TiER1: Sustaining Trust and Adaptability through Dynamically Distributed Authority

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.

When TiER1 first began questioning conventional management over twenty years ago, the founders believed there must be a better way for people to feel ownership and purpose in their work. From that conviction emerged what theydescribe as Dynamically Distributed Authority, or DDA. This model does not rely on a fixed hierarchy but instead organizes people into adaptive teams that gather around specific customers and business challenges.

Greg Harmeyer, TiER1’s co-founder and CEO, explained that the principles behind DDA have remained steady for years. He observed that while some companies introduce new management ideas only to abandon them under pressure, TiER1 has continued to rely on its core practices even when market conditions turned difficult. During theeconomic uncertainty of 2024, the company resisted the common response of layoffs. Instead, leaders chose to reinforce their commitment to long-term thinking and trust. Greg shared that in times of strain, it becomes clear whether an organization truly believes in its stated philosophy or not.

One of the most visible signs of this commitment has been TiER1’s sustained investment in leadership development. In the past year, cross-functional leadership gatherings were held, focusing on the neuroscience of trust and the beliefspeople carry about trusting others. These programs were not framed as quick fixes but as deliberate efforts to buildunderstanding about why the organization operates as it does. Greg emphasized that creating a high-trust environment requires individuals to reflect on their own assumptions.

DDA itself is structured around several principles. Teams are formed dynamically rather than assigned through static reporting lines. Roles are defined in clear terms, with each carrying responsibilities and expectations. Metrics play a central role in this approach. In times of uncertainty, the company has relied even more on specific targets to provide clarity and direction. Greg described metrics as an important communication tool that helps align people without resorting to heavy-handed control.

Although TiER1 has not formally adopted models such as RenDanHeYi, the similarities are evident. Both approaches value decentralization, transparency and an expectation that employees will take responsibility for decisions close tocustomers. In TiER1’s experience, these values allow the business to respond faster to changing circumstances. Greg noted that while this distributed authority increases agility, it can also create a desire among some team members for more directive leadership when challenges arise.

To support new employees in understanding the unique culture, TiER1 overhauled its onboarding process in 2024. The Year 1er journey now guides each person through a full year of learning about the company’s history, philosophy and decision-making principles. This extended orientation has proven especially valuable in a hybrid work environmentwhere people no longer absorb the culture just by being together in an office.

The commitment to long-term thinking remains central. Even as economic performance varied month to month, TiER1 leaders prioritized maintaining a human-centered organization.

Decisions about costs were considered carefully, with an awareness that profitability must coexist with values. Gregexplained that when employees see leaders choosing to protect trust and continuity over short-term savings, it reinforces a shared sense of purpose.

Artificial intelligence has also begun influencing TiER1’s strategy. As clients adapt their own business models in response to technological shifts, the company expects its services and internal practices to evolve significantly. Greganticipates that AI will change what clients expect and how TiER1 delivers its work. The leadership team sees this as both an operational challenge and an opportunity to help organizations navigate transformation.

Through all these changes, TiER1 has remained focused on clarity about why it does things differently. Greg reflectedthat before people can embrace a model like DDA, they must first be willing to question whether traditional structures still serve them. He described this process as essential to building the conviction needed to sustain alternative ways of working.

Even after twenty years, TiER1 continues to see its journey as unfinished. The organization is still learning how tobalance autonomy with alignment, and how to ensure trust remains strong when circumstances are difficult. Whatsets the company apart is not only the structures it has created but the discipline to keep returning to the principles that inspired them. As Greg put it, TiER1’s purpose is to build a company that creates value for people as well as profit, and that requires choices others might hesitate to make.