Research: Stories of high involvement – People & Self Management

Research by Bex Hewett. Blog by Nick Van Langendonck.

Introduction

Bex Hewett (LinkedIn), Associate Professor at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, shares compelling stories of high involvement in her latest paper.

Her insights into self-managing organizations reveal what it truly takes to decentralize decision-making and actively involve employees in shaping their work. Spoiler: it’s no walk in the park—it demands time, effort, and reflection.

Key takeaways from her research

1. Distributed authority beyond the management hierarchy requires a robust interconnected system for information and rewards to thrive.

2. For SMO’s: Simply removing the management hierarchy doesn’t work—some centralized decisions and processes are essential for stability.

3. Employees need dedicated time and support to fully engage in decision-making.

Link with Unbossers Network

Key insight 3 is exactly why we created the Unbossers Network: to carve out space and time for leaders, managers, employees, and students to learn together. how radical empowered companies operate in the real world.

Through our social and shared learning, we achieve far greater retention than traditional methods. Why? Because knowledge here is tied to personal experiences, engaging discussions, and memorable moments—whether it’s a unique location or an inspiring experiment that sticks.

Our philosophy has even been recognized by Thinkers50, spotlighting us as a pioneer in “zero-distance-to-customer” growth. At Unbossers, we believe in reviving four cornerstone workplace values—
🔑 Service mindset
🔑 Humility
🔑 Discipline
🔑 Forgiveness

…because restoring integrity and purpose in the corporate world starts with people.

Intriguing to see how Bex Hewett’s research aligns with and inspires the work we do.