Last weekend, I attented a workshop on Holacracy given by Brian Robertson and Tom Thomison in New York. Holacracy is a radically new way for people in any kind of organization to work together. In my mind, it is the cutting edge of organizational structure and development. It transcends and includes the most common hierarchical structure of companies, which tends to stifle individual initiative, creativity and accountability and oftentimes works on the basis of fear. And at the same time it goes far beyond the democratic or consensus-driven model that an increasing number of organizations are trying to work with, which usually ends up being ineffective and frustrating in its focus on each individual involved rather than the goal of the organization they are involved in.

Holacracy is about getting things done faster and more effectively. Every person involved not only has a voice, but is called on to participate in full transparency, accountability and capacity towards the goal and vision of the organization.

The brainchild of Brian Robertson, who founded Ternary Software in Philadelphia in 2001 for the sole purpose of finding a better way for people to work together, Holacracy has now been brought to a point where it can be taught and used as a generally applicable system and is so far being promoted around the US, Australia and Europe.

Obviously there is a lot more to holacracy than can be learned in a weekend. But through a lot of practical exercises and a very clear structure, Tom and Brian managed to convey a good deal of the context and application of this practice.

As they took us through the material, many sacred cows of business wisdom got pushed off their pedestals and one aha experience followed another. In a certain kind of way, Holacracy follows a very human, almost intuitive logic. As Brian put it, it makes the implicit explicit, and in doing so frees up a lot of attention and energy.

Teams are organized into circles, each of which is a self-organizing unit pursuing its own goals, which are provided from higher-level teams. Circles include members from whatever parts of the organization can provide information relevant to the issues at hand. In this way, decisions are made with multiple perspectives in mind, from big-picture to detailed.

When these circles get together to tackle their goals, two major tenets are kept in mind:

1. The goal is a workable decision, not the best decision.
2. Any issue can be revisited at any time.

Together, these two ideas remove fear, allowing circles to proceed both logically and quickly, knowing that they can adjust course as needed. 

One of the most striking aspects to me was how this system of governance does not allow anyone to be special in it, be they the lowest or the highest ranking member of the organization. The methodology is so structured, the meetings and decision making processes so clearly defined, that the only way forward is into a very objective, impersonal space from which the next workable steps for the organization could emerge. It’s a way for people to get out of the way and allow the organization’s intent to come through.

For anyone used to endless discussions in order to find a perfect or best solution, in which everyone has to put in their two cents worth, worried about their job or their image, it was a real breath of fresh air. I could see the potential particularly for non-profits, where good intentions and real care can get completely bogged down by (inter)-personal struggles for influence and control.

Through years of experimentation, trials and errors, Brian seems to have come up with a governance and operational system that really does keep our egos, personal ambitions, and fears in a cage, as long as we stick to it. The result is an organizational practice that allows for swift and creative responses even for large organizatons in a world that is constantly changing faster.

Holacracy does demand a lot of those practising it and, if Ternary Software’s story is anything to go by, also produces extraordinary results.

(image by tanakawho via flickr)