Var Group
A European IT group grew sixfold after it abolished its org chart - the evidence is three years old
Var Group under Francesca Moriani rebuilt itself as an "Open Platform Organization" on RenDanHeYi and Holacracy principles: business units as micro-enterprises, a diffused leadership model, the org chart abolished at the height of success. Revenue went from EUR 154m (2014) to EUR 909m (financial year to April 2026). It is the freshest European case - and therefore the least tested.
Last reviewed: 16 September 2026
Why this status
Strong, dated growth figures and a consistent public account of the model, but the evidence is only two to three years old and comes mostly from the company and Corporate Rebels.
What makes it a Beta case
- Open Platform Organization: business units run as micro-enterprises with their own results, on the RenDanHeYi pattern; roles and circles from Holacracy for governance.
- Diffused leadership: leadership is an activity, not a rank; the formal org chart was abolished in 2023 while the company was growing fastest.
- "Antifragile organisation" is Moriani's own framing - the structure is meant to gain from disorder, not just survive it.
- Growth partly by acquisition (Leapfrog and others), with acquired firms integrated as further units rather than as departments.
What is documented
- Revenue EUR 909m in the financial year to April 2026, up from EUR 154m in 2014; 4,293 employees (Industria Italiana, 2026).
- Best Workplaces Italy #9 in 2025.
- Presented at the Corporate Rebels Summit 2026 as a headline case; Moriani is one of the two announced speakers.
Where it cracks
- The model in its current form is two to three years old. No leadership change, no downturn and no independent study has tested it yet.
- Sources are the company's own interviews and Corporate Rebels' coverage; no audited breakdown of results per unit is public.
- Part of the growth is acquisitive; how much of the sixfold increase is organic is not published.
Verdict
Use Var Group as the current European example that Beta structures are being adopted by mid-sized, growing, unglamorous companies - an IT services group in Tuscany, not a start-up. Say clearly that it is young. A case that has not yet been through a crisis is a promising case, not a proven one.
For a talk
Var Group abolished its org chart at the height of its growth and kept growing - the interesting question is what it looks like after its first bad year.
Sources
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