Triennale Milano - Redesigning Organizational Structures with Sociocracy and Self-Management
Facing the dual challenge of adapting to rapid social and cultural changes while staying relevant to modern audiences, Triennale Milano sought to evolve its organizational model. The goal was to enhance collaboration, decision-making, and employee engagement while maintaining the institution’s creative spirit. To address these needs, we introduced a hybrid model blending elements of Sociocracy, Rendanheyi, and other self-management methodologies in a pilot project aimed at reimagining their organizational structure.

Adopting a Business Artisan approach, we tailored a solution that combined strategic innovation with hands-on implementation. Here’s how we worked with Triennale Milano:
Initial Assessment:
Conducted an organizational diagnosis to identify pain points and opportunities within the existing hierarchical structure.
Mapped the AS-IS organizational chart and conceptualized future structures incorporating self-management principles.
Pilot Program Design:
Selected the Membership Program as the pilot area to implement a new way of working.
Introduced circles, inspired by Sociocracy, to foster interdepartmental collaboration.
Defined specific roles within circles (e.g., Operational Leader, Facilitator, Secretary) to ensure accountability and clarity.
3. Training and Onboarding:
Conducted intensive training sessions for circle members, focusing on sociocratic decision-making, collaboration techniques, and Agile workflows.
Customized content to align with Triennale’s goals and cultural context.
Implementation:
Launched circles with well-defined scopes, such as:
Designing and managing the Membership Program.
Testing Sociocracy as a governance model.
Created shared digital workspaces (e.g., Slack, Google Drive) to enhance transparency and accessibility.
Developed organizational artifacts, including guidelines for decision-making, feedback protocols, and impact measurement frameworks.
Introduced feedback loops, allowing team members to assess and refine their processes.
Cultural Shift:
Promoted a participatory approach to decision-making, enabling employees to voice opinions while aligning with organizational objectives.
Encouraged cross-departmental knowledge sharing to reduce silos and foster collaboration.
THE OUTCOMES
New organizational artifacts, including roles, responsibilities, and decision-making frameworks tailored for Triennale’s needs.
Comprehensive training programs for staff, equipping them with tools for collaboration and governance.
A structured pilot project providing a replicable model for scaling the approach across the organization.
Impact:
Enhanced collaboration and alignment between departments, breaking down silos.
Improved decision-making efficiency, they managed to launch a program they were trying to activate since two years in 6 months
Greater employee empowerment and engagement, fostering innovation and adaptability.
By blending modern organizational theories with Triennale’s unique culture, we laid the groundwork for a future-ready, self-managed institution. This project demonstrated the power of participatory models in driving change while respecting the identity of a century-old institution
The Magic We Worked



