HPP Episode 51 - Why Hierarchy is Bad for Business with Brian Robertson

What would your workplace look like without any managers? Brian Robertson says that management hierarchies create a parent-child dynamic between managers and workers that actually undermines organizations. Through experimentation in his own entrepreneurial enterprises, he found a new kind of organization –  one that allows us to use our collective consciousness for a purpose. He called the system Holacracy, and now it is implemented by thousands of businesses worldwide.

• Brian became an entrepreneur because, after coming up against bureaucracy in the companies he worked for, he thought: there must be a better way to do things.
• Individuals often are conscious – they see problems and have ideas about how to fix them. But how can we build an organization where anyone who identifies a change that would improve the organization will be able to implement that change?
• Many people assume that management hierarchy is the only option for organizing business. But when Brian became a CEO himself, he realized that even from the top, the structure was limiting how effective he could be in supporting the purpose of his organization.
• If employees need the boss to empower them, that means they are fundamentally in a disempowered position. Brian has created a system that involves everyone in defining the boundaries, rules, and responsibilities, in a non-hierarchical business environment.
• With Holacracy, when you fill a role and have a purpose to express, you can take any action to achieve your purpose - as long as there is not already a rule against it. This is the opposite of how things work in most workplaces – where the manager has to okay any new initiative. Brian says this kind of system creates a fundamentally empowering, and much more effectual, workplace.
• How is Holacracy implemented? Brian explains how eliminating managers actually works, and the benefits of increased flexibility and distributing burden and responsibility throughout an organization.
• For more information, check out Brian’s website, his book about Holacracy, or check out his network of licensed Holacracy trainings offered throughout the world!
• If you or someone you know is interested in bringing the benefits of non-hierarchical empowerment to your enterprise, let us know! Email Kevin at kevin@higherpurposepodcast.com.

An Extraordinary ExperimentThank-you for listening to this episode of the Higher Purpose Podcast. Remember, if you ever think that your work could be less ordinary, there’s not much between you and something extraordinary. Just 13 weeks, and a bold experiment. Find out more about the Extraordinary Experiment here!