Tension

A tension, in holacracy and other forms of role-based governance, is a gap someone senses between how the organization works today and how it could work. The word is neutral. A tension signals something to improve, whether a problem or an opportunity. In holacracy, every change to roles or policies starts from one.

Tensions come from everyday work. A process takes three approvals for a routine purchase, two roles both think they own the newsletter, customer complaints sit unanswered because no role is in charge of them. Each of these is a tension. The person who feels a tension is best placed to raise it.

Where tensions are processed

In holacracy, members look for tensions and bring each one to the meeting that handles it.

• A tension about roles, domains or policies goes to a governance meeting. The person who raised it turns it into a proposal, which the circle adopts by consent.
• A tension about the work itself, such as a missing piece of information or a next step, goes to a tactical meeting.

When members process tensions this way, the organization changes in small steps, driven by the people who do the work, rather than all at once in a reorganization.