biggest piece of the pie; instead, they put themselves in service of a larger purpose. And with humility, they dedicate themselves to the profound challenge of understanding themselves better as human beings.

Every person operating within an organization is a kind of sensor. Each of us constantly perceives tensions and notices that something could be different than it currently is. Tensions are initially just feelings. But they can be translated into concrete problems, ideas, and questions. Even though the word “tensions” has a negative connotation in German, we view them as something positive: as a driver of change, as the fuel of the organization. But to make this potential usable, good methods are needed—only then can tensions be made visible, worked with, and translated into meaningful change.

In the organization of the future, anyone can lead—not only themselves but also others. This happens through their respective roles. Where I am an expert, I lead others by taking responsibility and making decisions. The idea that anyone can lead depending on the situation and topic may make organizational life more complex, but it also makes a company significantly more effective. In our world today, we need experts who have local knowledge and can make quick decisions within their area of competence. In constantly changing environments, no single all-powerful manager can handle that across multiple domains.

Effective organizations are, above all, a collection of strong, capable teams. If you want to make an organization future-ready, you have to strengthen the teams it is made of. Only if they are able to solve all the problems they encounter on their own can the vision of a decentralized organization become reality.