Growth Framework

Following a group consent decision making process, the framework described below passed with no objections on July 15th 2021.

(*) Click here to create your own copy of the framework and use it during your Self Reflection to write down your ideas, comments, etc.

(**) Original Blogpost - Group Decision Making

Guideline Content.

Purpose
Key elements: Language + Hierarchy + Principles
The Framework (Tiers, levels, expectations)
FAQs:
- How to use the Framework?
- Does everyone have to take the same path?
- To “move up” within Tiers do I have to have mastered absolutely everything in the previous tiers?
- What is Seniority at Vizzuality?
- What do we mean when we say Leadership?
- How does this link with FA specific skills?
- Are there any SMO skills?

1. Purpose

The purpose of having a Growth Framework is to help the organisation and our people adapt and evolve at the same time, by having a common language, clearer mutual expectations and better conversations when it comes to growth and development.

(More info about this question on the video)

2. Key elements: Language + Hierarchy + Principles

a. “Language… Common & Explicit”

To be able to improve the way we talk about salary and growth, we need a common and explicit language for us all to use so “everyone can be on the same page”

The Framework is aimed to provide a system that will enable 2 (or more) people to have a shared language and improve the way we dialogue when it comes to growth, salary, impact, contributions, etc.

By defining and clarifying expectations for each seniority level (ie. skills, behaviours, attitudes, challenges, etc.) people will be able to better understand their contributions, express their ideas and develop their thinking when it comes to assessing their performance and guiding their growth.

b. “Hierarchy… based on Growth”

The first step for growing your career at Vizzuality is to excel at the job you were hired to do.

Along with the above, the aim with this proposal is to also evolve the organisation to a place in which we value and recognise not only the importance of being technically competent when doing your job, but also other elements that will help the organisation grow and become more sustainable in the long term, such as the ability to help and care for others, think critically, examine and develop ourselves, take accountability and initiative, amongst others.

The framework will then take a more holistic approach as it will recognise the different ways we all have to add value to our purpose and how we grow ourselves, our teams and the organisation.

c. “Our Principles…acting as an umbrella”

As described in our website, our principles (Delight, Trust, Care, Grow, Fun) should guide our decisions, our ways of working and the relationships we have with each other, our clients, and our partners.

These very same principles are used within the Framework with the intention of providing consistency and alignment between the “things we say to the world and what we do internally”.

3. The Framework

(Click here to create your own copy of the framework and use it during your Self Reflection to write down your ideas, comments, etc.)

Delight

We use our deep understanding of people’s needs to spark delight. (Quality, Performance, Expertise)

Grow & Care

We look after, nurture and develop ourselves, our colleagues, our planet. (Culture, Team, Relationships, Learning & Development)

Trust

We give people the tools they need, and trust them to do great things. (Decisions, Autonomy, Transparency, Risk & Accountability)

4. Frequently Asked Questions

How to use the Framework?

Whenever you have to do your Self Reflection, instead of just reflecting using the guiding questions (shared back in January 2020), you can now use the Growth Framework to add some context, richness and depth to your reflection.

Take a look at the framework principles, tiers and expectations, and try to answer the following questions:

Performance:

Where do I see myself in the matrix today?
What do I do well?
Where do I see my strengths within the tiers and principles?

Growth:

Where do I see myself going?
What do I need to develop?
Which challenges do I need to tackle next?

Does everyone have to take the same path? Do we all have to cover all principles/levels in the matrix?

Not at all. Depending on your personal interests and the way you would like to add value to the organisation, everyone will be empowered to choose how they grow and the path they wish to take.

I believe there are many ways in which we can add value to our company. Encouraging and promoting just the vertical progression doesn’t feel healthy or relevant, especially in today’s complex world of work and diverse careers ahead of us all.

I would like Vizzuality to be less about “ladders to the top” or just one “generic career path applicable to everyone”, and more about a “wide net of opportunities, networks and challenges” for people to “move up, move sideways, move down” depending on personal needs and willingness to contribute to the organisation.

For example, some people might want to develop only within “Delight” and stay in that track because they are interested in adding value in the technical area (performance, quality, etc.). Some other people might want to take a more blended approach and develop a bit of all 3 tracks. In the same way, some people might want to grow themselves all the way to Tier 4, and for some others it will be enough to develop just a section of that “Track” and get to Tier 2 for example.

In summary, not everyone must get to Tier 4, or be in all 3 tracks (principles). But as an organisation I believe we must have as much of the elements presented in the framework. In other words, you don’t have to be good at everything, but ideally as a whole team we must cover the framework.

(More info about this question on the video)

To “move up” within Tiers do I have to have mastered absolutely everything in the previous tiers?

No. You don’t have to master everything within each Tier to move along the framework.

The Framework is not intended to be a “tick all the boxes” exercise, but more a tool to facilitate dialogue and mutual understanding in regards to growth and performance. Or in other words, the framework is intended to offer you a “general sense” of your performance and growth, but is not asking you to “be good at everything”.

When mapping yourself using the framework, it’s very likely that you will find yourself positioned in several Tiers of the Framework at the same time, which is perfectly fine and expected because performance and growth are very complex “things” to address.

And this is also applicable when it comes to moving along the Framework. It will be expected for people to move along the Tracks even if they haven’t “ticked all the boxes” in each Tier.

In summary, and both for mapping yourself and also for moving along the Tiers, the most important is to get a “general sense of where am I the most” rather than “ticking all the boxes”.

Vizzuality Guidelines