Q: How can I make my hiring process more democratic and decentralized?

A: When Nearsoft, a San Francisco and Hermosillo, Mexico- based software development company, interviews a candidate for a position, the team members themselves, not human resources, conduct the interviews and decide who to hire. The interview process has been delegated to them because they have a strong sense of the goals, direction, and skills needed for that particular position on the team and therefore are the ones who both conduct the interviews and make the final decision.

Chief Operating Officer, Matt Perez explains, “From the start, we wanted to create an environment where people were treated as adults. We are a professional software product development organization and need to attract and retain the best talent.”

In one particular case, the team chose to hire a developer based on his technical qualifications and leadership skills even though he would make more money than the rest of them. When asked why they did so, they simply said, “He can help us be more successful.”

“It is very difficult to do that in a traditional command-and-control structure,” continues Perez. “From the business point of view, this practice allows us to run a much flatter organization, with a lot less overhead. This makes Nearsoft, and our clients, very capital-efficient. Also, it keeps us very nimble since the people close to the problems can implement solutions quickly, without asking for permission. Just as importantly, it allows us to grow much more quickly and be more scalable.”

To learn more about Nearsoft and their democratic practices, click here.