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7 years of role-based governance, with no going back
"Organisational clarity and agility let everyone fully deploy their skills and give their full potential. It gives people wings. And every organisation needs that." — Hélène Chahine, Managing Director
7 years of role-based governance, with no going back
Growing without giving up what matters
Fondation CGénial builds young people's interest in science and technology: strengthening school-business ties and project-based learning. In practice, that means running about ten national programs — from the CGénial Competition to company visits for teachers — while coordinating around fifty partners: ministries, academic authorities, and a network of regional players.
In 2018, the team had six people. Its managing director, Hélène Chahine, sensed that upcoming growth would demand a sturdier framework. But not just any framework: with fifteen years at a Dutch company known for direct, egalitarian management, she was looking for a system that respected people while staying focused on effectiveness.
Reading Frédéric Laloux's Reinventing Organisations opened up an alternative to hierarchical management. She then came across Holacracy and, after a first try elsewhere, discovered Holaspirit by Talkspirit.
"What appealed to me about role-based governance was also taking an off-the-shelf model. People had already thought through self-management models. I wasn't going to reinvent the wheel." — Hélène Chahine, Managing Director
Coordinating a national network, without adding weight
Three tensions to resolve before growth turned into confusion.
Growth outpacing the framework
Fifty partners, ministries, academic authorities. They needed a framework that coordinates without adding weight — respectful of people, focused on effectiveness.
Growth outpacing the framework
Fifty partners, ministries, academic authorities. They needed a framework that coordinates without adding weight — respectful of people, focused on effectiveness.
Growth outpacing the framework
Fifty partners, ministries, academic authorities. They needed a framework that coordinates without adding weight — respectful of people, focused on effectiveness.
A six-month test, with an exit clause
Hélène imposed nothing. A day of role-playing, validating a base of 50% volunteers, then a six-month trial with a return clause. The team never went back.
The spark
Discovering Reinventing Organisations, then Holacracy. Choosing a proven model rather than reinventing the wheel.
The test, then the switch
A day of role-playing, a base of 50% volunteers, a six-month trial with a return clause. First action on the platform: "photographing" the existing organisation and translating it into roles.
The platform at work
Search to find "who does what" in one click, without going through the circle lead. Triage meetings: agenda on the fly, tensions handled point by point with a facilitator, actions and projects logged live. And goal tracking, to align vision, execution, and shared meaning.
"Coming out of the meeting, you've taken actions, it's concrete. Next time, you check. It's beautiful. The tool holds you to it, and since you do it live, you don't waste time." — Hélène Chahine, Managing Director
In the DNA
Seven years later, role-based governance is part of the Foundation's identity. It's even published externally: some candidates check the org chart online before applying.
Four structural benefits
What role-based governance, powered by Talkspirit, changed — in the words of its own managing director.
Everyone knows who does what
Explicit areas of action and decision. When a tension emerges, it's resolved based on the holarchy.
Explicit areas of action and decision. When a tension emerges, it's resolved based on the holarchy.
The organisation evolves as needs change
Anyone can create or evolve a role. Asynchronous governance handles proposals without mobilising the whole team.
Anyone can create or evolve a role. Asynchronous governance handles proposals without mobilising the whole team.
Everyone reveals their full potential
Roles that go well beyond the job description: with no HR training, some people run hiring interviews — and tell the story with a smile.
Roles that go well beyond the job description: with no HR training, some people run hiring interviews — and tell the story with a smile.
A talent-brand lever
Candidates check out the public governance before applying and cite it as a reason for their application. Onboarding, in turn, is simplified.
Candidates check out the public governance before applying and cite it as a reason for their application. Onboarding, in turn, is simplified.
We showed the auditors what we were already doing every day in Talkspirit. Living governance wasn't a side project: it was built into the way we work.
Thanks to the organisational map built in Talkspirit, everyone knows who does what and what their responsibilities are. This transparency helps each person better understand the direction the company is taking, and lets us align our efforts to fulfil our purpose.
Talkspirit played a key role in clarifying roles, responsibilities and cross-team collaboration within our hierarchical organisation. [...] The tool has also transformed the way we run our meetings. In the past, our meetings were often unproductive. Today, they are better structured, roles are clearly defined and decision-making is far more efficient.
Having a strong intention to change wasn't enough. We needed a tool capable of supporting the practical workings of this new organisational approach.
Organisational clarity and agility allow everyone to fully apply their skills and reach their full potential. It gives people wings. And every organisation needs that.
Adopting Holacracy has helped us gain autonomy and clarity. Employees know what's expected of them, so they can make decisions without constantly seeking everyone's approval. [...] The result: our trust index now stands at 89 out of 100!
In the past, we would have managed with emails, but the documents would have ended up scattered all over the place. With Talkspirit, we share files directly in an organised, structured and centralised way. The latest updates are gathered in a single place, so we can discuss them in real time and act as quickly as possible.
Talkspirit brings us closer to our teams, fuels collective intelligence and makes day-to-day information sharing far smoother.
Pooling our strengths makes each of us stronger. Within our network of SMEs, Talkspirit is an essential driver of transformation and agility.
Talkspirit allows every employee to fully unlock their talents. If someone has skills in several areas, they can take on different roles without being boxed into a single job description. This flexibility in roles also strengthens our agility — an essential asset in today's VUCA world (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous).
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