Brian Robertson: structure eats culture for dinner

This episode is different in a couple of ways. Have you ever wondered how could we bring more transparency and trust, more accountability and initiative as well as better adaptability and constant innovation to your organization? Have you heard of holacracy – a revolutionary framework for self-managing organizations? In this episode I had an awesome opportunity to sit down with the man who started the holacracy movement - Brian Robertson, to have an honest conversation about what Holacracy is all about, how it really works and what are some of the fascinating facets of this unique way of managing organizations. Brian is a co-founder of HolacracyOne, the organization supporting holacracy’s growth around the world. Brian is also the author of the book ‘Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World’. This time I am hosting the episode together with Paul Vahur who is the leading force behind the Getting Things Done movement in Estonia and an avid enthusiast of holacracy. So buckle up and enjoy the ride!

“There is a famous quote by a legendary management thinker Peter Drucker saying that culture eats strategy for breakfast. I love this quote. It does not say that strategy is not important, it is very important, but culture is more fundamental. The right culture will enable strategies that would otherwise not be possible or thwart strategies that would be otherwise wise. I have my own quote about this – yes, absolutely, culture eats strategy for breakfast, and structure eats culture for dinner. What I mean by that is not that culture is unimportant, no, instead I am emphasizing that the power structure is more fundamental. The right power structure can enable cultures that are just not possible otherwise. And the wrong power structure can thwart cultural development efforts. We see this in a management hierarchy all the time, we see the basic power structure getting in the way of creating the desired culture. Companies that are trying to create cultures that are truly empowered and open encounter obstacles because they still operate in a power structure where you need a manager to empower you. That thwarts the culture you were trying to build. Holacracy, on the other hand, deals with the very power structure that enables the desired cultural shift. If you are going to adopt a holacracy it will definitely radically shape your company culture.” – Brian Robertson

Listen and enjoy!