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The trust expert, at 89 out of 100
"Implementing Holacracy helped us gain autonomy and clarity. Employees know what's expected of them, and can make decisions without constantly seeking everyone's approval. Result: our trust index is now 89 out of 100!" — René Brouwers, Circle Lead, Great Place To Work Netherlands
The trust expert, at 89 out of 100
The world authority on employee experience
Great Place To Work helps organisations improve employee experience and retain talent — certification, coaching, engagement surveys. The group (a subsidiary of American HR publisher UKG, ~15,000 people) operates through locally owned and managed offices, like the Netherlands office and its 25 employees.
Its purpose: "Helping organisations become great places to work for all." Globally: 10 million employees surveyed, 18,000 companies supported in 170 countries, 50 offices.
Practicing what you preach
Promoting trust and autonomy is at the heart of GPTW's mission. It still had to be lived internally — and a first attempt had failed.
A first attempt at self-management with no framework
A team used to deciding by consensus, not by consent — and unfamiliar with the concept of roles.
A first attempt at self-management with no framework
A team used to deciding by consensus, not by consent — and unfamiliar with the concept of roles.
A first attempt at self-management with no framework
A team used to deciding by consensus, not by consent — and unfamiliar with the concept of roles.
The second attempt, gradual and structured
Why Talkspirit: clearly documenting roles and responsibilities, native compatibility with self-management, a smooth user experience, and a complete governance + collaboration scope.
A first attempt, then a step back
The Dutch office tries self-management with no framework. After two years, the team asks for a classic structure back; René Brouwers becomes CEO of a hierarchical organisation again. Structure is restored, but the ambition remains.
Reintroducing self-management, differently
This time gradually and with structure, through Holacracy — autonomy AND clarity — with Talkspirit to support it. GPTW works with the firm Energised.org and trains members who then coach the others.
A pilot team up and running
Implementation starts in marketing. Within eight months, this first team is fully operational.
The whole organisation
After one year, the entire organisation has adopted these new methods. Talkspirit formalises roles, structures meetings, and guarantees clear governance.
Clarity, autonomy — and measured trust
What Holacracy, powered by Talkspirit, changed.
Internal trust index
The Dutch team's Trust Index — measured with the same methodology GPTW uses to certify other companies.
The Dutch team's Trust Index — measured with the same methodology GPTW uses to certify other companies.
Explicit roles and levels
Clearly defined roles and responsibilities, with personalised profiles and experience levels — seniority and expected performance made transparent.
Clearly defined roles and responsibilities, with personalised profiles and experience levels — seniority and expected performance made transparent.
Deciding without constant approval
Employees decide in line with their roles, without ongoing approvals: more autonomy and responsibility.
Employees decide in line with their roles, without ongoing approvals: more autonomy and responsibility.
Structured, centralised minutes
Information is accessible, decisions are better made and tracked.
Information is accessible, decisions are better made and tracked.
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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