Category: Methods
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The powers of six
The information needed to effect self-organized change is literally ‘in-formation’ – that which is found or formed from within. It is our inner intelligence at work. How do we tap this inner intelligence? The Powers of Six is a methodology for eliciting and utilizing a person’s inner intelligence, which is driven by six conditions: Clean…
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What if control is inappropriate?
My conclusion after having read Brian Robertson’s new book on Holacracy and Gerard Endenburg’s first book on Sociocracy is that neither Holacracy nor Sociocracy replace Command & Control (C&C). Both use C&C within limits. This triggered feedback from Holacracy people that the Lead Link Role doesn’t manage day-to-day work and doesn’t manage others, but that…
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Holacracy vs. Sociocracy
I have written book reviews of Brian Robertson’s new book on Holacracy and Gerard Endenburg’s first book on Sociocracy. Robertson’s book was published in 2015. Endenburg’s book was originally published in Dutch in 1981. The first English translation was published in 1988, and the Eburon edition, which I have reviewed, in 1998. Here’s my comparison…
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Book Review: Sociocracy
Gerard Endenburg has written two major books on sociocracy, Sociocracy: The organization of decision-making and Sociocracy: As social design. There is a considerable overlap between these two books. This is a review of the first book, which is of particular interest since it includes Gerard Endenburg’s own story of sociocracy. The original edition was published…
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Book Review: Holacracy
Brian J. Robertson has written a book about Holacracy: The Revolutionary Management System that Abolishes Hierarchy. Holacracy® is a governance system and a registered trademark owned by HolacracyOne. The word Holacracy is very easy to confuse with holocracy (with an o), which means universal democracy. Robertson’s aim with the system is to “harness the tremendous…
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Principles vs. methods
The man who knows how will always have a job. The man who also know why will always be his boss. As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is…
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Zappos and Holacracy
“It’s kind of deliciously ironic that self-management is being decreed from above.” — Jeffrey Pfeffer1 “Holacracy, itself, is too complex, dogmatic, and rigid.” — Bud Caddell2 I’ve previously written about it here. There is always a cost in trying to script people’s behavior. They might decide to withdraw their engagement. I think this is what’s…
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Scaling sociocracy is all about the context
Scaling sociocracy is all about the context. And it has to be done by invitation in the first place. Sociocracy is, in a wider sense, rule by the “socios,” people who have a social relationship with each other. The following is a quote of John Schinnerer from the Sociocracy email discussion list on Yahoo, April…
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In distrust of methods
Wendell Berry is a farmer and poet who has written an essay where he declares his distrust of movements. I think what Berry says about movements can be said about methods too. Undoubtedly some people will want to develop methods. The worst danger is that language loses its meaning through the use of fancy words.…
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Practices vs. mindset
Changing practices without changing the mindset is like putting the cart before the horse. With a new mindset, practices change all by themselves. Related post: Sociocracy requires a new mindset