Cultural Pillars at Grupo Esfera: Learning

When I decided to work at Grupo Esfera back in 2018, I did so knowing that I wanted to learn about technical agility. “I want to learn from what you do,” I told Diego Fontdevila (founding partner of Grupo Esfera) when he offered me a job with them. Nothing about that statement struck Diego as odd; in fact, during my first few days, he introduced me as "the non-technical person who is coming to learn from us, while we learn from what she knows." And I thought to myself: what could these people possibly learn from me? What do I have to offer them?

Within a few weeks, I realized that while that question was valid, it was the wrong one to ask. The specific content isn't what matters most; what truly counts is the intention to learn—the willingness to extract "something" of value from every situation we face. What I needed to focus on and take ownership of at Grupo Esfera was how to create the conditions for learning to happen (for me).

What conditions exist at Grupo Esfera that enable learning?

I think there are a few things that often go unnoticed, but for me, make all the difference when it comes to learning:

• The people with the most experience and domain expertise are readily available to teach what they know. They are accessible via chat, on their calendars, and willing to set aside time from their daily work. We dedicate hours to internal training and mentoring.

  
  

• Diego Fontdevila is a university professor with a PhD in Computer Science, yet he continues to learn and value learning spaces for himself. He seamlessly moves between the roles of learner and teacher with complete fluidity. He manages to find time in his schedule to teach—or to learn whenever he lacks clarity on how to handle a situation. This mindset sets the tone, enabling other technical leads to also make themselves available to guide others in their growth.

  
  

• Giving and receiving feedback is a standard practice. As part of our organizational cadence, we hold "Improvement Conversations" at least twice a year, in February and October. On a daily basis within teams, feedback flows naturally, and frequent retrospectives serve as a dedicated space where feedback conversations regularly emerge. The goal is always to identify what else we can improve and learn together.

  
  

• Budget is allocated for purchasing books that enrich both our physical and digital libraries.

  
  

• “We don't know yet; let's test it out, discuss, and adjust as needed.” We use this phrase for so many things—experimentation is fundamentally built into how we operate. Even Sergio Romano and Diego Fontdevila, the organization's executive directors, used it while designing our organizational structure and governance model.

  
  

What do we actually do in practice?

• Guide Program: Anyone can choose another person within the organization to serve as their "guide." These guides accompany and mentor you to develop your professional profile. It could be technical or an attitudinal skill related to personal growth. There are no limits to what you can or want to learn.

  
  

• When a client proposes a project involving a technology stack we haven't mastered yet, we say, “We can learn it,” and we allocate dedicated time to prepare.

  
  

• Within teams, as standard engineering practices, we leverage pair programming or mob programming to build software—using them as deliberate mechanisms to learn, share knowledge, and arrive at better architectural solutions.

  
  

• Tech Lead Training Program: Team members who aspire to step up can participate in an annual Tech Lead Training Program, designed and delivered entirely in-house.

• The Growth Circle is responsible for coordinating the "Internal Training Cycle." They regularly organize open talks for the entire organization on topics of interest. All generated material is indexed in our "Training Catalog" and remains readily accessible for future reference.

• Additionally, in 2023, we launched the "2023 Essential Training Cycle," focusing on developing leadership and conversational skills to navigate challenging conversations effectively.

  
  

On our website and with clients, we introduce ourselves with the phrase: "We teach what we practice" as an effort to encapsulate our way of navigating the tech industry. What we deliver in every project isn't just something we read or picked up somewhere—it comes from practices we've applied, actively executed, and experienced through our own learning curve. We know what it takes to learn, along with the effort and energy required. It is with this awareness that we walk alongside everyone who crosses paths with us on their learning journey.