“I have a great deal of pleasure in the development of others.”

Joanna Petrovici (41) works as a Senior Scrum Master for beyonnex. Here she reveals how she motivates herself and others, why she prefers agile working and how she manages ‘workations’ with her son.

Joanna, what exactly do you do as Senior Scrum Master for beyonnex?

Primarily, I support the teams I supervise in their internal collaboration, but also in their collaboration with other teams. For example, I help them to create optimal processes and conditions for their work.

For me personally, it is especially important to establish good communication within and between teams. So I take on several roles, in some of which I lead, but in others I am a service provider for my teams – hence the term ‘servant leadership’ for this way of working. This is a leadership approach in which service to others is the main focus. Instead of purely results-oriented leadership, a servant leader focuses on creating an environment in which the team can flourish and do its work under optimal conditions.

What does that look like in your day-to-day work?

I supervise four teams. Each of them has a daily meeting every morning, which I attend. This way, I get first-hand information about how things are going and whether there are any problems I can help with. I am an advocate of quickly addressing potential conflicts and solving them together with the team. We have to be very efficient and simply don't have time to not tackle things immediately. If necessary, I am persistent.

So you're really pushing on the pace. As a Scrum Master, do you occasionally have to ‘whip’ people to get things done?

No, that would be too simplistic and would not lead to lasting success. As I said, I also see myself in a serving role. I encourage the intrinsic motivation of my teams, spur them on and swear them to creating something together as a team. There are a few tricks to this. But it also means sometimes being very uncomfortable and asking critical questions. The teams understand my role and accept this approach.

What drives you personally to give your best in your job?

I get a great deal of pleasure from helping others to develop. That is my overarching goal. It also gives me strength, and I use this energy to constantly work on myself. I read a lot and am constantly studying the material that is important for my teams and me. I am also very interested in organisational issues and incorporate new forms from Management 3.0. That is my intrinsic motivation.

How important is it for you to work for a company that shares your values?

That is very important. There are some industries I would not work for, even if you are very well paid. Working for a company that is committed to sustainable solutions and whose products and services help people to heat in a more climate-friendly way means a lot to me... I am always happy when I drive to a Bundesliga basketball game in the Wilhelmsburg district of Hamburg and pass the new buildings of the ‘IBA Hamburg’ on the way there – these are examples of climate-friendly, forward-looking construction. Working for it also makes me proud.

Your professional life seems to have many highlights. Is there anything you don't like so much?

To be honest, when I started at beyonnex, I didn't realise that we would speak so much English because of the internationality of the teams. Most of us are not native speakers – we have a wide range of accents. This is not a problem when we are discussing the subject matter. But when I want to know how he or she is doing in a coaching process, it can be a challenge. It is then difficult to express one's own feelings and thoughts precisely. But we are all developing in this area as well.

You joined beyonnex in the summer of 2022. What made you decide on this company?

To be honest, I didn't know beyonnex back then. A headhunter approached me. I had to decide between going to a very large, globally active management consultancy or to beyonnex. Well, here I am! What impressed me back then – in addition to the idea of sustainability – was the great value that is obviously placed on agile working here. I had previously worked for a corporate start-up and learned to appreciate agile working methods there. From this experience, I knew that this was exactly how I wanted to work: flat hierarchies, plenty of creative freedom and a great sense of optimism. Just as it is at beyonnex. In traditional large companies, on the other hand, there are often very rigid structures that are not so easy to break down. That's why it was an easy decision for me to join beyonnex!

How important is it for you to work remotely and flexibly in terms of hours?

Very important! The people in my teams are scattered across half of Europe, so there was no other way. We have developed online social formats, such as ‘remote coffee’, where we can exchange ideas in a relaxed atmosphere. As a Scrum Master, I also promote this with my colleagues. It is important to me that management also participates in these informal digital meetings. That's the case with us and it's been very well received. But teleworking is also important to me for another reason: I have a ten-year-old son. When he's on holiday, but I can't take time off completely because I still have too much on my desk, we drive together to Nordstrand or Rügen. I then work until 3 p.m. and attend appointments. But after that, it's our holiday programme. This is what our ‘workations’ together look like – we both love them!

Thank you very much, Joanna.