Holacracy: Re-read Week One, Logistics and Introduction

This week we begin our read of Holacracy with a few logistics and a review of the introduction. We have a short entry this week that will give you time to buy a copy today and read along! If you have not listened to my interview with Jeff Dalton on Software Process and Measurement Cast 433, I would suggest a quick listen. Jeff has practical experience with using the concepts of Holacracy in his company and as a tool in his consultancy.

Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World by Brian J. Robertson was published by Henry Holt and Company in 2015. The book is comprised of a forward, 10 chapters in three parts, notes, acknowledgments, and an index. My plan is to read and review one chapter per week. We will move on to a new book in approximately 12 weeks.

Introduction:

The introduction is written by David Allen, the creator of Getting Things Done (GTD). GTD is a hugely popular personal organization and productivity approach. David Allen premises his introduction by explaining that when he encountered David Robertson and the concept of Hholacracy, he was in a place where the day-to-day operation of the company was overwhelming is the ability to promote and grow GTD. That conflict of roles caused him to not to want to be the CEO of the company. Holacracy seemed like a chance for him to support the continued growth of his firm. Holacracy promised to allow Allen to create a structure in which he did not have to make all of the decisions, freeing time for more creative activities. Allen and the rest of GTD dove into Holacracy. Allen wrote the introduction was written three years into the implementation of Holacracy. In the introduction, Allen makes the point that Holacracy is not a silver bullet, but rather it provides a stable platform for identifying and addressing problems efficiently.

Next week we dive into the meat, so get reading!

All entries in the re-read:

Week 1: Logistics and Introduction

Week 2: Evolving Organization

Week 3: Distribution Authority

Week 4: Organization Structure

Week 5: Governance

Week 6: Operations

Week 7: Facilitating Governance

Week 8: Strategy and Dynamic Control

Week 9: Adopting Holacracy

Week 10: When You Are Not Ready