Why You Should Only Hire Employees for the Next 12 Months - with ResearchGate Founder Ijad Madisch

About this episode

Under Ijad Madisch's leadership, ResearchGate has grown into the world's largest social network for scientists. Backed by renowned investors including Benchmark, Founders Fund, Goldman Sachs, and Bill Gates, the company demonstrates how to successfully pivot to new products even after 15 years in business.

From Advertising to Product Focus: Strategic Realignment

After years of relying on advertising as their primary business model, ResearchGate made the leap to a new product last year. The challenge: How do you internally steer focus and resources when your existing business is running well, but you need to set a new product focus?

Ijad Madisch shares his experience on how an established organization can be redirected without jeopardizing day-to-day operations. The new product achieved several million euros in revenue within just one year – proof of the right approach.

Long-term Investor Relations: A Rare Asset

A remarkable feature of ResearchGate is that investors hold their shares significantly longer than the typical 10 years. This long-term partnership enables the company to make strategic decisions with a longer time horizon, without being exposed to the pressure of quick exits.

Hiring Framework: The 12-Month Rule

One of the key insights from the conversation concerns Madisch's approach to hiring. Instead of hiring employees for eternity, he recommends thinking only about the next 12 months. This perspective helps with:

• –Identifying the right employees for the current company phase
• –Setting realistic expectations for fit and development
• –Responding more flexibly to changes

Benchmarking and Frameworks for Leaders

Madisch provides insights into his personal frameworks for benchmarking employees he works with directly. This isn't just about performance measurement, but also about recognizing when and how long someone fits optimally in the company.

The crucial question is: How do you define whether a person fits the current moment and upcoming challenges of the company? Madisch shows that this fit can change over time and should be regularly reassessed.

Changed Labor Market Post-Corona

The discussion also addresses how the labor market has changed since the Corona period. ResearchGate now focuses more intensively on certain characteristics in applicants that have become particularly relevant in the new working world.

Task Force Approach for New Products

When introducing the new product, ResearchGate employed a task force approach. This enabled focused work on the new product while the established business continued running. The go-to-market strategy was crucial for rapid success.

Scaling Despite Established Market Position

Despite already having a strong position with most major publishers as partners, Madisch still sees considerable growth potential. The question of further scalability shows that even established companies in niche markets still have room for expansion.

Practical Learnings for Founders

For founders in early stages, Madisch shares concrete tips and lessons learned. Particularly valuable are his frameworks for self-calibration when making important decisions and his approaches to organizational development.

ResearchGate's experience shows: Even after 15 years and an established market position, innovation is possible – if you create the right organizational structures and hire people flexibly for the challenges at hand.