How Spotify Revolutionized Team Management

Spotify is a benchmark when it comes to managing autonomous teams. Its model, known as the Spotify Engineering Culture, has been key in promoting flexibility, creativity, and organizational autonomy within the company. Other companies from non-tech sectors—such as Ing, Lego, or Bosch—have adopted similar methodologies. This is model starts making sense with around 100 people, although it can be adapted to companies from 50 employees if there are several autonomous teams working on different products or areas.

Lets see how it works:

Autonomy in Squads: Small Teams with Big Responsibility

At Spotify, teams operate in what they call squads. These are small cross-functional groups with a clear and specific mission, such as improving the user interface or refining the recommendation algorithm.

At LEGO, squads operate as autonomous teams focused on very specific missions, bringing together diverse profiles. For example, there are squads dedicated to designing themed sets like Ninjago or Star Wars, where designers, engineers, marketing specialists, and child testing experts collaborate. Other squads work on improving the in-store experience, from store layout to interactive displays. There are also squads focused on sustainability, researching biodegradable materials and redesigning packaging.

Each squad is fully autonomous: they choose their own methodology, tools, and development pace, without the need for a manager overseeing every step.

They have a Product Owner who ensures alignment with the product goals—but without interfering in the team's autonomy. Their mission is to maximize the value delivered by the squad. They are not a boss, but a compass.

Tribes as Units of Connection

To avoid squads working in isolation and creating silos—internal barriers that prevent collaboration, global vision, and agility—several squads working on related areas are grouped into tribes. Here, a Tribe Lead facilitates coordination without compromising the independence of the squads. For example, a Customer Experience Tribe may include squads working on the website, post-sale service, or return processes—coordinated to offer a more seamless and consistent customer journey.

Chapters and Guilds

Spotify also promotes specialization and continuous learning through chapters. For instance, a People & Talent Chapter brings together those working in recruitment, training, or onboarding across various squads within the same tribe. Even if they operate in different areas (stores, logistics, training), they align processes, share learnings, and ensure coherent talent management across the organization.

Another key element is the guilds. A guild is a cross-cutting group of people with the same role or expertise who, while part of different teams, come together to share best practices and improve their field. For example, a Visual Merchandising Guild could include those who design storefronts and product displays, ensuring a consistent and attractive image across all retail points.

This ecosystem fosters constant idea-sharing and reinforces a culture of trust and psychological safety within the organization.

Leadership in the Spotify Model: Less Bosses, More Gardening

In organizations inspired by the Spotify model, leadership is not about hierarchical control but about facilitation, support, and nurturing the human ecosystem. Instead of traditional supervisors, two key roles emerge—both acting like gardeners: they don’t force growth; they cultivate it.

The Chapter Lead supports people who share the same professional role within a tribe. Their responsibility is not to assign tasks, but to support individual development, provide feedback, and ensure consistency and excellence within their field. It’s a close and continuous guiding role.

The Tribe Lead facilitates coordination and shared vision among the various squads within a tribe. They don’t manage but rather create the conditions for smooth collaboration, maintaining team focus and removing obstacles. They nurture culture, align people around a shared purpose, and protect the autonomy of each team.

The CEO stops being the one who commands and becomes the guardian of purpose and system health. Their role is not to lead from the top, but to create the right conditions for teams to thrive: caring for culture, protecting autonomy, sustaining a shared vision, and stepping in only for key decisions.

They all lead through service, not control.