ET Group Recognized For Zero Distance Award (ZeroDX) for Emergent Excellence

• Thought Leadership

In 2020, the Business Ecosystem Alliance (BEA) launched the Zero Distance Awards.  The awards identify and celebrate the work of organizations throughout the world in eliminating the distance between their employees, their operations and their customers.

ET Group was chosen for the Emergent Excellence category. This nomination for the Emergent Excellence category highlights our commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. At ET Group, we believe that every change we make, no matter how small, can have a ripple effect on our organization and the way we support our clients. Our team’s relentless curiosity to explore new ways of doing things and our appetite for improvement set us apart in the industry. Through a series of intentional changes and an adaptive mindset, our organization has repeatedly demonstrated our capacity to ignite new possibilities and foster a culture of excellence.

What Does Emergent Excellence Mean?

We are thrilled to announce that ET Group was selected for the Emergent Excellence category at the Zero Distance Excellence Awards. This award celebrates organizations driven by curiosity, constant improvement, and the capacity to ignite change within their ecosystems. As highlighted by the Business Ecosystem Alliance, emergent excellence is not just about a single transformation but an ongoing series of shifts that lead to deeper, more impactful change. This recognition underscores our ability to evolve, innovate, and push the boundaries of what’s possible in the workplace.

In a snapshot of the event, our very own Mark Chen was honored on stage at 1:35 in the seven-minute video, representing ET Group and our commitment to excellence. We invite you to watch the video to see Mark and the celebration of this significant achievement. Watch here.

ET Group’s Journey Toward Zero Distance

Since 2016, with the leadership of our CEO, Dirk Propfe, ET Group has been on a mission to fundamentally transform our organizational structure. By dismantling traditional hierarchies and embracing decentralized decision-making, we have created a dynamic workplace where our team thrives. Today, ET Group is a pioneer in self-management, applying the RenDanHeYi™ principles of autonomy, accountability, and customer-centricity.

Our transformation journey is guided by three core principles:

1. Autonomy and Purpose: Our teams are empowered to make decisions independently, responding quickly and effectively to customer needs.
2. Shared Value: Every team member shares in the value they create, fostering a sense of ownership and collective success.
3. Bringing Our Whole Selves to Work: We believe in nurturing a workplace where individuals can be their authentic selves, contributing fully to our collective mission.

The Role of Curiosity and Continuous Improvement

At ET Group, we prioritize creating a self-managed, human-centric work environment where autonomy, trust, and personal growth are at the forefront of our culture. We focus on several key practices that reflect our commitment to a people-centered approach:

• Personalized Development: We are dedicated to the personal and professional growth of every team member, providing resources and opportunities that empower individuals to continuously evolve and thrive within the organization.
• Empowering Autonomy: Our approach encourages self-set salaries and self-managed schedules, fostering an atmosphere where team members have the freedom to take ownership of their work and responsibilities.
• Team Connects: We hold facilitated sessions that promote open communication and strengthen team bonds, allowing for effective collaboration and enhancing our overall workplace dynamics.
• Check-Ins and Check-Outs: While we start and end meetings by sharing personal insights and emotions to enhance team coherence, our emphasis remains on fostering an environment that nurtures personal development and collective intelligence.

These practices are key to creating an environment where our people are empowered to lead, innovate, and grow while staying aligned with the needs of our clients.

Related Resources

Watch a short video here about our #ETGWay of Working (2 minutes), click here to read the ET Group Handbook.

Watch Dirk Propfe at WORKTECH22 Toronto, discussing how ET Group leveraged it’s human-centered approach to technology pivot the design of its Toronto collaboration hub in 2021 to further enable its hybrid work here.

Learn how ET Group transformed its workplace culture to win the Tony Hsieh Award. Read the story here.

Embracing Innovation Through Emergent Change

Winning the Zero Distance Excellence Award is a reflection of our belief in continuous innovation. Whether it’s developing new hybrid workplace solutions or evolving our client services, ET Group has consistently demonstrated the ability to adapt and thrive in response to new challenges. One example of this is our response to the Ontario Justice cluster during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our proximity to the customer allowed us to swiftly design and deploy custom mobile court systems to over 60 locations, ensuring seamless operation in hybrid environments. This is just one of many instances where our commitment to zero distance and client-centricity has set us apart.

Learn more about ET Group’s mobile video cart deployed to the courts during COVID, here.

The Future of ET Group: A Commitment to Autonomy and Excellence

As we look to the future, ET Group remains committed to fostering a work environment where autonomy, innovation, and customer-centricity are at the heart of everything we do. Our decentralized structure, supported by practices like circle-based governance and self-set salaries, ensures that our team is empowered to lead and innovate at every level. The Zero Distance Excellence Award is not just a milestone; it’s a testament to our dedication to creating a workplace that truly embodies the RenDanHeYi™ model. We are excited to continue evolving and delivering exceptional value to our clients, all while staying true to our mission of building a more collaborative, human-centric world.

Our team’s relentless curiosity to explore new ways of doing things and our appetite for improvement set us apart in the industry. Through a series of intentional changes and an adaptive mindset, we’ve repeatedly demonstrated our capacity to ignite new possibilities and foster a culture of excellence.

A Big Thank You to Our Team and Clients

As we continue our journey towards excellence, we remain focused on empowering our team members and clients alike, ensuring that every voice is heard, every idea is valued, and every change is embraced. Together, we will push the boundaries of what is possible, transforming the audio-visual industry and setting new standards for excellence in our field.

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to our incredible team and clients. Without your trust, commitment, and shared vision, this recognition would not have been possible. Here’s to many more years of innovation, growth, and emergent excellence at ET Group!

Frequently Asked Questions About Zero Distance (Zero DX):

What is the Zero Distance (Zero DX) Awards?

The Zero Distance (Zero DX) Awards, created by the Business Ecosystem Alliance, recognize organizations that excel in eliminating the distance between employees, operations, and customers, fostering seamless connectivity and innovation.

How to apply for the Zero Distance (Zero DX) Awards?

Organizations can be nominated for the Zero Distance (Zero DX) Awards through the Business Ecosystem Alliance’s selection process, which highlights progressive companies putting the RenDanHeYi model and Zero Distance principles into practice.

Read more about what it means to be a self-managed workplace and why ET Group is considered a pioneer: ET Group: Pioneering Human-Centric Workplaces

View 50+ organizations that are also being recognized for self-management: The Future of Work: 50+ Case Studies of Self-Managing Organizations

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