'..Holacracy is built upon this distinction. Conventional approaches conflate people and roles into one single thing when they are actually two (or at least it’s helpful to think of them as two).
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Remember, the purpose of the Holacracy constitution is to govern the organization and its roles, not the people within it. This habit is a way of saying that you don’t want to confuse the tensions you feel as a person with those you feel in your roles.
..
We make that distinction not because we want to ignore issues like salary or career development, but quite the opposite. We simply need to get clear what the issues are (role-related or person-related) so that the tension can get processed in the right place.''This post comes from the Holacracy Habit Support Program and was titled, “This Time it’s Personal.” I wanted to share the content more widely because several Holacracy practitioners and coaches said it was helpful for navigating the person/role distinction..
..
If a
forest is a collection of
trees, an
organization is a collection of…
what? What makes up an organization? What are its parts?
The typical answer is something like “people.” “People make up an organization.” But that’s not completely accurate.
An organization can’t exist without people, that’s true, but people aren’t the parts of the organization.“But without people, the organization doesn’t exist!” I agree. But people aren’t the parts. They are the lifeforce. They give the organization energy.
..
So, you can make the argument that people are even more important in Holacracy. They are the lifeforce of the organization. But if they aren’t parts, then what is? Well, it’s more accurate to say an organization is a collection of
roles or
functions, not people.
This point is critical because Holacracy is built upon this distinction. Conventional approaches conflate people and roles into one single thing when they are actually two (or at least it’s helpful to think of them as two).
This is what we mean by the differentiation of "
role and soul." Making the distinction allows us to ask important questions like, “does my role care?” with more clarity.
Because in the real world, roles and souls aren’t just differentiated…they are also integrated. They work together. Which also means they’re easy to mix up...
Understanding how they are different (without excluding how they work together) just allows us to more clearly and quickly process our tensions. This is why regularly asking yourself, "
Does my role care about this?" is so important. It gives you clarity.
Now, as you do this, you may discover that you care
personally about something that the organization doesn’t actually care about. It should be obvious that the organization doesn’t care about what you eat for lunch or where you go on vacation.
But what about your salary? Or leaving work early for that doctor’s appointment?
In traditional organizations, there is no way to meaningfully and consistently distinguish between personal and organizational tensions. You may have already realized if you have an issue with your salary, for example, you can’t effectively process that from one of your roles.
..
Remember, the purpose of the Holacracy constitution is to govern the organization and its roles, not the people within it. This habit is a way of saying that you don’t want to confuse the tensions you feel as a person with those you feel in your roles.
..
We make that distinction not because we want to ignore issues like salary or career development, but quite the opposite. We simply need to get clear what the issues are (role-related or person-related) so that the tension can get processed in the right place.'
- Chris Cowan,
Why Holacracy Differentiates Role and Soul, May 30, 2017
Context(Gallup)(To Heal)(Haptopraxeology)(Teal) - 'What if the next global crisis is a[n] [affective-]mental health pandemic? It is here now.'(Haptopraxeology)(Bazaarmodel - To Heal - Teal) - Holacracy '..to fully harness the power of every human sensor..' - 'A good constitution is infinitely better than the best despot.'(Haptopraxeology - Electric Universe - Teal - Bazaarmodel) - Educating for Wisdom and Compassion: Creating Conditions for Timeless Learning(Project C - Phase II 2022 - 2032) - Eye Opener, To Heal in the Electric Universe(Haptopraxeology)(To Heal, Teal)(Reinventing Organizations) - '..the realms of body, emotions, relationships, nature, and spirit..'(Bazaarmodel)(Teal - To Heal) - '..to let the individuals and organizations search or really think about the meaning of life.'(Haptopraxeology) - Twenty-year Follow-up of Kangaroo Mother [and Father] Care Versus Traditional Care - Hayek: The Sensory Order (Praxeology) - '..the widest range of human emotions..'(Haptopraxeology)(Teal, Ethics) - '..your message to the many established organisations .. create an enabling environment..' - 'To change the world of finance..'It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work - 'It’s time to stop celebrating Crazy, and start celebrating Calm, Fried and Hansson assert.'(Corporate Rebels) - '..to learn how innovative businesses are changing how people work.''How to transform into a truly engaging workplace?' - 'Spark'(Holacracy Lite) - Blinkracy: lighter version of the Holacracy One’s system(Teal) - Zappos's Evolution: From Holacracy To Market-Based Dynamics