When : Jan 2024 - Present

Location : Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Role : Operations Lead

Website :

Radical Data - A collective creating an alternative future for data.

Summary: Implemented streamlined processes and communication protocols, enhancing founder clarity on priorities and improving overall efficiency.

Challenges:

Uncovering the root causes behind the founder's challenges was the first hurdle - the pace at which the organisation had grown in the last 2 years had placed enormous pressures on the two founders wellbeing. It was a struggle to stay on top of the workload, and meet deadlines. There was a lack of coherence in the ability to articulate the organisations identity, despite the founders having a deep understanding of what it stood for. Both internal communications, and communications outwards with collaborators and the broader network, were fractured, intermittent and inconsistent. A lack of a robust working structure meant that work was often disrupted during travel engagements.

Approach:

The approach to address these challenges was grounded in a combination of analysis, flexibility, leadership, and coaching. First up, we spent some time surfacing all the issues faced by the founders in all aspects of Radical Data - from work life balance, to collaborator conflicts, to difficulties maintaining an overview of urgent tasks. To ensure that all interventions aligned with the Radical Data vision, we articulated the deep inner workings of Radical Data the organisation, as well as its ethos. In parallel, to relieve the immediate pressures faced by the founders, some simple work structures were implemented. We iteratively built on these structures based on feedback to fine tune the processes and resolve bigger issues.

Next we looked at streamlining internal communications by setting up protocols and agreeing on the tools & channels that would be used. We also deep dived into the organisation’s identity - considering aspects such as who do we work with/for, what values are important to us, what do we produce, and what behaviours do we envision from employees of Radical Data. (This particular stream of work will eventually culminate in the organisation’s Culture Manual)

Following this, we explored the collaborator engagement process, defining what an ideal engagement would look like and what it takes to realise that. Lastly, we focused on the metrics that are important for the health of the organisation - this involved defining the metrics as well as the mechanisms used to capture it.

Outcomes:

The culmination of our efforts enabled the founders to have clarity on their short term and longterm priorities. They were also positioned to make informed decisions on what tasks needed to picked up when, and have an understanding of competing priorities. More broadly, this enabled the founders to be more planned, and respond to new opportunities based an accurate view of the current status.

As we took a people x process x tools approach to resolving issues, the founders could lean on process and tools to share some of the burdens that rested solely on their shoulders in the past. Following the streamlining of communication protocols, levels of efficiency increased. The active focus on metric collection has prepared Radical Data well to meet the next stage of their (inevitable!) growth in a much smoother manner. Moreover it fosters a climate for continuous improvement.