Building a Team With a Decentralized Mindset to Empower Web3 Communities

In traditional roles the employees are accountable to a hierarchy of managers and those who have the power to make decisions from within the organization. Web3 turns this on its head and now projects within a more decentralized world are accountable to the community first, essentially reversing the power structure that employees would be familiar with.

Besides the newly born marketing channels, the new forms of promotion and the massive association with a niche media audience, a truly decentralized approach to marketing in the world of Web3 turns the idea of an internal marketing team on its head. 

Charu Sethi, CMO of Unique Network believes that a core difference when it comes to blockchain projects is that teams are mostly accountable to their communities whereas in the past marketing teams were accountable to internal teams and management.

“In crypto projects things move pretty fast, especially for the tech teams who are often innovating at speed. And sometimes things break. When your community feels empowered they also stand by you. The more you learn to value varied specific contributions, the stronger support you receive from them. Valuing skills at scale are the frameworks that translate into strong ambassador programs, a bit like the gig economy of skills. There is so much power in that.” Sethi continues. 

As companies begin to consider how future technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and augmented reality fit into their industries, building a team with a decentralized mindset would allow for an easier shift towards 

The pandemic accelerated the remote working culture

The global pandemic allowed some to re-think the way they value work and seek a more tangible healthier work life balance. Outdated notions of only a short list of careers being considered respectable professions has left many societies with archaic approaches to education and a massive skills gap in the workforce of the future. 

With DeFi many creative individuals and teams have greater access to finance, allowing individuals the freedom to focus on their passions while also contributing to the progress of projects that need assistance. The Web2 infrastructure may be fully optimized to use technology and yearn to represent the hipster culture with dedicated chill zones and free food canteens but does it allow workers autonomy to make decisions? 

Technology has allowed for teams to hire across the globe. With access to a broader skill set and people from various cultural backgrounds, there are unique advantages that allow us to tap into talent pools that seemed unattainable in the past. 

From gig economy to decentralized teams

The switch to freelance work isn't something new in the world of tech with many developers working in the gig economy for a number of years. However, the decentralized approach to building teams may be a newer concept offering the best of both worlds. So how can decentralized teams enable more flexible hours, stability and career progression all at the same time?  This isn’t an easy task to manage. 

However, with a belief in the power of decentralization, the team at Unique Network and other projects in the blockchain space are redefining how the individuals attached to projects drive the mission and values of the projects forward together but apart. 

For Silta Finance Co-Founder, Ben Sheppard, the world of blockchain projects “allows individuals to get involved in things that you probably wouldn't have gotten involved with, and then find the sweet spot for yourself. And then it's and then be able to focus on that thing and do more of that.”

What is interesting to Sheppard and where he finds value is that a lot of people in Web3 don’t work on one project “they work on multiple, so you get this cross fertilization of knowledge across projects.” 

Sheppard also notes the changing process of recruitment in Web3. “It's not the headhunters like you find in traditional companies. Rather it is community led. With the way that DAO’s work a job order gets put out, people in the ecosystem apply and that you get paid in tokens. You could be working on multiple projects and lots of things simultaneously”.

Connecting the right people with similar values 

The birth of decentralized technology has led to a new movement that empowers communities, making it increasingly important to bring people with similar values into projects where they can showcase their strengths. Dominic Moore, Head of Ecosystem at Flare Network, understands that collaboration at work is becoming increasingly complex. By focusing their hiring on a shared mindset they have laid the foundations for growth. 

“A lot of company leaders fail to remember the greatest architects of our time, Foster, Hadid, Rogers et al all obsessed about creating the optimal structures & environments for human interaction to thrive. Manifesting their absolute dedication to these structures into the digital realm along with delivering clear & compelling direction has worked wonders at Flare Network. We also scrutinize during hiring to ensure all new team members deeply share our shared values for building the blockchain that connects everything,” says Moore.

Pros and cons for Employers 

Taking a balanced view of the future of work and building teams in the world of Web3, employers need to assess the risks and benefits. Decentralized teams with individuals based in remote locations can require a lot of organization when it comes to project management, timezone logistics and different pay agreements. Furthermore, projects depending on a decentralized workforce may need to adopt increased flexibility when it comes to deadlines and project timelines. 

However, the benefits can yield to organic community growth that is one of the most positive attributes of the blockchain world today. With a truly decentralized team an employer can concentrate on building the right projects for people that already have an interest in these products. Rather than making substantial investments in full-time labor, training and career progression, hiring project specific workers or contractors requires less commitment. 

The Web3 way of working can be appealing to certain personality types, those that wish for autonomy and to have freedom in decision making and creativity. From solidity developers to storytellers, the central theme that propagates throughout all aspects of Web3 projects is the idea that innovation comes first and whatever resources are required to realize the potential of these innovations will be quickly and effectively pooled together.