August Governance, v0.1

August intends to be a fully self-governed organization. This means that everyone — regardless of role, seniority, tenure, etc. — is empowered to edit and shape our organization in service of our overall purpose. At the same time, pursuing an ambitious purpose depends on us acting together, so that the sum of our actions add up to something bigger.

Our company structure and way of operating, (updated 14 Sep. 2015)

Two of the critical practices of self-management are consent-based decision-making and a regular “governance” meeting. At August, we are adapting what we’ve learned so far from Holacracy, Sociocracy, SMI, and others, and creating our own variation on self-governance.

Every month, each team at August will meet and edit/evolve their structure and way of operating (and consequently the structure and way of operating of the entire company).

We start by creating an on-the-fly list of issues that we want to address. This is done without discussion; we’re just creating a place holder to address later during the meeting.

For each item, the person who brought the item to the group describes what they’ve observed and identifies the issue/opportunity that they want to address. They then make a proposal. Each item is processed using the integrative decision-making process:

1. PROPOSAL: Describe the issue you’ve identified and propose your strategy statement
2. CLARIFYING QUESTIONS: Each participant can ask questions to clarify their understanding of the proposed strategy statement. Only the proposer is allowed to answer.
3. REACTIONS: Each participant can share their thoughts about the proposal, including support, concern, and suggested edits. The proposer does not respond or participate.
4. AMEND & CLARIFY: After listening carefully to the group’s reactions, the proposer can clarify their original proposal and amend their proposed strategy statement to incorporate the group’s feedback.
5. OBJECTIONS: Each participant is asked if they have any evidence why the proposed strategy, as stated, would cause immediate harm to the business, or if it is safe to try.
6. INTEGRATION: If there is a valid objection, the objector and the proposer work together to find a mutually acceptable middle ground.

If there are no valid objections, or once valid objections have been addressed, the proposal is accepted.

We go through each item on the list, until everything has been addressed.

The types of things that someone can govern at August include:

• Creating or getting rid of a role/team
• Editing a role/team’s name, purpose, and accountabilities
• Creating, getting rid of, or editing Rights* and Guidelines*

In Holacracy, you can create a “policy” that is intended to restrict behavior in one way or another. We wanted to push this idea further in the direction of trust and autonomy. So, instead of policies, we’ve decided to have Rights and Guidelines. Rights identify critical protections and expectations that individuals (employees, clients, and members of our broader network) deserve. Guidelines reframe company-wide rules as suggestions for team members, based on what is in the best interest of the company.

We intend to maintain a fully public record of all governance from here on out. Please share any questions, thoughts, or recommendations.

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