Viisi: Transforming Financial Services with a Holacratic Approach

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 Viisi

Viisi, established in 2010 in the Netherlands, is a pioneering company in the financial services industry, specifically in mortgage advisory. Founded by Frank Tukker, Hendrik Schakel, Hergen Dutrieux and Tom van der Lubbe. Viisi's core mission is to revolutionize the financial advisory landscape by making it more sustainable, long-term-oriented, and customer-centric. The company employs over 30 people and prides itself on delivering independent and personalized mortgage advice, leveraging the expertise of highly educated advisors. Viisi operates with a strong commitment to its purpose: to make financial advice more ethical and aligned with the greater good of society.

By embedding self-organizing teams, a flat hierarchy, and transparent salary structures, Viisi not only challenges industry norms but also pioneers a progressive financial services model. This approach aligns with the RenDanHeYi management philosophy, which emphasizes zero distance to customers and autonomy for employees—key drivers of Viisi’s continued success.

Organizational Structure

Viisi stands out in the financial services industry due to its decentralized management system that emphasizes self-organization and distributed authority. At Viisi, hierarchy is replaced by circles—self-managing teams that function with complete autonomy. Inspired by sociocracy, holacracy, and historical governance models from Amsterdam, Venice, and Switzerland, Viisi’s structure ensures flexibility, shared responsibility, and continuous innovation.

There are no managers; instead, each team member, referred to as a "Viisionair", has the leadership or autonomy in various roles that align with their strengths and the company's goals. The classical management role is reduced to a role of coordinative responsibility which rotates among the team members. This structure allows for dynamic adjustments and continuous innovation, fostering a culture of autonomy and accountability where decisions are made collaboratively and roles evolve organically to meet emerging needs.

Leadership within the circles is based on the principle of Primus Inter Pares, a Latin phrase meaning "first among equals", dating from its use in Ancient Greece, the Roman Senate, merchant cities, and partnership structures like consultancy firms, investment banks, law firms and of medical doctors. It has historically been used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to others in their group but is granted unofficial respect. The same happens at Viisi.

Just as in countries, in which states or provinces have a lot of independence, circles or teams at Viisi are also self-governing, and each has elected delegates who are regularly rotated and are linked to the national level. Each circle must fulfill two fundamental delegation roles responsible for coordination matters: the role of the so-called Lead Link, and the role of the Rep Link. People in the Lead Link role are responsible for work within their circle. People in the Rep Link role represent their circle to other circles.

Customer Centricity

Viisi’s unique structure directly benefits customers by ensuring advisors have the autonomy to make the best decisions without bureaucratic delays. This people-first approach is embedded in the company's operations:

• Advisors are empowered – They tailor mortgage solutions based on individual client needs, not rigid company policies.
• Self-organizing teams make key decisions – Those closest to the customer have the authority to act.
• Long-term relationships over quick wins – Viisi ranks 9.8/10 in customer satisfaction, proving that trust and transparency lead to success.

By removing unnecessary layers of management, Viisi accelerates service delivery, strengthens customer relationships, and ensures every decision aligns with its core mission: making financial services more ethical and sustainable.

Internal Culture

Viisi’s internal culture is built on transparency—both inside and outside the company. Everything is public by default, except where confidentiality is necessary.

How transparency works at Viisi:

• Public organizational structure – Anyone can view Viisi’s fractal organization online.
• Transparent salaries – Since 2016, all salaries have been public and benchmarked to the top 25% of the market.
• Annual salary increases – Ensuring fair pay without individual performance-based bonuses, which can discourage teamwork.

This commitment to fairness and openness fosters psychological safety, encouraging employees to collaborate, ask for help, and focus on shared success rather than individual competition.

Viisi’s radical policies are backed by research and proven organizational science. As co-founder Tom van der Lubbe puts it:

"The most interesting conclusion of this journey is that science has long studied these topics and is clear about what works and what is counterproductive. Yet, most companies still do the opposite."

By aligning its practices with scientific principles and long-term thinking, Viisi ensures that its structure is not just progressive, but also sustainable and effective.

Conclusion

Viisi is a trailblazer in financial services, proving that self-management, radical transparency, and customer-first decision-making can drive both profitability and social impact. By continuously experimenting with new ways of working, Viisi serves as a blueprint for the future of ethical finance.