Pros
* Teams are truly agile (as opposed to other companies where teams "do agile" by following some ceremonies) * Very smart, passionate, committed & interesting co-workers. You do learn a lot - technically, about leadership, about the world in general ! * There are so many forums / interest groups/ discussion boards/ talks/ lunch and learn sessions - someone who is interested in learning and growing their craft has so many opportunities * Employee focused/ friendly * Most managers are servant leaders - they walk the talk on leadership largely * Most roles have autonomy * Largely flat / very less hierarchy * High level of trust placed in employees across roles, levels - guidelines are framed with the belief that the majority of employees are good corporate citizens with high integrity and commitment (as opposed to legislating with rigid rules to deal with minority of employees that aren't good corporate citizens). * Mostly team members believe in doing the right thing - and that good business results/ outcomes will follow from doing so (increase in revenue, growing business etc) * Decision making is as decentralized as it can be for an organization that is spread so geographically
Cons
- the first several months can be hard for lateral hires, much more than in other companies; it takes a while for one to build credibility with the teams and until that point, there is a bit of scepticism of one's opinions/ideas/ initiative. Thoughtworks recognises this and has been trying out different initiatives to make the experience for lateral hires better. - decision making - can be slow because of the democratic process and building a consensus - limited career growth / development (for senior people, for some roles) - Could be more open to new ideas/ practices/ business or delivery models
