---
title: How We Work Together
category: How we work together
source_files:
  - docs/How we work together/our-purpose.md
  - docs/How we work together/core-values.md
  - docs/How we work together/coaching-culture-faq.md
  - docs/How we work together/circles-huddles-celebrations.md
  - docs/How we work together/office-information.md
summary: >
  Respellion's purpose and impact, the four core values and manifest, the
  coaching culture (huddle check-ins, huddle elevators, capacity building, POP),
  and practical office information for The Hague.
tags:
  - purpose
  - core-values
  - manifest
  - coaching-culture
  - huddles
  - capacity-building
  - personal-development-plan
  - office
  - open-source
related_topics:
  - who-we-are.md  # Holacracy model, QMS, services
  - learning-personal-development.md  # POP detail, Growth & Reward, conferences
  - day-to-day.md  # office presence, etiquette
key_facts:
  purpose: "A society in which open-source technology is used to enable digitization in a sustainable way."
  core_values: [Trust, Courage, Self-discipline, Entrepreneurship]
  huddle_checkin_frequency: twice a week
  huddle_elevator_frequency: every two months
  capacity_building_areas: [Professional, Emotional, Physical]
  pop_model: Ofman's Core Quadrant
  pop_tool: Miro board
  office_address: "Waldorpstraat 5, 2521 CA 's-Gravenhage (PostNL building, 1st floor)"
ai_context: >
  The coaching culture described here is the SINGLE canonical description for the
  whole handbook; the Learning & Personal Development section references it rather
  than repeating it. Conflicting source values were resolved: huddle check-ins are
  twice a week, huddle elevators every two months, and the capacity building
  framework has exactly three areas (Professional, Emotional, Physical). The
  coaching culture replaces traditional performance management and complements the
  Holacracy governance model (see who-we-are.md); reward is handled in
  learning-personal-development.md (Growth & Reward).
---

# How We Work Together

This section covers Respellion's purpose, its four core values and the manifest, the coaching culture (huddles, capacity building, and the Personal Development Plan), and practical office information.

## Purpose and Impact

Respellion provides high-performing and flexible professionals and coaches who understand that sustainable software is only created through close and excellent collaboration. We tell it like it is and do what we promise.

> "A society in which open-source technology is used to enable digitization in a sustainable way."

Respellion is an organisation that has knowledge and experience about technology and organisation. We have a vision of how digital solutions can best be developed technically and how this should be approached from an organisational point of view. This combination is exceptionally strong.

Read more about our knowledge areas on our website.

## Our Core Values and Manifest

### Our core values

We have four core values which form the basis for our organization, the cooperation, and the behavior we strive for. In our application process, we will find out together how these values are expressed in you.

**1 — Trust.** We give trust by allowing room for autonomy. We trust each other and are open and transparent. That's why we talk with each other instead of about each other. We have faith in someone else's intentions, assume these to be right, and express that trust. Everyone can rely on each other, and we stand for results.

**2 — Courage.** We have courage and dare to deviate from the traditional way of working when we see things we can improve. It's okay to make mistakes. In this way, we learn to do (even) better. We dare to make ourselves vulnerable and welcome feedback. We like to do things differently. That makes us a bit rebellious, but we'll always have a good reason for it.

**3 — Self-discipline.** We make clear agreements and honour them. We take responsibility for our activities and set clear priorities. We have the discipline to develop ourselves and want to be the best in our field. Trust requires self-control and the courage to take a step beyond your own ego.

**4 — Entrepreneurship.** We are committed and driven entrepreneurs who think in terms of opportunities and possibilities. For our environment and for ourselves. Because things will change, we are flexible and critical. When we tackle something, we do it with both hands and we feel responsible for the result.

### Respellion manifest

Our values are ultimately expressed in behaviour, which is why we have formulated four statements that our customers can hold us accountable for. "Practice what you preach" is very important to us.

**We are always in motion to be agile.** Society is a system of networks that is always in motion. Success comes from the ability to adapt. Adapting is needed on an organizational and individual level. We want to keep learning and align what we do with each other and society.

**Collaboration based on a common interest.** We believe in cooperation as it is needed in a society — dealing with each other as you do in a village or neighbourhood. Here reliability is a great asset, with attention to the interests of others. Our vision is that there is no individual interest that takes precedence over the collective interest. This requires self-insight and awareness of our values, beliefs and behaviour. That insight is necessary to ensure that we choose the collective instead of following our ego.

**Working with a smile and a caring attitude.** There is no "ladder of success" in our organization. We have a responsibility to take care of each other rather than pursue individual interests. We are a collective of professional, skilled people. We hold each other accountable for this responsibility with a caring attitude, which leads to better cooperation and therefore high-quality services. As a result, we practice what we preach and are congruent in our behaviour.

**Our organisation strives for a balance between people, planet and profit.** We are convinced that sustainable solutions are only possible if attention is paid to the balance between people, planet and profit. We don't think in terms of us and them. Long-term results always outweigh short-term interests. The open-source model fits in seamlessly with this vision.

### Respellion Operating System

We have knowledge and experience in successfully executing result-driven projects and in how to empower people in high-performing teams. Autonomy and craftsmanship are central in our daily activities.

**Agile way of thinking and dynamic structure.** We work with organic, flat-structured teams. We don't have managers: employees take the initiative and responsibility for the autonomy in their work, meaning they choose the roles that they are good at and that motivate them.

In our culture, employees trust each other, demonstrate courage and discipline, and embrace an entrepreneurial mindset. Our roles are described on Glassfrog.

## Coaching Culture, Circles, Huddles and Celebrations

At Respellion, we've evolved beyond traditional performance management to embrace a coaching culture where continuous improvement and collaboration thrive. Our structure is designed to foster regular feedback, support, and guidance among all team members. The coaching culture is the concept in which employees regularly give each other feedback, support and guidance with the aim of continuous improvement and collaboration. It evolved from an initial 'feedback culture' into a more comprehensive coaching approach focused on employee development, and is intended as an alternative to traditional performance management systems.

### Huddle Check-ins

These twice-weekly small group meetings create a supportive environment where team members can share updates, discuss concerns, and offer mutual support. Unlike traditional mentorship programs, these frequent check-ins ensure meaningful connections within trusted, small groups — more frequent and meaningful than traditional mentoring programs.

### Huddle Elevators

These in-depth sessions, held every two months, focus on personal and professional development. The "elevator" concept emphasizes building on your strengths rather than just addressing weaknesses. These sessions incorporate your Personal Development Plan (POP) and competency insights to guide meaningful coaching conversations, and serve as a platform for coaching conversations that require inputs such as personal development plans and competency insights.

### Capacity Building Framework

Our approach to development is holistic and encompasses three key areas, with the goal of creating balanced and satisfied employees who can be fully themselves at work:

- **Professional Capacity:** intellectual and work-related skills — enhancing your work-related skills and intellectual abilities.
- **Emotional Capacity:** social skills, self-reflection, alignment of personal values with work, inclusivity and diversity.
- **Physical Capacity:** encouragement of healthy lifestyle choices.

### Personal Development Plan (POP)

Every employee at Respellion draws up a personal development plan, based on the capacity building framework. A fundamental part of this is identifying core qualities using **Ofman's Core Quadrant model**. This model helps employees understand their strengths (core qualities), pitfalls, challenges, and allergies (what irritates them in others). The plan is visualized on a Miro board for easy updating and sharing during the "elevator" sessions, and is accessible to all colleagues.

### Openness and vulnerability

Openness and vulnerability are seen as essential elements for the success of the coaching culture. Employees are encouraged to be open about their development points and to be vulnerable, so that colleagues can better support and empower them. The "elevator" sessions and the sharing of personal development plans on the Miro board are designed to create a safe environment for this candor. Questioning core qualities in different relationships and reflecting on them in the group also contribute to self-insight and an open dialogue.

### Relationship to Holacracy and performance management

The coaching culture is intended to replace traditional performance management — in which assessment and reward are central — with a more continuous, collaborative and development-oriented approach. While there may be parallels with elements from Holacracy, such as working in smaller groups (huddles), Holacracy focuses primarily on organizational structure and decision-making, whereas Respellion's coaching culture focuses specifically on personal and professional development and on feedback mechanisms within the organization. It is recognized that effective implementation of the huddles may require some form of 'huddle lead' or facilitator, which introduces an element of leadership within the self-organizing teams.

> Reward and salary growth tied to this development model are described in [Learning & Personal Development → Growth & Reward](learning-personal-development.md).

## Office Information

Respellion has an office in the PostNL building at Waldorpstraat 5 in The Hague, near the Den Haag Hollands Spoor station. The building is open from approximately 06:00 to 22:00.

**Lock.** The Respellion office is located on the first floor. The door opens with the Salto KS app (https://saltoks.com/), which you need to install on your smartphone. The People Officer will ensure that the building manager invites you, so you can open the door with your smartphone.

**Meeting Spaces.** The meeting rooms on the first floor can be reserved via The Hague Tech.

**Flex Desks.** We are allowed to use the pink tables on the first floor as flex desks when it gets busy in our office. Please be mindful of the people who rent the flex desks, as a few seats need to remain available for them as well.

**Contact information**

- Address: Waldorpstraat 5, 2521 CA 's-Gravenhage, Nederland
- E-mail: Patrick Smulders (ps@respellion.nl) or Raymond Verhoef (rve@respellion.nl)
- Telephone: +31 (0)85-0607428

## Related Topics

- [Who We Are](who-we-are.md) — the Holacracy model and ISO 9001 QMS that the core values and coaching culture support.
- [Learning & Personal Development](learning-personal-development.md) — the POP in practice, the Growth & Reward model that links development to salary, and conference attendance.
- [Day to Day](day-to-day.md) — office presence registration and office etiquette that complement this office information.
