Pros
- Everyone gets a voice, and can participate according to their own priorities and interests. - Warm and welcoming culture; emotionally mature and thoughtful people. Everyone has both the opportunity and the challenge to take responsibility for their own experience, make positive contributions to the group, and give and receive feedback with care. - Lots of priority given to equity and inclusion, in terms of both decision-making and compensation. - A great mission serving Montessori schools worldwide. - Well-established and loyal customer base.
Cons
Collective management is complicated and challenging, in ways that are often surprising! For example, some processes and decisions take much longer than they would at a more hierarchical company. The absence of a rigid structure means there is a stronger need for nuanced social skills to build consensus, manage tensions, and give everyone appropriate support. The team is continuously improving on all these fronts, and generally maintains a very high standard, but there's always more to do. It's a bit like being on a frontier, continuously exploring how to best work together after leaving hierarchical conventions behind. It's a fascinating challenge but it's not for everyone.