In March 2022, Rodrigo Ventre, CEO of EPPO, a Brazilian waste management company, faced a leadership dilemma. The Covid-19 pandemic had left EPPO struggling financially and contracts were underperforming. He believed layoffs were inevitable. However, having introduced a self-management model based on decentralized authority and employees’ personal development, stepping in to impose a decision from the top would go against the sense of autonomy and empowerment he had nurtured among staff. The case chronicles Ventre’s efforts to balance responsible leadership with maintaining EPPO’s humanistic, self-managed culture. It highlights the tension leaders face when organizational values conflict with urgent business needs, the complexities of leadership in decentralized organizations, and the responsibilities of leaders in times of crisis.
•To provide a deeper understanding of decentralized forms of organization and the challenges of implementing such structures.
•To examine the complexities of collaborative forms of leadership.
•To explore decision making under uncertainty and the tension between upholding values and commitments and ensuring financial sustainability in times of crisis.
- Leadership dilemma
- waste management company
- Brazil
- layoffs
- self-management
- decentralized authority
- top-down decisions
- responsible leadership
- crisis
- humanistic values
- collaborative management
- commitments
- employee autonomy
- SDG3 Good Health & Well-Being
- SDG6 Clean Water and Sanitation
- SDG8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
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Q22025
