The Power of Inclusion: Fundació DAU’s Reinvention Through Trust

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.

In 2023, General Director Anna Cohí chose to face this challenge with courage. Nearing retirement, she wanted to leave a legacy that went beyond stability and numbers. She envisioned an organization where dignity and inclusion were not only its mission but also the way it functioned every day. To make this possible, Fundació DAU began a transformation journey guided by the Consulting Agency Full Circle, which combined cultural renewal with structuralredesign. Every employee took part in a systemic diagnosis, ensuring that the voices of all 180 people shaped the path ahead.

The first stage focused on personal growth. Employees received training in self-management, while Anna and herleadership team undertook a deep process of reflection and change. Anna’s own evolution symbolized the shift in culture: from being perceived as distant, she grew into a facilitator who welcomed dialogue and created safe spaces for others to contribute. This reflected a central RenDanHeYi principle that leadership is not about control but about enabling people to take ownership of their work and their growth.

Once this cultural soil was nurtured, structural transformation could follow. The executive committee was dissolved and replaced with three interconnected meetings. The steering meeting was created for strategy and finance, the care meeting for well-being, and the commitment meeting for daily operations and client needs. Teams democratically elected representatives to these meetings, though participation was open to anyone. Proposals had to be discussed with those affected before being presented, ensuring that decisions carried the weight of collective input. This practiceembodied the principle of distributed authority, while the combination of meetings ensured that strategy, care, and delivery remained balanced.

Teams themselves were redesigned to remain small and purpose-driven, with no more than twenty members. They defined their own goals and created temporary commissions when specific projects required it. By organizing in this way, teams moved closer to the principle of zero distance to users. Their goals were not only framed around externalclients but also around colleagues, particularly those with disabilities, whose daily needs and contributions shaped how value was created. Serving one another with the same dedication as they served external clients turned inclusion into a lived reality rather than a stated intention.

The incentive system was also reimagined. A co-created salary scale introduced five levels of progression in everyteam, giving equal weight to soft skills and technical expertise. Evaluations became peer-led, followed by feedback conversations that supported growth rather than judgment. At the end of eachyear, part of the profits was shared equally among all employees. This alignment of effort, reward, and dignity mirrored the RenDanHeYi principle of connecting value creation directly with value distribution.

Challenges inevitably arose in the early stages. Opening space for honesty brought hidden tensions to the surface, and some people initially struggled with the new responsibilities of self-management. Yet these momentsbecame opportunities to practice courage and mutual support. Over time, the atmosphere shifted. Fear gave way to energy, and employees began to propose improvements, test ideas, and take initiative without waiting for permission. The co-creation of the first strategic plan, developed collectively by employees from different teams and backgrounds,marked a turning point. For the first time, the future of the foundation was not designed by a few at the top but crafted by everyone together.

Today, Fundació DAU thrives as an organization defined by trust, care, and shared purpose. Decision-making balances financial sustainability with well-being and customer focus. Teams operate with autonomy, information is transparent, and inclusion is evident in every practice. The foundation’s mission of integrating people with mentaldisorders into meaningful work is not only its external impact but also its internal way of being.

Fundació DAU’s transformation shows how RenDanHeYi principles can be lived in a setting where social inclusion is at the heart of the mission. Distributed authority became tangible through the steering, care, and commitment meetings, where decisions are made with full transparency and participation. Zero distance to users was redefined, not only through close relationships with clients in demanding industries, but also by treating colleagues with disabilities as valued users of internal services. Alignment of value and reward emerged in a salary system co-createdwith employees, in peer-led evaluations, and in the sharing of profits across the whole workforce. These practices gave structure to what inclusion truly means in daily work. What began as Anna Cohí’s vision for a freer organization has become a lasting cultural shift, proving that even in highly regulated industries, trust and dignity can guide innovation, productivity, and human growth all at once.