Mayden: Redefining Work Without Managers
In the evolving world of healthcare technology, companies that prioritize innovation, self-management, and customer-centricity are setting the standard for future success. Mayden, a UK-based health tech pioneer, is one such company that has redefined the way organizations manage healthcare solutions.
This blog post is part of 50+ case studies of self-managing organizations we created for the 2024 inaugural ZeroDX awards. These organizations embody the principles of RenDanHeYi in their work structures:
Zero Distance to customer: Decision what to build is based on insights from the marketplace
Autonomy: Small teams with full decision-making autonomy enable speed in execution
Shared Rewards: Everyone in the micro-enterprise participates in its financial success.
Introducing Mayden
Founded in 2000, Mayden is a UK-based health tech company that specializes in digital solutions to support healthcare services. The company’s flagship product, iaptus, is a widely used patient management system in over 200 organizations, including many within the NHS. Designed to facilitate data-driven, patient-centered care, iaptus enhances service efficiency and quality of care. Notably, the online appointment booking feature saves the NHS £4.8 million annually.
Mayden is a trailblazer in creating an environment that empowers its employees through self-management and progressive workplace structures. Today, the team consists of 150 individuals who are driven by four core values: forward thinking, transparency, collaboration, and contribution. This commitment to innovation and progressive management has resulted in impressive metrics, including an average annual turnover growth of 18%, 90% employee satisfaction, and a 95% customer retention rate over the last 12 years.
Organizational Structure and Decentralization
At Mayden, traditional management hierarchies have been replaced with a decentralized structure of self-managing teams. This model, inspired by Agile principles, gives employees full autonomy over how they deliver their work. Instead of fixed leadership roles, responsibility is distributed based on expertise, with teams empowered to make collaborative decisions and set their own goals.
Flat organizational structure: Mayden’s teams own their processes and have complete control over how they achieve results, encouraging ownership and initiative.
Autonomous decision-making: Leadership responsibilities are distributed across the organization, allowing for a highly responsive and dynamic environment.
This approach ensures that ideas and initiatives can come from anyone, creating an environment ripe for innovation and continuous improvement.
Customer-Centricity and Service Impact
Mayden’s structure has had a significant positive impact on customer service. By removing layers of management, teams can respond rapidly to customer needs. The emphasis on self-management enables teams to prioritize customer feedback and make adjustments without needing to navigate bureaucratic hurdles. This approach ensures that Mayden can stay close to its clients, offering tailored solutions and timely support.
As a mission-critical clinical system in a complex and changing industry, this ability to adapt and respond efficiently is crucial. Mayden’s customer-centric approach is embedded in every aspect of its operations, from product development to service delivery, making it a trusted partner in the healthcare sector.
Great technology is about more than just features and functionality. Mayden prides itself on the quality of customer service, training, and support that they provide. This is reflected in their 99.2% customer support satisfaction rate and quarterly user feedback surveys:
Mayden's focus on customer service is further enhanced by their commitment to continuous learning and improvement. Each team practices regular retrospectives, which are designed as safe spaces for teams to reflect on their work, identify what went well, and learn from any mistakes. These sessions, facilitated by a coach, foster a culture of openness and transparency, where employees are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions without fear of blame. This approach not only helps teams to improve continuously but also strengthens trust between team members and their clients.
Culture and Employee Well-Being
Mayden fosters a culture rooted in transparency, collaboration, and employee well-being. The company promotes a no-blame culture, encouraging employees to see mistakes as learning opportunities rather than failures. This approach eliminates the fear of retribution and allows for greater creativity and innovation.
Mayden's approach to remuneration includes bi-annual profit share and ad-hoc rewards based on individual performance, ensuring that employees are fairly compensated and feel a shared sense of purpose within the company.
Since adopting a flat structure, Mayden encourages its employees to participate in their internal coaching program. This program provides access to trained colleagues who coach on work-related questions, projects, career development, and personal goals, giving employees the autonomy to manage their own professional growth. A new mentoring program has also been launched this year.
Each employee has an allocated training budget that they can use towards training tools to help them progress in their role and learn new skills. Growth for every individual will look different and everyone is actively encouraged to curate their own job roles. There are countless examples of staff that have found a new passion or have expanded their role into new areas of the business.
At Mayden, there is a clear focus on a balanced work-life. Their social committee, known as the Ministry of Fun, organizes various activities and events for employees. Furthermore, dedicated working groups ensure that all employees are heard and can contribute to key projects. These groups, created by employees, cover a range of areas, including data-driven analysis, diversity and inclusion, as well as sustainability initiatives. These groups give the team at Mayden the ability to contribute to agendas beyond their core role, giving them the freedom to push forward causes that they feel passionate about, whilst also giving the company the benefit of combined wisdom, passion, and drive to make a difference.
Mayden’s employee engagement and retention rates speak volumes. The company enjoys an average staff turnover rate of just 7.27%, well below the UK average of 15%.
Conclusion
Mayden’s journey as a pioneer in self-management and employee empowerment is a testament to the effectiveness of RenDanHeYi principles in driving both organizational success and customer satisfaction.
By empowering employees, staying true to a customer-first approach, and fostering a supportive, transparent culture, Mayden has set the standard for progressive workplaces. As the company continues to thrive, its insights shared through their book, "Made Without Managers", offer inspiration for other organizations seeking to embrace more agile and human-centered ways of working.
