Abstract
Digital transformation fuels the complexity of our environment and thus requires high levels of adaptability from organizations. This evokes the need for new organizational concepts and Holacracy promises to fill this void. Holacracy is a management system characterized by a special organizational structure to deal with the increasingly complex social and business environment. One way to address this complexity in holacratic organizations is done through so-called tensions. Tensions are associated with a potential for improvement that once processed initiate change within the organization. The main purpose of this article is to explore how holacratic organizations manage tension to achieve fast adaptability. The research is based on an interview study with members from different holacratic organizations. In this article, it is examined how tensions may play out in the field of digital transformation. First, five types of organizational tensions – strategic, structural, operational, interpersonal and Holacracy-specific tension – are identified that occur in the context of holacratic organizations. Second, it is found that specific triggering events as well as uncertainty and the individual’s drive for improvement contribute to the emergence of tension. Third, a common pattern of coping mechanisms – corporate culture, awareness raising, channels, changes and reflection – is determined through which tensions are processed. These factors may need further elaboration on how they affect organizations that face the complexity of digital transformation.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Burke, W.W., & Litwin, G.H. (1992). A Causal Model of Organisation Performance and Change. Journal of Management, 18(3), 523–545.
Bühler, P., & Maas, P. (2017). Transformation von Geschäftsmodellen in einer digitalisierten Welt. In M. Bruhn, & K. Hadwich (Hrsg.), Dienstleistungen 4.0: Geschäftsmodelle – Wertschöpfung – Transformation. Band 2. Forum Dienstleistungsmanagement (S. 43–70). Wiesbaden: Springer Gabler.
Gehrckens, H. M. (2016). Agilität im Kontext der digitalen Transformation Kernanforderung an die Organisation von morgen. In G. Heinemann, H. M. Gehrckens, U. J. Wolters, & dgroup GmbH (Hrsg.), Digitale Transformation oder digitale Disruption im Handel (S. 79–108). Wiesbaden: Springer Gabler.
HolacracyOne (2015). Holacracy Constitution v4.1. Retrieved on 2018-11-21 from: http://www.holacracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Holacracy-Constitution-v4.1.pdf
Jaques, E. (1997). Requisite Organization A Total System for Effective Managerial Organization and Managerial Leadership for the 21st Century. Farnham: Gower Publishing Ltd.
Klaffke, M. (2014). Generationen-Management – Konzepte, Instrumente, Good-Practice-Ansätze, Wiesbaden.
Koestler, A. (1967). The Ghost in the Machine. Hutchinson: Penguin Group.
Laloux, F. (2014). Reinventing Organizations A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness. Brussels: Nelson Parker.
Lichtenstein, B. B. (2009). Moving Far From Far-From-Equilibrium: Opportunity Tension as the Driver of Emergence. College of Management Working Papers and Reports, 13.
Robertson, B. (2012). Holacracy’s Formative Influences (Interview audio file). Retrieved from HolacracyOne Website: http://www.holacracy.org/backstory.
Robertson, B. (2015). Holacracy – The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World. New York, NY: Henry Holt.
Sanders, K., & Kianty, A. (2006). Organisationstheorien Eine Einführung. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
Search for -cracy. In English Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved on 2018-11-21 from: http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/cracy?q=cracy
Williams, H. T. P. (2006). Homeostatic adaptive networks. Diss., University of Leeds.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kurt, S. (2019). Circle Structure in Holacratic Organizations: An Analysis of How to Process Tension into Change. In: Lochmahr, A., Müller, P., Planing, P., Popović, T. (eds) Digitalen Wandel gestalten. Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-24651-8_3.2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-24651-8_3.2
Publisher Name: Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden
Print ISBN: 978-3-658-24650-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-658-24651-8
eBook Packages: Business and Economics (German Language)