It’s my first anniversary of being a collaborator at Outlandish, so I wanted to share what I’ve learned along the way and a few proud moments.

Firstly, I have worked for large FTSE-listed agencies and small start-ups in my twelve-year career in Tech. They each have nuances, structures and hierarchies, but none have changed my way of working, how I think about work, or how I interact as a colleague more than Outlandish.

Outlandish is different from other organisations in two ways. 

Firstly, it’s a co-operative and part of CoTech, and secondly, Outlandish uses Sociocratic, consent-based decision making. 

So what is Sociocratic consent-based decision making?

On paper, consent-based decision-making can sound slow and laborious, but in practice, it is a fast way to get decisions and changes through a business. The process has a fixed, structured, and reliable way of working.

  1. Anyone can bring a proposal to the table.
  2. Everyone at ‘the table’ can ask Clarifying Questions, which are responded to
  3. Everyone is then asked, in turn, for their Initial Reactions to the proposal
  4. Then everyone at the table is asked if they have any Critical Concerns

 Is it good enough for now, safe enough to try?

This helps to get ‘safe enough’ decisions made quickly. This phrase, ‘good enough for now,’  is often used in Agile working methods, so the Sociacratic consent-based decision-making process is akin to the agile philosophy and allows for a more democratic and engaged working environment. All of us are shaping the way that Outlandish works. 

It might sound crazy, but one of the things I love most about the process is the structure and order of the process. For those who don’t know me, I always have something to say about everything. As a woman, it’s relatively unusual, especially in group settings, and I take pride in my participation in groups.  

I am also aware that there are often others in the room who might have things to say, but for whatever reason, cultural, personal, or social, they don’t always speak. The sociocratic, consent-based process allows and asks all participants to contribute. This allows quieter, less confident participants to engage in any decision-making process.

Read more about our Consent Based Decision making workshops

Working for a Co-op

Then there’s the co-operative element of the business and I don’t think the philosophies and living practices of Outlandish are better communicated than the CoTech site. 

“We believe that businesses owned and run by their workers can create better workplaces, deliver higher quality products, and provide greater value to customers. Unlike traditional businesses, we have no private shareholders extracting profits. Our aim is to change both our industry and society through cooperation. We strive to be a model of thought leadership and innovation in the progressive business movement.”

The partnership we have with other cotech agencies we work with is much more trusting and collaborative than any similar inter-agency experience I have had in my agency career, and means that we get more done and are more open to each others contributions. This means that we do better work for our clients and society in the long run.

Outlandish lives the co-operative values to the letter. Investing in us, the team, and the community from our weekly team lunches (see image below), to paying to build campaign websites such as the initial iteration of the now award winning campaign School Cuts website supported by the NEU.

The Team

I couldn’t write a blog about a year at Outlandish without mentioning the team. It’s true that there are more vegetarians / vegans working here than any single place of work, but that’s not why I love them.

I can’t tell you how privileged I am to work with such a talented group of developers, designers and producers who share my values, that doing good, or even better, for civil society is a key driver to how we choose to live and work. 

The majority of the team have fingers in multiple pies, meaning that they are not stuck in the mud of the office / business culture or one single organisation and always bring fresh energy into the room every working week.

The Work

In 2013, I walked away from front-line social impact work and into the tech industry. It sounds like it was easy; it wasn’t, but that’s another story. My vision was always to use my skills to ‘do better’ and to ‘affect change’. Walking through the doors of Outlandish on March 3rd 2024 has allowed me to do this every working day.

I couldn’t be more proud of my work supporting the CHS Alliance on their global  Harmonised Reporting Scheme for Sexual Exploitation, and Harassment, and the Webby, Anthem award we received recognising its importance, Not to mention helping CHS Alliance extend their funding with the UK Foreign Office.

Then, of course, there is the  School Cuts website, which ensured that during the General Election and in the aftermath, funding for education was at the forefront of all politicians and communities’ minds. 

I have also loved pushing our clients to think more about their designs and accessibility – using their small budgets to iterate and improve their digital presence from UKERC to The Equality Trust.

I feel emotional writing this, and it is because I could not be more grateful to work here, for clients I respect from Read for Good, encouraging children to read more, to London Funders, iterating their Propel funding platform.  

Looking forward to my next big Outlandish push – shouting about our Support and Maintenance offering, because it’s a good one! 

[Image of cake by Jackie Hope on Unsplash]