Rethinking Leadership in B2B SaaS
Lessons from Self-Managing Organizations
Two months ago, I joined the Corporate Rebels Masterclass – a hands-on exploration of how pioneering companies like Buurtzorg, Haier, Viisi, and others approach leadership, structure, and collaboration. These aren’t companies tinkering at the edges. They’ve built entire systems that challenge our default assumptions about how work should be organized.
The reason I joined? Curiosity. The reason I’m sharing this now? Relevance.
Most of the founders I work with hit the same wall: decision fatigue, unclear roles, and a team that relies too heavily on them. Scaling a SaaS company often means unintentionally scaling your exhaustion.
This article isn’t about copying foreign models. It’s about borrowing principles from these radically different and successful companies and translating them into real, usable insights for B2B SaaS teams.
1. Trust Isn’t a Feeling – It’s a System
Buurtzorg operates with over 15,000 nurses in the Netherlands – and no managers.
How? Not by crossing their fingers and hoping everyone gets along. But by building a system of clear roles, peer accountability, and shared expectations.
Each team of 10–12 nurses handles everything from scheduling to budgeting to hiring. No one tells them what to do – but the infrastructure expects them to step up. Teams struggling with coordination are supported by a coach, not replaced or managed. Read more about the role of coaches in my article here: Self-organizing companies don't need managers but coaches.
SaaS parallel: Most early-stage SaaS teams say they value trust. But that often means "we get along" or "we don’t micromanage."
The real question is: Does your system require trust to work – or does it bypass trust with processes and approvals?
TRY THIS:
Let teams run their retros without founder involvement. Watch what happens.
Assign one cross-functional team full responsibility for a user outcome – including budget and tool decisions.
Have the team write a “user manual” for how they want to work together.
Review quarterly.
2. Roles Are Better Than Job Titles
Viisi doesn’t use job descriptions. Instead, each person holds a handful of clearly defined roles. Some are tactical (like copywriting), some strategic (like pricing decisions), and some relational (like “meeting facilitator”).
Roles can be added, removed, or passed on. And because roles are decoupled from identity, people feel safer experimenting or stepping away.
This idea hit home for me. In SaaS teams, job titles often create unnecessary tension – “I’m Head of Product, so I must…” even if someone else is clearly better suited to a specific task. Discussions can become more about expectations towards roles than expectations toward individuals, which is good.
TRY THIS:
Create a shared “role board” instead of job descriptions. One person can hold multiple roles – and roles can be shared.
Make quarterly role reviews part of your team rhythm. What’s still a fit? What’s not?
Let people propose new roles when they see a gap.
Reflection:
Instead of asking “Who’s underperforming?”, ask “Which role isn’t working?”
The difference in energy is huge. Not to focus on the person also widens the solution space and creates safety and openness.
3. Autonomy Without Support Is Just Neglect
Self-management isn’t “everyone just figures it out.” It’s structured autonomy. That means clear information, clear expectations, and – crucially – coaching when things wobble. Again: Self-organizing companies don't need managers but coaches
Buurtzorg gives each team a coach who doesn’t tell them what to do but helps them work through tension. The idea isn’t to prevent struggle. It’s to grow through it.
SaaS parallel: When a team struggles, we tend to blame the individuals or add a manager. But what if they just need a sounding board? Someone to guide reflection and keep the system healthy?
TRY THIS:
Assign internal “coaches” (or advisors) – ideally peers – to teams during periods of growth or change.
Create a simple reflection ritual: What’s working? What’s hard? What have we learned this week?
Offer role-change or rotation as an initial response to tension – not escalation.
4. Transparency Isn’t a Risk – It’s a Shortcut
Every self-managing company I studied operates with radical transparency – salaries, financials, decision rights, you name it.
Viisi employees can see liquidity, revenue, customer feedback, open roles, and more – at all times. Same with Buurtzorg. When they hit a financial crisis in 2016, they told everyone. And people stepped up. Productivity increased. Nurses skipped holidays to save the company. Nobody was forced – they just cared.
SaaS takeaway:
We often hide metrics out of fear. But hiding creates confusion. Hiding creates fear and ultimately ambiguity. Clarity creates alignment. It creates opportunities. And it nurtures caring and ownership.
TRY THIS:
Share your P&L with your team – in a simplified dashboard.
Let everyone see user feedback, NPS, churn. Make it part of your weekly review.
Publish salary bands internally (or externally if you’re brave). Normalize talking about money.
5. Scrap the Bonus – Keep the Energy
None of these companies use performance-based bonuses. Not Viisi. Not Panelfisa. Not Ner Group.
Instead, they offer profit-sharing, equal for all. Why? Because bonuses tied to individual metrics create silos. People optimize locally, not systemically.
You’d think this would tank motivation. But the opposite happens. People feel less manipulated and more empowered. And it shows – in retention, creativity, and problem-solving. See my article Bonuses are bad – change my mind - Tobi(as Mende)
SaaS translation:
If your bonus system creates more competition than collaboration, it’s costing you more than it pays.
TRY THIS:
Replace individual bonuses with a team-based profit share tied to company results.
Or try a flat annual bonus for all full-time team members – simple, fair, motivating.
Celebrate intrinsic wins: “That feature helped 100 users do X – thank you.”
6. The Decision Model You Use Matters More Than You Think
Consensus is slow. Top-down is fragile. The best model I’ve seen? Consent.
Used by Viisi and Ner Group, consent means: “We move forward unless someone has a serious, reasoned objection.”
Not “Does everyone love this?”
Just “Is it safe enough to try?”
This simple shift removes decision gridlock and puts the power where it belongs – in the team.
Read more about self-organizing decision-making here:
Organizational Tension Processing - Driving Change in Self-Organizing Companies
Deciding Better: How to Make Faster, Smarter, and More Effective Decisions in Your Organization
You can also take a look at the slides of my talk about making better decisions here.
TRY THIS:
In your next product planning session, ask: “Does anyone see a serious risk if we move forward?”
Encourage objection, not politeness. Objections are signs of engagement.
Document how decisions were made. That alone boosts clarity 10x.
7. Micro-Enterprises at Scale – The Haier Model
Haier blew my mind. 80,000 employees. Zero middle managers. Every team – from customer service to product – operates as a micro-enterprise, with its own P&L, hiring authority, and internal contracts.
Want to start a new team? You pitch it like a startup. Want funding? You negotiate with other micro-enterprises. It’s the closest thing to a decentralized market inside a massive org.
And it works.
SaaS lens:
You don’t need 80,000 people to borrow this. Even a 15-person startup can operate like a swarm of micro-startups.
TRY THIS:
Let your CS team create its own playbook, budget, and metrics – and own them fully.
Build internal SLAs between teams. Not as bureaucracy, but as clarity: “What do we promise each other?”
Treat shared services (HR, ops, legal) like platforms. They don’t dictate – they serve. (This also relates well to how Team Topologies thinks about platform teams btw.)
8. Career Paths Beyond Climbing
Most traditional orgs rely on promotion as the only way forward. Want more money? Become a manager. Want status? Get a title.
Viisi, Buurtzorg, and Ner Group reject this.
Career growth means growing as a contributor. Becoming more capable, more wise, more trusted. Not necessarily “more important.”
And surprisingly, people stay.
SaaS takeaway:
Offer meaningful progression without pushing people into roles they don’t want – especially management.
TRY THIS:
Create visible ladders for ICs (individual contributors) and make them as valuable as manager paths.
Reward skill development, mentorship, and knowledge sharing – not just title changes.
Ask your team: “Where do you want to grow into, not up to?”
Final Thoughts
Self-management isn’t about being flat. Or nice. Or chaotic.
It’s about building systems that match your values – especially trust, autonomy, and clarity.
What I took from the Corporate Rebels Masterclass wasn’t a blueprint. It was a challenge:
“How much do you actually trust your team? And what have you designed to make that trust real?”
If you’re a founder feeling stuck – overwhelmed, stretched, too essential – start here:
Pick one team.
Give them real ownership over something that matters.
Step back. Not forever, but enough.
Watch. Support. Adjust.
Repeat.
And if you’re wondering whether your company is ready for more autonomy, here’s the question I’ll leave you with:
What if your company could grow by trusting people more – not less?
Want to explore this in your context?
If this resonates, and you're curious how some of these ideas might look inside your team – I’d be happy to chat.
No pitch. Just a conversation.
Grab your free 30-minute call with me here: https://cal.com/tobiasmende/30min