Learning to Lead Together: Ivy Global’s Journey Toward Purposeful Autonomy
In an industry where decision-making is often concentrated in management layers, Ivy Global continues to chart a different course. Based in the Netherlands, the company supports a growing network of international schools and learning services while embracing a model of organizational design rooted in decentralization, transparency, and shared ownership. Rather than managing work through hierarchy, Ivy Global organizes itself around small, self-managing teams—a system inspired by both the Semco Style philosophy and RenDanHeYi principles.
This blog post is part of 80+ case studies of progressive organizations we created for the ZeroDX awards 2025. These organizations embody the principles of RenDanHeYi in their work structures:
Zero Distance to customer: Decision what to build is based on insights from the marketplace
Autonomy: Small teams with full decision-making autonomy enable speed in execution
Shared Rewards: Everyone in the micro-enterprise participates in its financial success.
By 2024, Ivy Global had already eliminated formal management positions and introduced democratic salary setting, transparent financial data, and employee shareholding. Teams handled their own sales, operations, recruitment, and financial planning, while a lean central team supported shared services like HR, communication, and long-term development. These practices created a strong foundation for autonomy and accountability, yet questions remained around how to sustain alignment, evolve culture, and scale without losing coherence.
Those questions became the focus in 2025, as the organization shifted from experimentation to refinement. One of the most significant steps this year has been the articulation of long-term strategic intentions for 2030. These prioritieswere not handed down but emerged through broad participation across the company. Dedicated teams have now been formed to take those intentions forward, each responsible for translating ambition into action. The move reflects a core RenDanHeYi principle: strategy should not be prescribed but co-developed and owned by the people closest to the work.
To help coordinate progress, Ivy Global launched a new platform: the Ivy Circle. Composed of elected representatives from every team, the Circle is not a governing body, but a space to foster clarity, learning, and organizationalcoherence. It enables teams to share insights, resolve overlaps, and maintain focus without reintroducing central control. In this way, Ivy Global reinforces another RDHY tenet—the need for alignment without bureaucracy.
Financial self-management has also matured significantly in 2025. Teams now have a clearer view of the levers they can influence, from staffing levels to operational costs, and are increasingly confident in using this information to plan and prioritize. Rather than waiting for top-down budgeting, they are able to assess scenarios, anticipate challenges, and respond with more agility. This shiftbuilds on Ivy Global’s longstanding commitment to financial transparency and aligns with RDHY’s belief that each team should function like a business unit, directly responsible for delivering value.
At the same time, the organization has invested heavily in developing the cultural capabilities that make this kind of autonomy possible. Around half of Ivy Global’s people have now completed a self-management leadership program, designed to strengthen collaboration, facilitation, and distributed decision-making. The program is set to expand across the company, reinforcing a shared skill set for navigating complexity without traditional management roles.
Role clarity has become another focus. In earlier phases, responsibilities often evolved organically, shaped by individual initiative. This year, Ivy Global began working explicitly with structured roles for the first time, giving teams better visibility into who does what—and why. Talent and motivation assessments are now being introduced to helpindividuals align their work with personal strengths, laying the groundwork for more meaningful growth and contribution. In RDHY terms, this is about activating potential and building roles around people, not the other way around.
Psychological safety has also received deliberate attention. Workshops and guided conversations are helping teamscreate environments where people feel safe to speak candidly, challenge assumptions, and make decisions without fear. In a context where authority is distributed, these cultural practices are seen as essential—not peripheral—for the model to function.
Meanwhile, Ivy Global’s monthly “Monday” gatherings have been redesigned to reflect this new energy. Once routinecompany-wide updates, these sessions now serve as spaces to celebrate learning, share progress, and strengthen community across teams. They offer a rhythm of reflection and connection that supports the wider transformation.
Although the organization has not yet implemented a structured profit-sharing model, the foundations for sharedsuccess are clearly being strengthened—from financial responsibility and ownership culture to transparent processes and mutual support.
The transformation is not complete, nor is it linear. But in 2025, Ivy Global is demonstrating how a company can evolve from decentralized structure toward a self-managed system that is both scalable and human. Ivy Global shows that it is possible to run a mission-driven organization where direction is shared, decisions are made locally, and leadership is a responsibility, not a role.
By continuing to build on what it started—with clearer roles, stronger ownership, and deeper alignment—Ivy Global isshowing that the way we work can reflect the same values we hope to cultivate in others. It is not just rethinking education; it is rethinking the organization behind it.
