How self-managed teams lead ICE to education

In 2020, when we introduced self-managed teams at ICE Industrial Services, we noticed an interesting phenomenon. About half of the teams work really well, they work through everything themselves and agile management suits them perfectly. The other half also works hard, everyone is willing to go to meetings, fill out spreadsheets etc., but they don’t work as efficiently. They do things right, but they often do the wrong things right! And when it comes to difficult solutions and decisions, they expect someone else to do it for them.

“Some people are enjoying the freedom of self-management but don’t want to take on the responsibility,” I say, complaining to leading Czech HR expert, Petr Skondrojanis.

“All agile systems come from Silicon Valley but this is the Czech Republic. 95% of people have never heard of Scrum,” he says.

“Sure, Americans are different, but deep inside, we’re all just people, aren’t we?” I counter. I’ve spent many months in the United States and was able to become very familiar with their mentality.

“They might be just people, like us,” says Petr, “but Czechs have had a different upbringing. They don’t have the same mindset. Just look at the way we raise and educate children.”

Remembering my own school years, I have to agree with him. The whole time, I didn’t understand what we were supposed to learn or why we were supposed to learn it. School wasn’t about understanding the bigger picture. Teachers praised children who were great at administration, who knew how to reproduce something, and who had properly drawn outlines in their notebooks, ideally six months in advance. Obedience, following orders, and meticulous administration were highly valued skills, especially back during the reign of Maria Theresa. She began to systematically develop them as part of her reform, which introduced compulsory education. To this day, we praise her for this enlightened act, but her motivation was most likely far less romantic. During the Industrial Revolution, we needed to raise a workforce that would stay loyal to the Habsburg monarchy. And just as employers are calling for better education today, the first industrialists of that time also demanded a better quality of workers for their newly established factories and manufacturing plants. They needed a literate workforce that was easier to manage.

That style of teaching of the Austro-Hungarian Empire proved very useful at the time. In addition to learning basic skills, the rigorous school environment taught children to be servants of the monarchy. The education system suppressed anti-Austrian ideas, which began to spread during the reign of Maria Theresa.

At ICE Industrial Services, we have taken the education of young people into our own hands – we work with elementary schools, high schools, and universities. For example, we organize robotics clubs and automation camps.

School vs Life

The fact that our education system has not fundamentally changed since then is a social tragedy. According to Magdaléna Šustová, an education historian, the core curriculum and school structure have remained the same. Leaving aside the ideology of that time, the curriculum is not that different from the framework of today’s education programs. What is taught in each class doesn’t change and teachers still rely on frontal teaching and memory learning. These two methods do not require children to be active at all.

School tells us: Don’t disrupt class! Sit, listen, and don’t speak! Don’t stick your nose into what's not your business! While life demands: It’s important that you understand the context and are able to make the right decision. What do you think? Tell us your opinion.

School: Don’t copy from your classmate! Life: Work together! Share your ideas. If you don’t know something, ask.

School: Act normal! Get back in line.Life: Look for an opportunity to attract attention, to be different. Think about how you can improve something. Take responsibility, be creative and innovative!

Na Radosti Elementary School

Seven years ago, we learned about the opportunity to create a new innovative elementary school in Žďár nad Sázavou called ‘Na Radosti’. Immediately, we knew this type of school would be unique and that our country needs schools that don’t turn children into obedient sheep with no opinions or responsibilities, fulfilling the orders of their superiors.

The Na Radosti Elementary School teaches children in a way that respects the uniqueness of each child. It listens to them, accepts their individuality, and appreciates it. It strives to unearth and nourish

their talents, providing them with a safe environment where they are free to experiment, make mistakes, and develop constantly.

The school sees education as far more than just knowledge accumulation. It aims to prepare children to lead successful and happy lives. It fosters our innate desire for discovery. Children learn with enthusiasm and are more productive. The school gives them creative freedom and opportunities for spontaneous activities, to research and pursue their interests. But most of all, it allows them to do what makes sense to them, what fulfills them. The goal is to teach them that they’re responsible for their education. To teach them to learn freely and joyfully.

The children are confronted with different situations, teaching them to recognize their strengths and weaknesses. The role of the teacher – their guide – is not to evaluate, but to guide children in self-evaluation, to help them identify and formulate their mistakes and to find solutions. Healthy relationships between all members of the school community – adults and children – are a fundamental pillar for the school, based on mutual respect. Things are not taught in isolation, but in context, as in real life. This helps them to understand things in a broader context.

Taking responsibility for their own lives

Using rewards and punishments will only destroy their inner desire to learn something new. People who follow orders like sheep and don’t develop their own opinions are doomed to mediocrity and failure in today’s turbulent world.

Only those who are able to think and make decisions based on relevant information, and who can confidently structure their arguments, present their opinions coherently and thoughtfully, and take responsibility for them, will succeed in an ultra-competitive world. Those who know how to own all their problems, including their development.

The main goal of today’s parents is to provide their children with an education which will give them the skills that will enable them to do so. Learning about the poet Vrchlický, the digestive tract of an earthworm, or the Samo Empire by heart are not among these skills.