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Episode 052

March 18, 2020

052 – How To Facilitate a Transition from Power Hierarchy To Purpose Hierarchy with Heleen Kuiper

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    Intro

    What do you need?

    How much power can a single question hold? In a holacratic meeting, this is one of the only questions you will need to ask. That’s a lot of power!

    Heleen Kuiper is an expert in the practice of holacracy – a system for shifting organisations and teams towards self-management, helping them to focus on purpose, responsibilities, and getting work done. So, who better to talk to about holacracy than Heleen herself?

    It may sound incongruent with what many facilitators practice, but there is little room for emotions and reactions in holacracy. Separating the personal from the professional and sticking to a strict system of roles and responsibilities flattens the room and ensures everyone knows what they can expect from each other.

    It is a fascinating take on facilitation and there are lessons every facilitator can learn from it, regardless of whether they entirely agree with it.

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    Questions and Answers

    01:36 What led you to facilitation and holacracy?

    02:24 Would you call yourself a facilitator?

    03:21 What are the key things you emphasise when you teach people how to facilitate meetings?

    08:05 What is holacracy and what does a meeting look like in a holacratic structure?

    10:25 How do employees in managerial roles react in holacratic meetings?

    13:34 What does an organisation need to commit to in order to work with you?

    17:39 How do employees in managerial roles react if you are helping an organisation move from a hierarchical to a holacratic structure?

    21:48 How do you create warmth and a safe space in a holacratic system?

    26:53 How do you handle trust issues in holacratic meetings?

    29:28 If an employee raised that they felt overworked, how would this be addressed in a holacratic meeting?

    33:43 Does holacracy find its way into your personal life?

    37:17 How do you balance the art of hosting with holacracy?

    38:37 What is your favourite exercise or practice?

    40:28 How do check-ins and holacracy work together?

    43:14 What makes a workshop fail?

    45:00 What do you do if a client has told you their expectations and intended outputs, but you find the group does not want to work to achieve it?

    49:43 Is there anything else you want to share before we finish?

    50:13 If a listener fell asleep at the start of this episode and has just awoken, what is one thing you would like them to takeaway?