Why Is It So Hard to Change How We Manage Ourselves?
Holacracy, the latest attempt at upending the corporate ladder, is faltering.
Zappos offices in Henderson, Nevada.
Photographer: Ronda Churchill/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
After four years, Medium is giving up on Holacracy, the avant-garde management system it used as an alternative to the traditional office hierarchy.
Just a year ago, the blogging platform was all in on Holacracy. The company invested thousands of dollars in consultants and HolacracyOne's proprietary software, Glass Frog. The employees spoke the language of a post-hierarchy organization. There were no managers or bosses or job titles; people "energized" roles within "circles." Teams held regimented "tactical" and "governance" meetings run by annointed facilitators.