Holacracy
At Quinta VAle da Lama“
“The most natural way to organize”
What is Holacracy?
A system of governance that resembles how nature organizes systems like the human being (or any other organism) in a “holarchy” -a special form of hierarchy wherein each part functions autonomously within its own domain, given effective protocols for sensing & communicating as need be.
Why do we care?
Because top-down command & control systems simply do not work in a complex dynamic environment, a more agile way of adapting to change as it happens is needed.
What does it mean in our context?
As a living ecosystem, the farm and all its structures are in process of continuous evolution, to fit better with new conditions as they emerge. Structures evolve at different rates, depending on environmental pressures to which they are subjected, but the tactical meeting process ensures that tensions are always processed as soon as they are sensed.
How do we do it?
4 aspects of holarchic organisation that have stood the test of time with us:
- circles that are all connected in form of holarchy
- double-links between circles (Lead & Rep) to ensure bidirectional flow of information and tensions;
- elected roles to ensure that functional needs and individual capacities are always well-aligned; and
- decision making by consent, not consensus (proposals are tested against two key questions: “Good enough to try? Safe enough for now?”)