Holacracy: The Revolutionary Management System that Abolishes Hierarchy

by Brian J. Robertson

When this shift happens in the companies I’ve worked with, it comes as a revelation and a challenge for everyone involved. The workers realize that they are no longer just employees following orders. They have real power and authority—and with those comes responsibility. They no longer have a parentlike manager to solve their problems. The managers, on the other hand, often feel liberated from the burden of management, but have to find a new sense of their own value and contribution, and shift how they’re accustomed to using and holding authority. One of the more interesting parts of my job is to remind CEOs who have recently adopted Holacracy, “You no longer have the authority to make that decision.” And, on the flip side, I also have to remind others that “you have the accountability and authority to make that decision; it’s yours to own, and it’s not the boss’s job to tell you what to do or bless your decision.”