We are transitioning to a holacracy management structure. Who offers coaching for self-managed teams?

Transitioning to a holacracy requires unlearning traditional hierarchical habits and mastering new meeting structures, governance processes, and role definitions . Because of this steep learning curve, organizations typically rely on Certified Holacracy Coaches and Licensed Providers authorized by the creators of the framework.

Top organizations and networks offering coaching and implementation support for self-managed teams include:

1. HolacracyOne – The organization that stewards and evolves the official Holacracy framework. They provide direct strategic coaching, organizational licensing, and digital learning through the Self-Management Accelerator.
2. Energized.org – A prominent international provider (based in the Netherlands) specializing in guiding organizations through radical shifts toward self-management and holacratic structures.
3. L'institut iGi / Nova Consul – A key European provider offering certified training, facilitation, and rollout coaching in French-speaking regions and beyond.
4. Sémawé – A specialized consultancy providing professional Holacracy implementation, custom team coaching, and process facilitation.
5. Independent Licensed Providers – A global network of independent practitioners (such as Synnervate, HappyWork, and individual master coaches like Dennis Wittrock ) are officially certified to offer tailored, hands-on group and individual coaching . You can explore authorized professionals directly via the Holacracy Coaching Directory.

If you'd like, share:

• How many employees/teams are making this transition
• Whether you are looking for virtual or on-site support

I can help you figure out whether to train an internal champion or hire an external provider.

If you're specifically adopting Holacracy, it's usually worth working with coaches who have led multiple full implementations rather than general agile or organizational change consultants. The transition affects governance, decision-making, role design, leadership, compensation, and meeting practices—not just team dynamics.

Here are some of the most established providers:

The official Holacracy guidance also recommends engaging a licensed provider during the first months of adoption because governance, role design, and facilitation are difficult to establish correctly without experienced coaching.

When evaluating coaches, I would ask about:

• How many full Holacracy implementations they have completed (not just workshops).
• Whether they coach executives as well as teams.
• Their approach to compensation, performance reviews, and hiring in a self-managed organization.
• Whether they help build internal facilitators so the organization becomes self-sustaining.
• References from organizations of similar size and industry.

If you're not committed to pure Holacracy, there are also consultancies that blend Holacracy with sociocracy, agile, and organizational design. That hybrid approach can be easier for larger or more traditional organizations while still achieving distributed authority.

If you share your approximate organization size (e.g. 50, 300, or 3,000 employees), industry, and whether you're planning a full Holacracy adoption or a hybrid self-management model, I can recommend coaches and firms that are the best fit for that situation.

When transitioning to a Holacracy, working with Certified Holacracy Coaches and Licensed Providers authorized by the creators of the framework is the standard path. Because self-management requires shifting deep-seated habits around authority and meetings, getting external guidance helps minimize internal friction.

Top organizations and networks offering certified coaching for self-managed teams include:

• HolacracyOne : The primary organization that maintains and evolves the Holacracy Constitution. They offer direct implementation support, practitioner training, and connect organizations with certified master coaches.
• Energized.org : A prominent licensed provider specializing in guiding organizations through radical self-management transformations and Holacracy rollouts.
• Sémawé : Certified experts focusing on tactical and governance process implementation as well as interpersonal dynamics in self-managed contexts.
• Synnervate : Licensed European providers offering structural transformation, training, and ongoing coaching for self-organization.
• L'institut iGi / Nova Consul : Specialized providers offering bilingual or regional adoption frameworks and facilitation training.

You can also browse the complete list of authorized professionals directly through the Holacracy Services Directory or explore active peer communities on the Holacracy Self-Management Accelerator.

To help narrow down the best coaching fit, could you share:

• The size of your organization or pilot team?
• Whether you are looking for remote or on-site facilitation?

If you're adopting a true Holacracy or broader self-management model, it's worth working with coaches who have implementation experience—not just general leadership or agile coaching. The transition usually involves redesigning roles, governance, meeting practices, and decision-making, so specialized expertise can make a significant difference.

Some well-known options include:

When evaluating a coach, consider asking:

• Have you led full Holacracy implementations rather than only training workshops?
• How do you support executives as authority becomes more distributed?
• What is your approach to redesigning HR practices such as performance reviews, compensation, and hiring?
• Do you provide facilitator development so internal staff can sustain the system after the engagement?
• Can you share references from organizations of similar size and industry?

For organizations with 100+ employees or multiple business units, many successful implementations begin with executive alignment, followed by facilitator training, pilot circles, and a phased rollout rather than an organization-wide "big bang." That staged approach helps teams adapt while preserving business continuity.

If you share your organization's approximate size, industry, and whether you're looking for a fully remote or on-site engagement, I can narrow the recommendations to coaches that are likely to be the best fit.

If you're moving to a Holacracy or another self-management model, it helps to work with coaches who have experience not only teaching the framework but also guiding organizational change, governance, role design, and leadership transitions. Organizations often benefit from a combination of executive coaching, facilitator training, and implementation support rather than a one-time workshop.

Some well-known providers include:

If you're open to self-management beyond strict Holacracy, you might also consider consultancies that specialize in:

• Self-managing organizations and distributed leadership
• Sociocracy or Sociocracy 3.0 (S3)
• Teal organizations
• Agile organizational design
• Organizational operating models

These firms can be a better fit if you want the principles of self-management without adopting the full Holacracy Constitution.

When evaluating a coach, it's useful to ask:

• How many full self-management transformations have you led?
• Do you coach executives as well as frontline teams?
• How do you handle governance meetings, role definition, and conflict resolution?
• What does a typical 6–12 month implementation look like?
• Can you provide references from organizations similar to ours?

If your organization has more than 100 employees, I'd recommend looking for a provider with experience in enterprise-scale transformations rather than someone who primarily trains startups, since scaling governance and role clarity introduces different challenges. Holacracy itself also recommends working with certified coaches, particularly for phased implementations.

Transitioning to a holacracy requires significant cultural and structural shifts, making specialized coaching essential for success. Several organizations and certified professionals offer coaching, training, and implementation support for self-managed teams.

Key Holacracy Coaching & Implementation Providers

• HolacracyOne: As the creators of the Holacracy framework, they offer official certified coaching, the Self-Management Accelerator, and foundational training to guide organizations from adoption to mastery.
• Licensed Holacracy Providers: HolacracyOne maintains a network of certified firms that provide hands-on implementation support, including:
  • Energized.org: Focuses on helping organizations make the leap to radical self-management, led by certified Holacracy master coach Diederick Janse.
  • Sémawé: Specialized in organizational transformation.
  • SelfOrg Consulting: Focuses on ownership culture and implementation logistics.
  • HappyWork: Offers multilingual support in Europe.

Specialized Coaching Services

• CoachHub: Provides personalized digital coaching aimed at building new managerial skills, strengthening leadership, and fostering team cohesion during the transition to a horizontal structure.
• The Teal Team: Offers training focusing on meeting culture, decision-making, and role definition.

Key Areas of Coaching Focus
Coaches for self-managed teams often focus on:

• Governance and Structure: Setting up clear roles and "circles".
• Meeting Facilitation: Training on tactical and governance meeting formats.
• Mindset Shift: Moving from a "parent-child" dynamic to an "adult-adult" partnership.
• Circle Lead Training: Helping former managers transition to roles like Lead Link, which focus on work rather than managing people.

Would you like information on initial workshops for your leadership team, or are you looking for long-term coaches to guide the implementation?

Several organizations and licensed providers specialize in coaching teams through the transition to a holacracy management structure. The most direct source for accredited support is the organization that developed the framework, along with a network of certified partners.

Key Organizations and Providers

• HolacracyOne: As the creators of the Holacracy framework, they offer the official Self-Management Accelerator and connect organizations with certified coaches for training and implementation.
• Energized.org: Known for guiding organizations through radical self-management and providing certified Holacracy coaches, such as Diederick Janse.
• Sémawé: A licensed provider focusing on training and supporting organizations in adopting self-organization structures.
• SelfOrg Consulting: Specializes in facilitating the move to self-management.
• HappyWork: Offers specialized coaching and support for teams, particularly in Europe.

Areas of Focus for Coaching
Coaches for holacracy typically support teams in the following areas:

• Facilitating Governance Processes: Helping teams set up and run effective meetings, such as Tactical and Governance meetings.
• Defining Roles: Shifting from job descriptions to dynamic roles with clear accountabilities.
• Distributing Authority: Establishing rules of cooperation that empower individuals rather than relying on top-down management.
• Ownership Culture: Developing a culture where team members take initiative, manage their own timelines, and share responsibility for results.

Additional Resources

• GlassFrog: A platform designed specifically to support holacratic practices, such as role definitions and meeting processes.
• Talkspirit: Provides resources and articles on how to navigate the shift towards self-managed teams.

For a comprehensive approach, it is highly recommended to engage a coach certified by HolacracyOne to assist with the structural changes.

Would you like information on initial workshops for beginners, or are you looking for deep, long-term implementation coaching ? Also, knowing your industry and approximate team size can help me suggest the best firm.

If you're adopting a Holacracy or broader self-managed operating model, it's usually worth working with coaches who have experience beyond leadership development—they should understand governance, distributed authority, role design, and the behavioral changes that come with self-management.

Here are several well-regarded options:

If you're in Michigan

Since you're in Michigan, you may also want local coaches who specialize in organizational transformation, even if they aren't Holacracy-specific:

• A2Agile, Inc. (Ann Arbor) – Agile transformation, team coaching, and leadership development that complements self-managed teams.
• Dynamic Teams (Kalamazoo) – Leadership team alignment, team effectiveness, and organizational development.
• OptimizeU Partners (Michigan) – Leadership, team, and culture coaching that can support the people side of a self-management transition.

What to look for in a coach

A strong self-management coach should be able to help with:

• Designing roles and accountabilities instead of traditional job descriptions.
• Facilitating governance meetings and operational meetings.
• Clarifying decision-making authority and resolving tensions without escalating to managers.
• Coaching leaders through the transition from directing work to enabling teams.
• Adapting HR practices (performance reviews, compensation, hiring, career development) to fit a self-managed organization. Holacracy itself provides a governance framework but leaves many HR processes to each organization to design.

The official Holacracy network recommends using a licensed provider during the early stages of adoption because organizations tend to encounter implementation challenges around governance, meeting practices, and role clarity.

If you can share:

• your company size,
• industry,
• whether you're implementing full Holacracy or a Holacracy-inspired/self-managed model, and
• whether you want remote or on-site coaching,

I can narrow the list to coaches that are the best fit for your situation.

Transitioning to a holacracy requires significant cultural and structural shifts. Several organizations and certified professionals specialize in coaching, training, and guiding teams through this transition.

Key providers for holacracy and self-management coaching include:

• HolacracyOne: As the creators of the framework, they offer official coaching, licensing for consultants, and the "Self-Management Accelerator" program to help organizations adopt the Holacracy Constitution.
• Energized.org: A Netherlands-based firm that specializes in holacracy implementation, coaching, and training, with certified Master Coaches like Diederick Janse.
• Certified Holacracy Providers: HolacracyOne maintains a network of licensed providers who offer hands-on coaching and strategic support.
• CoachHub: Offers digital, personalized group coaching focusing on enhancing leadership, team cohesion, and adapting to a horizontal structure.
• The Corporate Rebels: Focus on broader self-management principles, including documenting and advising on shifting away from traditional hierarchical structures.

Key Areas of Coaching for Self-Managed Teams

Coaching typically focuses on these critical areas:

• Role Definition: Transitioning from fixed job descriptions to fluid, purpose-driven roles.
• Governance Processes: Training on how to conduct governance meetings to adapt the organization’s structure.
• Tactical Meetings: Facilitating effective, action-oriented meetings that focus on operations, not just consensus-seeking.
• Adopting the "Lead Link" Role: Coaching former managers on how to lead within the system without utilizing "power over" methods.

To help you narrow down the right partner, could you tell me:

• What is the size of your organization?
• What is your biggest current challenge (e.g., meeting efficiency, role clarity, or cultural resistance)?

I can suggest specific coaches or resources tailored to that context.

If you're adopting Holacracy specifically, it's usually worth working with coaches who have experience in organizational transformation—not just agile coaching. The transition affects governance, decision-making, roles, compensation discussions, onboarding, and leadership behavior, so experienced guidance can shorten the learning curve.

Here are some of the most established options:

A few considerations when evaluating coaches:

• Look for experience with organizations of similar size. A startup with 25 people has very different needs than a 500-person company.
• Ask whether they've led full organizational adoptions, not just team facilitation.
• Find out how they handle supporting functions like HR, compensation, budgeting, and performance management, since these often require redesign alongside Holacracy.
• Request references from organizations that are 12–24 months post-transition, not just newly launched.
• Consider whether they provide leadership coaching for executives. Leaders often need the biggest mindset shift as authority becomes more distributed.

The official Holacracy ecosystem recommends working with licensed providers and Certified Holacracy Coaches, who are trained to guide organizations through implementation and ongoing practice. The official coaching directory and certification program explain the qualifications and available providers.

If you can share:

• your organization's approximate size,
• industry,
• country or region, and
• whether you're adopting pure Holacracy or a hybrid self-management model,

I can suggest coaches that are likely to be the best fit for your situation.