--- title: "Holacracy in Talkspirit" description: "Holacracy is the default governance methodology in Talkspirit. Turn on the Holacracy add-on for tensions and checklists, then map roles, circles, proposals, elections and meetings to your practice." category: structure-governance section: methodologies type: Tutorial lastUpdated: 2026-08-26 locale: en canonical: https://support.talkspirit.com/en/structure-governance/holacracy-in-talkspirit --- # Holacracy in Talkspirit ## Holacracy in Talkspirit Talkspirit is built for Holacracy: every organisation starts with Holacracy as its governance methodology, so governance proposals already follow Integrative Decision Making and elections already follow the Integrative Election Process. The Structure module holds your circles, roles, proposals and elections, and the Holacracy add-on switches on the two practices that are specific to the method, tensions and checklists. This article maps each Holacracy practice to the place in Talkspirit where you do it. ## What is Holacracy? Holacracy is a method for structuring and running an organisation that replaces the conventional management hierarchy. Power is distributed throughout the organisation, giving individuals and teams freedom while staying aligned to the organisation's purpose. It is described in the [Holacracy Constitution](http://www.holacracy.org/constitution) and is a registered trademark of HolacracyOne LLC. Useful resources: - [How Holacracy works](http://www.holacracy.org/how-it-works/) - [Holacracy Comic Book](http://igipartners.com/en/read-holacracy-comic-book-free#page-1) - Holacracy, the book, by Brian J. Robertson ## Turn on the Holacracy add-on You need administrator rights for this step. 1. Open **Administration**, then **Modules**, then **Structure**. 2. Click **Configure** on the **Holacracy add-on** row. 3. Switch on **Enable Holacracy add-on**. ![The Holacracy add-on page in Administration, with the Enable Holacracy add-on toggle switched on and the What this add-on enables list below it](/images/structure-governance/holacracy-in-talkspirit/01-holacracy-add-on-settings.png) The page lists what the add-on brings, under **What this add-on enables**: - **Tensions** and **Checklists**, the two Holacracy practices you can switch on or off. - **Custom terminology**, to rename Holacracy words such as tensions, circles and roles. - **Governance and Tactical meetings**, two facilitated formats with ready-made templates. - **Processing agenda items**, which keeps agenda items opening and processing in the Agenda section only. If the row is locked, the add-on is not included in your current plan and the page offers a **Contact sales** link. The add-on is separate from the Structure module itself, which stays on either way. For everything the add-on settings page can do, see [Holacracy Add-on Overview](/structure-governance/holacracy-add-on-overview). ## Choose which practices your members see Go to **Structure**, then **Structure settings**, then the **Holacracy** tab of **General settings**. Two switches decide what circle members see: - **Tensions**: allow members to capture and process tensions on circles. - **Checklist**: allow circles to track recurring engagements through checklists. ![The Holacracy tab of Structure general settings, showing the Tensions and Checklist switches both on](/images/structure-governance/holacracy-in-talkspirit/02-holacracy-practice-toggles.png) Turning a practice off hides its interface. Both switches only take effect while the add-on is enabled. ## How each practice maps to Talkspirit ### Roles instead of job descriptions A person holds several roles, and each role carries a purpose, accountabilities and domains. Roles evolve as the work does, they can move between circles, and a role that grows can be transformed into a circle. The roles your constitution puts in every circle are created once as **role templates**, in the **Role templates** tab of Structure general settings, and flagged as **main role**. Main roles are set by administrators at organisation level, and they appear at the top of each circle's role list. Talkspirit does not ship a fixed set, so name yours the way your practice does, whether that is Circle Lead and Circle Rep or Lead Link and Rep Link. The product word is **main role**. If your organisation says something else, rename the vocabulary in **Administration**, then **Terminology**. ### Circles The Structure module shows the organisation as a holarchy of nested circles, each with its own purpose, accountabilities and members. See [How do I navigate your chart?](/structure-governance/how-to-navigate-your-chart) for moving around it, and [Circle overview](/structure-governance/circle-overview) for what a circle page holds. ### Governance Governance settings live in the **Decision settings** tab of Structure general settings. ![The Decision settings tab showing Decision rules, Proposal adoption and Proposal editing](/images/structure-governance/holacracy-in-talkspirit/03-decision-settings.png) **Decision rules** switch on the mechanics your practice needs: **Consent-based decisions**, **Objection round**, **Asynchronous governance** and **Decision log**. **Proposal adoption** decides whether structural change goes through governance at all. With **Require proposals for governance changes** on, a change creates a proposal, and you choose whether proposals are adopted **After** a number of days if no objections are raised, or **Immediately**. With it off, changes apply directly. **Proposal editing** sets who may edit a draft proposal: only the author, the author and circle leads, or all circle members. Circles can override it. A governance proposal in Holacracy runs through Integrative Decision Making: present the proposal, clarifying questions, reaction round, amend and clarify, objection round, then integration. **Who can propose.** Creating a proposal in a circle requires being a decision maker of that circle. Administrator rights alone do not grant it, so an administrator who is not a decision maker in the circle cannot open a proposal there. See [What is a decision maker of a circle?](/structure-governance/what-is-a-decision-maker-of-a-circle). ### Tensions A tension is a gap someone senses between current reality and the potential they perceive. With the add-on and the Tensions switch on, members capture tensions from the bell in the header and work them in **Structure**, then **Tensions**, before bringing them to a meeting. See [Tensions overview](/structure-governance/tensions-overview). ### Meetings Two system templates match the method. **Governance Meeting** works through proposals to evolve roles and policies, and **Tactical Meeting** reviews checklists and metrics, then triages operational items. Start from either in the template gallery. See [Introducing governance meetings](/structure-governance/introducing-governance-meetings) and [Introducing tactical meetings](/structure-governance/introducing-tactical-meetings). ### Elections Elected roles are configured in the **Circles settings** tab: **Roles can be elected** allows elections, and **Roles must be elected** forces them. Holacracy elections follow the Integrative Election Process: present the role and its mandate, nomination round, change and reasons round, candidate proposal, objection round, then integration. See [How to hold an election for an elected role](/structure-governance/how-to-hold-an-election-for-an-elected-role). ### Cross-circle roles Holacracy 5.0 lets a circle link a role in from elsewhere. In Talkspirit this is a **cross-circle role**. See [Cross-circle roles overview](/structure-governance/cross-circle-roles-overview). ## What's next? - [Holacracy Add-on Overview](/structure-governance/holacracy-add-on-overview) - [What changes come with Holacracy 5.0?](/structure-governance/what-changes-come-with-holacracy-50) - [How do I submit and track a proposal?](/structure-governance/how-to-submit-and-track-a-proposal)