This healthcare company has 10,000 nurses with ZERO managers.
Nurses manage million-euro budgets without approval. They hire their own colleagues.
And they're outperforming every competitor by 40% at 1/3 the overhead cost.
The coolest company you've never heard of:
Nurses manage million-euro budgets without approval. They hire their own colleagues.
And they're outperforming every competitor by 40% at 1/3 the overhead cost.
The coolest company you've never heard of:
In 2006, nurse Jos de Blok watched the community nursing industry fall into bureaucratic hell.
Patients saw 30-40 different caregivers per month. Nurses spent more time filling out forms than helping people.
His solution wasn't to fix management, but to eliminate it entirely.
Patients saw 30-40 different caregivers per month. Nurses spent more time filling out forms than helping people.
His solution wasn't to fix management, but to eliminate it entirely.
Jos and his wife both quit their secure nursing jobs.
With 5 kids to feed and zero funding, they started Buurtzorg with just 4 nurses.
They didn't have a business plan, investors or managers. They just focused on doing what nurses do best.
With 5 kids to feed and zero funding, they started Buurtzorg with just 4 nurses.
They didn't have a business plan, investors or managers. They just focused on doing what nurses do best.
Within 12 months, they had 10 locations.
By year 3, they had 350 teams.
Today: 950+ autonomous teams across the Netherlands.
Buurtzorg grew from 4 to 10,000 nurses without adding a single middle manager.
By year 3, they had 350 teams.
Today: 950+ autonomous teams across the Netherlands.
Buurtzorg grew from 4 to 10,000 nurses without adding a single middle manager.
Their business model is insanely simple:
• Maximum 12 nurses per team
• Each team manages 50-60 neighborhood patients
• Complete autonomy over everything
• No bosses, no oversight or bureaucracy
Teams that rent their own offices within budget don't need approval.
• Maximum 12 nurses per team
• Each team manages 50-60 neighborhood patients
• Complete autonomy over everything
• No bosses, no oversight or bureaucracy
Teams that rent their own offices within budget don't need approval.
They run the entire organization with just 50 back-office staff supporting 10,000 nurses.
The industry average for overheads is 25%.
Buurtzorg's is only 8%.
Their competitors need 3X more administrators because of their bloated management systems.
The industry average for overheads is 25%.
Buurtzorg's is only 8%.
Their competitors need 3X more administrators because of their bloated management systems.
Ernst & Young found:
40% fewer hours of care needed per patient.
35.7% reduction in total care costs.
They provide their customers with higher quality care at a lower cost.
40% fewer hours of care needed per patient.
35.7% reduction in total care costs.
They provide their customers with higher quality care at a lower cost.
So how do 10,000 people coordinate without managers?
They built BuurtzorgWeb. It's an internal social network where any nurse can ask the entire network for help.
Questions get answered in hours by dozens of colleagues.
They built BuurtzorgWeb. It's an internal social network where any nurse can ask the entire network for help.
Questions get answered in hours by dozens of colleagues.
Every team's performance metrics are visible to all 950 teams.
Productivity, costs, patient hours, everything's public.
Underperforming teams feel peer pressure instead of boss pressure.
And it works better than any management system.
Productivity, costs, patient hours, everything's public.
Underperforming teams feel peer pressure instead of boss pressure.
And it works better than any management system.
They have only 21 coaches for all 10,000 nurses.
But those coaches have zero authority.
They can't approve expenses, make decisions or give orders.
They just ask questions to help teams find their own solutions.
But those coaches have zero authority.
They can't approve expenses, make decisions or give orders.
They just ask questions to help teams find their own solutions.
Every founder should take notes of Buurtzorg's results:
• 9.1/10 patient satisfaction (highest in Netherlands)
• Named Best Employer 5 times in 8 years
• 4% sick leave (vs 8% industry average)
• 10% turnover (vs 15% industry)
People thrive when you trust them completely.
• 9.1/10 patient satisfaction (highest in Netherlands)
• Named Best Employer 5 times in 8 years
• 4% sick leave (vs 8% industry average)
• 10% turnover (vs 15% industry)
People thrive when you trust them completely.
Jos de Blok's philosophy is simple:
"I don't motivate 10,000 employees. They're already motivated.
My job is to remove the obstacles that prevent them from doing great work."
These principles work everywhere. So what if every company ran this way?
"I don't motivate 10,000 employees. They're already motivated.
My job is to remove the obstacles that prevent them from doing great work."
These principles work everywhere. So what if every company ran this way?
That's why Athena helps ambitious founders/CEOs gain back their time while scaling their company.
Delegation is the scaling law of entrepreneurship. If you don't understand it early, you'll find it incredibly hard to scale your business.
athena.com/?utm_source=tw…
Delegation is the scaling law of entrepreneurship. If you don't understand it early, you'll find it incredibly hard to scale your business.
athena.com/?utm_source=tw…
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1. Follow me @chr1stopherHo for more threads on entrepreneurship and delegation.
2. RT the linked tweet to spread the word.
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2. RT the linked tweet to spread the word.
https://twitter.com/265053055/status/1957832919067815945
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