Team and Operations

Running a creative hub is not just about designing meaningful programs or generating inspiring ideas. In order for these ideas to come to life, a team structure that thinks together, makes decisions together and carries them together is needed. How this structure is established, what values it is shaped by and what boundaries it operates within determines many elements from the hub’s operation to its culture.

This journey usually begins with close relationships. The first steps are taken with family, friendship, trust, and a shared dream. However, the growth of these structures over time requires more institutional reflexes such as task sharing, specialization, and delegation of responsibility. Structures where it is not clear who does what but everyone is involved in everything may speed up work in the beginning; however, in the long run, they may weaken both the quality of work and the relationship with the community. A structure that wants to deepen its work must maintain transparency and sharing while meeting certain operational minimums.

At this point, some fundamental questions arise: At what level should roles be defined? How are knowledge and responsibility transferred? When are founders ready to delegate? Does everyone need to know everything, or is specialization important?

As structures grow, job descriptions need to become clearer; however, this does not mean simply preparing a formal list. What does each role carry, what does it respond to, and what does it contribute to? How information is transferred, how tasks are shared, and who makes which decisions are important are all important. Because this structure is shaped not only by tasks, but also by trust, relationships, and a way of thinking together.

This is where the difference between community management and team management comes into play. Volunteering, laxity and flexibility are possible within a community; however, there are rights and responsibilities within a team. Therefore, the question of “how should I set up a team” is not only a human question, but also a structural and strategic one.

Thinking about how to develop a governance model in small-scale creative hubs is often postponed. It is thought that it will naturally develop over time. However, governance is a ground that needs to be established from the beginning. An ethical framework determined from the first day will allow you to produce structural rather than personal solutions in conflicts that may arise later. Setting rules may not always be a popular alternative in creative hubs; but it provides the power to say “we talked about this from the beginning” in the future. Therefore, if you can point to the rules at the beginning, you will have a ground to reference in the future.

Governance is not just the job of managers. It is a collective burden, a shared responsibility that everyone carries. Therefore, the relationships within the team, as well as how decision-making processes will work, how conflicts will be handled, and how information will circulate, constitute the main areas of discussion in this section.

The tools in this section help you not only describe your team structure, but also understand how it works together. They make it easy to review your team’s competencies, workload, and cultural fabric. These tools include both individual skill maps and joint operating charts.

There are times when everything is done with everyone. The first programs are written together, posters are hung together, coffee is drunk together. However, as structures grow, this togetherness begins to be mixed with uncertainty. Which decision starts with whom, which task ends with whose responsibility? RASCI is a simple but powerful tool used to understand and reorganize this uncertainty.

The purpose is not limited to who does a job; who makes decisions, who contributes, who just needs to be informed? When these differences become clear, burden sharing becomes visible and a sustainable structure is established without damaging trust within the team.

Rather than implementing this tool once and for all, you can use it as a lens to look at your own internal processes. When you feel stuck in a task-sharing situation, returning to this map can be a starting point for repairing relationships. Over time, roles can change, responsibilities can shift. So RASCI carries not only the present but also the flexibility that restructuring requires.

The RASCI system for the first time We learned from Rebel’s Guide to Project Management and reinterpreted the tool to fit the dynamic nature of creative hubs, stretching the structural suggestions there to fit our context: because it’s an opportunity to not just draw an organizational chart, but also discuss ways to structure trust.

How to Use?

Consider a process or task in which:

• R (Responsible) – actually doing the job?

• A (Accountable) – accountable for the outcome of the work?

• S (Supportive) – supports and helps the process?

• C (Consulted) – opinion is taken before the decision?

• I (Informed) – informed after the decision?

For example , imagine breaking down the tasks under venue operations one by one: cleaning, maintenance, purchasing consumables, welcoming members, orientation to the venue, weekly checks… Then, when you draw the RASCI map for each task, it becomes clear who is in which role. It becomes clear who organizes the cleaning (R), who manages this process and makes sure it is completed flawlessly (A), who provides support or keeps watch (S), whose opinion is sought (C) and who is kept informed (I).

This visibility defines not only tasks, but also expectations and boundaries. When some team members overlap in multiple roles, others are not associated with any tasks, or decisions are made in a way that is disconnected from responsibility, it can reveal overlooked dynamics. RASCI is therefore not just a task chart; it is also a mirror that generates insight into the structure.

Once you have mapped out the map, you might ask yourself: Does this distribution of tasks meet our needs today, or is it a continuation of past habits? If one person appears in too many roles, is it a sign of trust, or are there responsibilities that cannot be delegated? Are some people simply left “informed”—is this a way of excluding them or respecting role clarity?

This map reflects not only the distribution of tasks but also your organizational culture. It acts as a structural memory that you can look back on again and again. When you encounter fatigue, resentment, or a feeling of “it’s all on me,” returning to this chart can be a step toward restoring relationships.

Good leadership is more than just treating everyone equally – it's about building the relationships your team members need.

Leadership is often treated as a fixed identity: either someone is a “leader” or they are not. In creative hubs, however, leadership is a relationship rather than a position. Not everyone on your team needs the same direction, the same level of responsibility, or the same form of control. Sometimes, the same person may need different forms of leadership at different times. Situational leadership is the ability to see this difference and adjust your approach accordingly.

Some team members take ownership of their work; they take responsibility, they show initiative. They should not be over-intervened, but trusted. Some have not yet found their direction, and need support or reminders. They want to be constantly motivated, guided, and even accompanied. This should not be seen as a “deficiency”, but rather as a development process. A good leader is someone who can sense what someone needs.

Situational leadership reminds us that one leadership style does not fit all. This approach has two main axes:

• Willingness: How eager, determined, and motivated is the person to do this task?

• Competence: Does he/she have the knowledge, skills and experience to perform this task?

The relationship between these two axes is a personal journey. Sometimes someone is very willing but not experienced enough. Sometimes they have full experience but their desire is exhausted. The form of leadership cannot be the same in both cases.

A good leader learns not to be at the same level of closeness with everyone, but to be able to relate to everyone according to their needs. Some move forward on their own, only wanting space in between. Some need to be met with frequently. One wants a joint decision, the other opens up more when left alone. Here, leadership becomes not empowering but noticing, not intervening but listening.

This tool makes you question not only “what kind of person you are” as a leader, but also “how you recognize who needs what.” Because even with the same team, you cannot always lead in the same way.

How to use it?

Visualization: Peter Boolkah

You can start using this model by trying to understand what kind of leadership your team members need. To do this, you can ask yourself these questions while thinking of a team member:

• “How enthusiastic is this person about this task?”

• “Does he have enough experience, or does he still need support?”

• “Does the type of relationship I am offering him meet his current needs?”

The situational leadership model suggests thinking about two axes of directive and supportive behavior when leading a team member. Four basic relationship styles emerge from the intersection of these axes. The following styles can provide an intuitive reference for understanding each situation:

Referring

If a person is inexperienced but very motivated, it may be necessary to clearly demonstrate what to do. This means breaking tasks down into smaller pieces, planning the process together, and providing intense companionship. This style reinforces the person's motivation and helps them find their direction.

Coaching

It is important to think with someone who is willing but still needs direction, and to be both supportive and explanatory. Roles and responsibilities are clearly explained, and ideas and contributions are also considered. Although decisions are often at the leader's discretion, communication is two-way. The aim is to support the person in becoming able to make their own decisions over time.

Supporting

When working with someone who is experienced but unmotivated, it may be necessary to give trust and create space for joint decision-making. This style sometimes requires just listening to bring the person back into the process, and sometimes it requires noticing when small hesitations emerge in certain tasks. The important thing here is not to make the person feel inexperienced by over-controlling them, and to make the trust in their experience visible. Thinking with open-ended questions is an important part of this style.

Delegating

If the person is both competent and willing, the main thing the leader needs to do is step back, trust, and accompany when necessary. These people are able to make decisions, run processes, and solve problems. Leadership here does not involve running, but holding the environment and creating the necessary space. Delegation does not mean that the leader remains outside the process; although the running is with the team member, there is an open relationship of thinking together in the decision area.

These four areas do not present fixed roles. The same person may need coaching on one task and be fully delegable on another. Therefore, it is better to use the model as a lens for understanding and adaptation rather than a classification.

If you’re wondering why you keep getting into similar cycles with certain team members, this model can help you see the structural causes of those cycles. For example, replace the question, “Why isn’t this person taking responsibility?” with a constructive question like, “Is he or she supported enough, or does he or she need clearer direction?”

The basis of the situational leadership model was developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. This tool, included in the Toolkit, has been simplified and adapted to the context of the creative hub based on the summary publication at this link .

Where does it make a difference?

Changing your leadership style is not an indecision; it is the ability to observe, use intuition and rebuild the relationship. Because good leadership is not just about giving direction; it is about finding direction together.

The situational leadership approach is a powerful foundation for understanding how to start when a new person joins a team, how to accompany a team member who is experiencing fragility, why a long-time employee loses motivation, how to make room for someone who is doing a good job but is closed in communication. It is also possible to carry out this process not only through the leader's eyes, but also by talking with the team members. Listening to who needs what from them, and establishing this awareness together, transforms leadership into a relationship.