For sports shoe company On, the marathon has only just begun

Federal Council model

But the other side of the coin of such an organization is obviously a significant waste of time and energy in discussions. For example with reviews of new collections that last for days, twice a year: “I can have extremely in-depth discussions with David about a zipper, a color or the strategic intention of a product,” explains Tim Coppens who heads clothing design at On. Previously, he worked for Under Armour, Adidas and Ralph Lauren. “When I presented my creations there, it was one-way: there was maybe a brief feedback, and that was it. Here we discuss until we find a final consensus.” In the short term, we may lose our strike force, but in the long term, we are convinced at On that this confrontation of points of view is useful to the company: “Everyone has their say, we use diversity within the team to make better decisions,” explains European Director Bianca Pestalozzi-Houchangnia. “Discussions as equals make us innovative and creative, we almost never vote, at a given moment, the minority submits and follows suit. At On, we call this Disagree and commit, and it’s very similar to the operating model of the Swiss Federal Council.”