We are happy to share with the world our Code of Conduct. We find it tremendously important to have this out not only for the public but also for us. To have a constant reminder of what we stand for, what we value, and when lost, why we do what we do.
Hopefully, we will spark a conversation amongst those who have put together theirs or are thinking to create one. We had some cool discussions in Kilta when launching the platform, so we are happy to exchange thoughts in the comments below.
Kilta principles
Hello and welcome to Kilta.
Without you there is no Kilta, without clients there is no business. Each one of us is responsible for creating an environment that supports this ecosystem where we can deliver excellent work and grow together. Keep in mind that this environment is fragile so every word and action you do can have a tremendous impact.
Making good decisions and ethical choices in our work build trust in each other, with our clients and partners. You should never compromise your personal integrity or Kilta’s reputation and trust in exchange for any short-term gain.
Idea & Mission
We started Kilta with the goal of diminishing borders. Our aim is to empower people like you so we can focus on shaping your skills and spend time on the activities we prioritize. We also want to help the region we are from and challenge the status quo of what society values nowadays — current VC model, capitalism — by showing there is a way to create healthy businesses and an environment that is not only awarding financial success.
What is Kilta
Kilta means guild in Finnish. We want to invoke this Roman concept and bring together the craft(wo)men of this time — digital product creators. We believe in the power of collective genius and our ability to trigger change.
What makes Kilta different
The first aspect that makes us unique is our size. We are a network of people we carefully hand-select to secure high-quality relationships and intimacy of the group. Secondly, we are unique for our autonomy even within the collective. You have the right to decide on which projects you want to collaborate on. Finally, we are an in-between platform of freelancers and a conventional studio. This allows us to have the positive attributes of a community without the constraints of high fixed costs and frees us to be experimental and unwed.
Values & Culture
Values shall serve you as a compass and navigate you through difficult decisions. Remember that trust is the currency in our business and whatever we do, must have a positive impact on society.
Kilta values
Our values are a reflection of personal values.
We want to have an open diverse and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and deliver excellent work.
🚀Curiosity
Stands for the state of mind that you always want to understand why systems work that way and being brave enough to challenge the status quo.
As Sam Altman writes in How To Be Successful (article) “Follow your curiosity. Things that seem exciting to you will often seem exciting to other people too.”
👐Honesty
Be honest to clients, to partners, to us, and to yourself. The implication of this value is that you can ask any question you want and communicate bad news in advance as well as saying NO to a client, to your colleague, to anyone. Don’t ever compromise your personal values. Remember that sometimes you can deliver bad news in a considerate way by paying attention to the nuance in your content, delivery, and form.
As Shakespeare says “There is no legacy as rich as honesty.”
💚Society
We care about the environment we live in and we behave accordingly. Particularly we are interested in domains such as health, education, and sustainable solutions. The implication is that a certain percentage of the revenue from all projects goes to the fund. This allows us to experiment or cover your wage to help social businesses or NGOs.
As Aaron James Draplin puts, in one of his many great talks: “I want to make a living ethically.”
How and with whom we work
Every successful relationship requires trust, commitment, respect, and empathy. As you know every relationship changes over time and sometimes you must be more supportive. Don’t be afraid to step up.
Our goal is to maintain long term relationships with our clients and partners and grow together and contribute to a better society.
In particular, we are interested in collaborating with clients that support the environment, civil, and democratic societies. The three key that we believe drive positive change are:
1. Education
The next generation is the future. Our goal is to contribute to education and empower the youth.
2. Sustainability
Circular economy aspects and using products to the maximum are the only way to slow down the current fast-fashion style and deepen across industries; therefore durability shouldn’t be a feature of products but the value we make decisions.
3. Equality
We stand for equality. Capitalism proves to create inequalities within society; in challenging old models and supporting alternative ways of thinking we see our duty to contribute as designers; At this point, we are happy to work with any project that deals with this issue.
Apart from the key focus areas above we see a significant opportunity in health, finance and government. Keep in mind we are apolitical with the emphasis on environment, civil, democratic society.
Working together
Every one of us is the face of the company. Therefore, we encourage you to behave that way and kindly put, our network is yours and vice versa.
Hierarchy & Responsibilities
We try to be flat as much as possible. There are no differences, we are people who want to deliver excellent work and spend time on activities and with people we like.
We believe that we can secure successful delivery by having an environment following our company values and mutual trust which leads to minimum management within the company.
How we collaborate & communicate as a team
We all are here united by the goal of excelling in our craft through collaboration. We all have the same amount of time every day, which makes it unbelievably precious. Be conscious of the time of others, there is no excuse to be late without prior notice.
Collaboration according to the values
Be open to ideas, feedback and failure. Be curious and respectful to others. Kilta strives to be a diverse community of people who bring different perspectives, personalities, backgrounds, and knowledge to each project. Try to understand your team and learn something from this diversity. Be mindful of the time of others. In other words, it means:
1. Be reliable
Promise only what you can deliver and communicate timely when something will be delayed. Be open about mistakes and learnings.
2. Be conscious
Challenge constructively and be honest, but polite. Disagreements are addressed with the person directly and if you cannot find a solution, bring in a neutral third party who can help you to find common ground.
Your duties as Kilta member
Be a proud member 👋.
