Basics
What is the main idea behind holacracy?
Distributing authority so decisions are made by roles, not managers.
What was Tony Hsieh's role at Zappos?
CEO.
In holacracy, what replaces job descriptions?
Fluid roles that can change depending on needs.
Instead of traditional managers, holacracy uses what to organize authority?
Self-organizing circles of roles.
What was Hsieh's goal in experimenting with holacracy?
Increase innovation, flexibility, and empowerment.
What's the difference between a role and a circle?
A role is someone's responsibility. A circle is a group of related roles.
True or False: Holacracy eliminates all hierarchy.
False; it removes managers but still has a hierarchy of circles.
What option did Tony give employees who didn't want holacracy?
A severance package (3 months of pay) to quit.
How were decisions made differently under holacracy compared to traditional management?
Through distributed authority and governance meetings, not top-down orders.
What was the purpose of circles in Zappos' holacracy system?
To group roles around a purpose and allow teams to self-govern.
What happened to Zappos' holacratic structure in the long-term?
They switched to a hybrid structure.
What was one major criticism of how roles were assigned in holacracy?
Confusion, role overload, and lack of clear accountability.