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Switzerland's self-management pioneer
"Thanks to the org chart built in Talkspirit, everyone knows who does what and what their responsibilities are. This transparency helps us better understand the direction the company is heading, and align our efforts toward our purpose." — Benoît Pointet, Holacracy Coach, Liip
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Switzerland's self-management pioneer
A digital agency that rejects hierarchy
Founded in 2007, Liip is a Swiss digital agency specialised in websites and mobile apps — 220 employees, six offices in Switzerland. Agility, sustainability, and self-management are baked into its DNA, right down to its purpose: "creating lasting societal, environmental, and economic value, working toward digital and human progress."
An early rejecter of hierarchical structures, Liip bets on agility, transparency, and empowerment. Scrum from 2009, the Spotify model in 2012: experiments that laid the first bricks of a more flexible organisation.
Truly moving to self-management
As teams grow, Agile models show their limits. Reading Reinventing Organisations (Frédéric Laloux) marks a turning point: in 2016, Liip adopts Holacracy. It remained to anchor it.
A model unknown to teams
Swiss consensus culture runs deep. Deciding as soon as no major objection is raised required a real shift in mindset.
A model unknown to teams
Swiss consensus culture runs deep. Deciding as soon as no major objection is raised required a real shift in mindset.
A model unknown to teams
Swiss consensus culture runs deep. Deciding as soon as no major objection is raised required a real shift in mindset.
Gradual, voluntary, never forced
Strong leadership sponsorship, but adoption by buy-in. Why Talkspirit: a complete governance scope (role mapping, meetings, governance changes) in one place, and a real partner — to the point that Liip contributed its digital design expertise to the platform.
The first agile bricks
Scrum from 2009, the Spotify model in 2012. Experiments that prepared the ground, but showed their limits as teams grew.
The move to Holacracy
Liip adopts Holacracy and Talkspirit — one of the very first Swiss companies to do so. Authority is distributed across autonomous circles.
A pilot, then the whole company
Six months of piloting with volunteer teams, extended by three months to allow time for adoption. Only after nine months of testing and majority agreement were Holacracy and Talkspirit rolled out company-wide.
How it's used
Dynamic org chart (who does what, in which circle), tactical and governance meetings at each circle's own pace, project boards per circle, resource library per role. And Proposals: about fifteen role or circle changes each month, voted on asynchronously.
Clearer, more agile, more autonomous
What Holacracy, powered by Talkspirit, changed.
Who does what, at a glance
The org map makes everyone's roles, responsibilities, and goals visible — and aligns efforts with the purpose.
The org map makes everyone's roles, responsibilities, and goals visible — and aligns efforts with the purpose.
Nothing is set in stone
Roles and processes evolve continuously: the production team was able to reorganise around target markets, without crisis or forced reorganisation.
Roles and processes evolve continuously: the production team was able to reorganise around target markets, without crisis or forced reorganisation.
Initiative without waiting for leadership
Self-management encourages everyone to spot what needs improving and propose solutions — about fifteen changes voted on each month.
Self-management encourages everyone to spot what needs improving and propose solutions — about fifteen changes voted on each month.
Decisions by consent
No more waiting for unanimity: a decision passes as soon as no major objection is raised. Structured meetings, documented and tracked decisions.
No more waiting for unanimity: a decision passes as soon as no major objection is raised. Structured meetings, documented and tracked decisions.
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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