Throughout history, the ways societies have organized have evolved in response to humanity’s needs. The transition from the earliest nomadic clans, to sprawling empires, to modern constitutional republics, has largely been driven by developments in agriculture and technology, conflict, and social complexity.
In today’s rapidly changing and increasingly connected world, this begs the question: what’s next?
Current governance structures tend to emphasize centralized bodies and top-down decision-making. This trend may continue, but the self-management movement among modern companies provides an argument for the alternative of decentralized authority. If we can have management without managers, can we also achieve rules without rulers?
In this talk, self-management and Holacracy pioneer Brian Robertson will share lessons from self-organizing companies, and discuss how their success with distributed authority can apply to broader social governance and organization – and ultimately, help inform the next phase of social evolution.