Tag Archives: purposed

day 1962: Holacracy

“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

If you haven’t read or heard about “Holacracy”, then keep open ears and eyes because you might hear more about it soon as the movement begins to move across corporate America.  Tony Hsieh at Zappos has been working on it for almost two years and many are waiting to see what the results will be.  Holacracy is an organizational structure where there aren’t any bosses.  What, no boss?  Yep, no bosses, no hierarchy, and death to the organizational chart.  What it does involve, that some might not like, is a number of very specific meetings that process the work.  This part is not easy.  But even harder is changing the way we are programmed.  We start life being parented, and then go to school to be taught (along with grouped and led), likely then have part-time jobs and internships that are the antithesis of Holacracy. And then we run into Holacracy.  It’s not easy to unlearn what is part and parcel of how we have been programmed.  But, it will be interesting to see if we hear more about Holacracy.  You’ve now been exposed, so go take a look and see what you think.

I was reflecting on Holacracy as I thought about what I hear from people who I invite to church.  Many people’s introduction to church has been through the experience of a very hierarchical structure, with some mainstream religions teaching that the experience and conversation with God must go through another person like a Priest, who forgives sin.  This is not the most positive of experiences for many. I am a church guy so I respect spiritual authority, and the best pastors and spiritual leaders that I have encountered approach the Kingdom of God as a Holacracy with each of us being additive to the greater that is God’s Kingdom.  Within a Holacracy, there is much required of each of us to do our part to further a mission, or in our part, the Great Commission.  So, we must ask of ourselves, what are we doing to play our part?

Reference: Matthew 28: 18-20 (New Living Translation)