I first became involved with Grounded in February 2025 as an intern. For my master’s programme Social Challenges, Policies and Interventions, students were required to complete an internship at an organisation that focuses on addressing societal issues. The aim was to gain hands-on experience with real-world challenges while collecting data for our master’s theses.
Before joining Grounded, I had never heard of Holacracy. Within the first weeks of my internship I started noticing its influence, sometimes very explicitly and sometimes in more subtle everyday processes. These early observations sparked my interest and motivated me to dedicate my research to this governance method.
Holacracy, developed by Brian J. Robertson, is a decentralised governance system designed to distribute authority across an organisation and increase adaptability. Instead of a traditional hierarchy, it uses a flat structure made up of self-managing teams known as circles. Each circle focuses on a specific domain and consists of clearly defined roles with their own areas of responsibility. Holacracy depends on specific meeting formats and procedures to keep the system functioning and to ensure that members have the freedom to shape their work.
Because Holacracy was originally developed for businesses where employees are present most of the week, an important question emerged for me: to what extent can this model function in a grassroots organisation that relies heavily on volunteers who are not involved on a weekly basis?
While Grounded does experience challenges in maintaining meeting frequency due to varying availability, the benefits of Holacratic principles are widely felt. Members reported feeling empowered to take ownership of their work without needing approval from others in their areas of responsibility. They also appreciated the freedom to explore new domains by taking on additional roles. Many shared that Holacracy enables Grounded to engage with a wide range of social and ecological sustainability topics through its events and activities.
Throughout my internship I saw this flexibility and empowerment in action. After an initial learning period I was able to apply Holacratic principles to my own initiative by the end of my time at Grounded. This experience deepened my understanding of the method and my appreciation for its potential in grassroots contexts.
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