Holacracy is a system of organizational governance in which authority and decision-making are distributed throughout the organization, rather than being centralized in a traditional hierarchy. In a holacracy, there are no job titles or managers, and decisions are made through a process of "self-organization."
Holacracy is often contrasted with traditional hierarchical structures, where authority is centralized and decision-making is done by managers. In a holacracy, authority is distributed among all members of the organization, and decisions are made through a process of "self-organization." This allows for a more flat, decentralized structure, which can be more agile and responsive to change.
There are a few key concepts that are important to understand in order to make holacracy work:
Roles: In a holacracy, everyone has one or more "roles" that they are responsible for. These roles are defined by a set of expectations and accountabilities, and they are not tied to any particular person. This allows for flexibility and adaptability, as people can move between roles as needed.
Responsibilities: Each role in a holacracy has a set of "responsibilities" that need to be fulfilled. These responsibilities are defined by the organization, and they can be anything from attending meetings to completing tasks.
Accountabilities: Each role also has a set of "accountabilities," which are the Is Zappos still using Holacracy? Yes, Zappos is still using Holacracy as its primary organizational structure. While the company has experimented with other structures in the past, it has found that Holacracy is the best fit for its business model and culture.
How does a Holacracy work?
A Holacracy is a system of decentralized authority and self-organization. It is a type of flat organization or non-hierarchical organization in which power is distributed among the members. The word "Holacracy" comes from the Greek word "holon", which means "whole".
The Holacracy Constitution is a set of rules that define how power is distributed and decisions are made in a Holacracy. The Constitution is designed to give everyone in the organization a say in decision-making, while still allowing the organization to move quickly and efficiently.
The core principle of Holacracy is that authority and decision-making should be distributed as evenly as possible throughout the organization. This allows for more decentralized and flexible organizations that can adapt more quickly to change.
There are three primary types of roles in a Holacracy:
1. Circles: Circles are the basic unit of organization in a Holacracy. Each Circle is responsible for a specific area of work, and has a defined scope of authority. Circles are autonomous and self-organizing, and they make decisions using a process called "Dynamic Facilitation".
2. Roles: Roles are specific positions within a Circle that have defined responsibilities. Roles are filled by people, and each person can fill multiple roles.
3. Policies: Policies are the rules that govern the behavior of Circles Is Apple a Holacracy? Apple is not a holacracy. While the company has adopted some elements of the holacracy model, such as self-organizing teams and decentralized decision-making, it has not fully embraced the holacracy model.
Why did Zappos change to holacracy?
Zappos changed to holacracy in order to create a more agile company that could adapt and change more quickly in response to customer needs and the market. Holacracy is a system that decentralizes authority and decision-making, and empowers employees to take ownership of their work. This creates a more flat structure where everyone has a voice, and decisions can be made more quickly and efficiently.
Zappos has been experimenting with holacracy for a few years now, and it has been working well for them. In a traditional hierarchical company, it can be difficult to make changes quickly and efficiently because there are often a lot of layers of management that need to approve any changes. With holacracy, decisions can be made more quickly and efficiently because everyone has a voice and there are no layers of management.
The change to holacracy has not been without its challenges, but overall it has been a positive change for Zappos. There is always a learning curve when implementing any new system, and holacracy is no different. However, the benefits of a more agile and adaptable company have been worth the challenges.