Flat Organizational Structure for Small Teams: The Advice Process
Advice Process for Teams of Up to ~15 Employees
Smaller teams thrive on agility, the ability to think and move quickly, and close relationships. You can streamline each step of the Advice Process by leaning on existing rhythms, lightweight agreements, and collective ownership—no formal policies or rotating stewards required. Here’s how the Advice Process is implemented for teams of roughly 3–15 people.
This Tool is For Leaders Using the Advice Process of Team Decision-Making:
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- Ideal for: Teams of 3–15 where roles are clear but not rigid
- Why it works: Encourages autonomy while surfacing relational impact and knowledge gaps
- Failure risks: Can collapse into performative consultation if advice is ignored or tokenized
- Key Characteristic of the Advice Process: Anyone can make a decision, but they must seek input from those affected and those with expertise.
- Additional note: Requires cultural norms around feedback and boundaries to avoid decision fatigue
Step 1: Form an Advice Circle
- Purpose: Serve as the go-to channel when anyone needs input on a decision that affects the team.
- Convening: Any team member drops a request in your standing team meeting. Ideally your regular meeting has a set aside time slot on the agenda to make space for engagement.
- Membership: 3–5 volunteers, rotating every 2–3 months so fresh perspectives cycle in without burnout. The smaller the team is, the more likely it is that the team will make decisions and attempt to work by consensus of the full group. It is useful to actually have the team discuss whether a different structure would improve operations and relationships.
- Roles:
- Coordinator schedules the meeting and gathers topics.
- Collector solicits feedback from affected peers before the meeting.
- Note-taker captures key advice and next steps.
- Team Agreement: Capture this process in your working agreement or team playbook so everyone knows how and when the circle is to be engaged.
Step 2: Define Scope & Boundaries
- Decision Types: In your playbook, list which decisions require Advice Circle input (for example, tool changes, process shifts, major feature pivots) and which do not (day-to-day tickets, minor UI tweaks).
- Exemptions: Clarify any decisions the team leader or sub-group can handle solo to prevent overloading the Circle.
- Visibility: Keep this list in a shared doc or wiki for quick reference.
Step 3: Align on Norms & Onboarding
- Advice ≠ Consensus: At the top of every session, remind participants that advice is guidance, not a veto.
- Feedback Rituals: Start with a quick round—“Who else should we hear from?”—to ensure all impacted voices are surfaced.
- New-Member Shadowing: Pair incoming Advice Circle members with a buddy. They attend one meeting as observers, then co-facilitate the next.
- Playbook Examples: Include 2–3 real past decisions showing how advice shaped outcomes to build shared understanding.
Step 4: Monitor & Evolve
- Retrospective Check-In: In your monthly retro, ask “How well did we seek and use advice?” and capture one improvement action.
- Quick Pulse Survey: Once per quarter, run a one-question anonymous poll: “Did you feel heard when Advice Circle input crossed your work?”
- Adjust Membership & Cadence: If feedback lags or meetings feel stale, shorten cycles, swap roles, or tweak timing until the rhythm fits your team.
By embedding these lean rituals into your existing workflow, teams of up to 15 can harness the full power of the Advice Process—balancing autonomy, expertise, and relational clarity—without getting bogged down in bureaucracy.