Pioneering Data-Driven Innovation in Aviation
When Lufthansa Systems founded zeroG nearly ten years ago, it was not simply creating another business unit. The ambition was to build a space that operated beyond the traditional boundaries of hierarchy and predictability. Francesca Vetter, Head of Marketing, recalled that the goal was to create an environment “outside the box, outside the actualcorporate line chart organization” where data talent could experiment and deliver solutions with real impact.
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.
From the beginning, this commitment shaped zeroG’s identity. Its earliest work focused on data services for Lufthansa Group, but the culture evolved quickly toward self-management and direct accountability. Andrea Lima, Lead BusinessData Analytics Consultant & Project Manager, described the contrast to her earlier experience in conventional organizations. She noted that where she had previously encountered layers of control and checking, at zeroG she found an environment built on trust. Teams were expected to carry projects forward themselves and make decisions close to the work.
The company grew around a structure inspired by Holacracy. Traditional departments were replaced by circles of expertise. Each circle functions as a community of roles with clear purpose and accountabilities. Decision-makingfollows consent principles rather than consensus or hierarchy, meaning proposals advance unless there is a substantiated reason to object. This way of working reflects core ideas from RenDanHeYi, where autonomy is distributed and responsibility is tied directly to customer outcomes.
This approach is visible in how projects unfold. When teams begin an engagement, they work alongside clients to explore needs, co-create solutions, and enable clients to maintain those solutions independently. One project to reduce food waste in Lufthansa catering services illustrated this mindset. By connecting fragmented data sources and visualizing consumption patterns, the team enabled more sustainable planning and measurable improvements.
Transparency and knowledge sharing were established as organizational norms. Weekly all-hands meetings, known internally as the Space Lab, became a consistent forum to share updates, highlightlessons, and recognize contributions. Project tracking and documentation live in an integrated digital environment accessible to everyone, whether they are onsite or remote. This level of visibility, described in The Dispatch as essential to self-management, helps align distributed teams without relying on top-down supervision.
Career development follows the same logic of autonomy and clarity. Employees can shape their growth by specializing in their area or moving across circles over time. Each person receives a personal training budget and dedicated learning days. Performance and compensation decisions are based on peer evaluation processes designed to be transparent and fair, reinforcing shared accountability for results.
Inclusivity and psychological safety are treated as essential conditions. Meeting agendas are shared in advance so that everyone can prepare. The culture encourages feedback and experimentation without fear of blame. The idea ofbeing “curious truth seekers,” as described in the Brandbook, is not only a phrase but part of the daily experience.
Leadership roles are designed to enable rather than control. Circle Leads align their group’s work with company strategy, allocate resources, and support decisions. Facilitators and Secretaries, elected by colleagues, structure meetings and document outcomes. These practices reflect RenDanHeYi principles in which authority followsaccountability, and teams are trusted to deliver.
The wider Lufthansa Group has taken notice of this distinctive culture. Larissa Armstrong, Cultural Transformation Lead, described zeroG as a “lighthouse project,” demonstrating that decentralized structures and customer-focused teams could flourish even within a large, regulated group. She emphasized that zeroG’s example has influenced other Lufthansa initiatives and contributed to broader efforts to embed principles of Ambition, Responsibility, and Empathy.
Externally, zeroG partners with clients ranging from Lufthansa Group to airlines, airports, and supply chain companies. Its purpose, defined in the Brandbook, is to use data as a force for good and shape the future of travel and logistics ina more human-centered, sustainable way.
The environment that has emerged is both structured and adaptive. Clear accountabilities coexist with the freedom toact. Transparency reinforces trust. The combination of autonomy and responsibility challenges people to grow and make decisions with confidence.
Many of zeroG’s practices reflect core elements of RenDanHeYi. Teams hold end-to-end accountability for delivering outcomes. Decisions are made by those closest to the work, not by senior approval. Knowledge is shared openly, andpriorities are set based on what creates value for users. Individual growth paths and peer-based evaluation build a culture where initiative is encouraged and rewarded. In these ways, zeroG demonstrates how Zero Distance principles can move beyond aspiration to become a lived reality inside one of the world’s most complex industries.
