---
title: "What changes come with Holacracy 5.0?"
description: "Holacracy 5.0 renames two structural roles, lets a role be held by several members, formalises cross-circle roles, and tightens circle membership. Talkspirit's Structure module supports it without tying you to a version."
category: structure-governance
section: methodologies
type: Reference
lastUpdated: 2026-08-26
locale: en
canonical: https://support.talkspirit.com/en/structure-governance/what-changes-come-with-holacracy-50
---

# What changes come with Holacracy 5.0?


Holacracy 5.0 is the current version of the Holacracy Constitution. It renames two of the roles Holacracy places in every circle, lets a role be held by several members, formalises linking a role across circles, and expects every circle member to hold a role. Talkspirit's Structure module supports Holacracy without a version setting, so you shape your circles, roles and terminology to match the practice you follow.

## What changed in the structural role names?

Version 5.0 renames two of the roles Holacracy puts in every circle:

- **Lead Link** becomes **Circle Lead**.
- **Rep Link** becomes **Circle Rep**.

It also revises the purpose and accountabilities of the Facilitator, Secretary and Circle Rep. A Circle Rep is no longer present in every circle automatically: any circle member can request an election to appoint one.

Talkspirit ships no fixed set of these roles and no ready-made templates. You create them yourself as **role templates** and tick **Main role** on each, naming them the way your practice does, whether that is Circle Lead and Circle Rep or the older Lead Link and Rep Link. See [Main roles and the Core badge](/structure-governance/understanding-core-roles).

## Can a role have several holders?

Yes. A role in Talkspirit has no limit on how many members hold it, so a main role such as Circle Lead can be filled by several people at once. This matches Holacracy 5.0, which allows more than one Circle Lead where 4.1 allowed a single Lead Link. Elected roles are filled through an election rather than by direct assignment.

## How does cross-circle linking work?

Holacracy 5.0 lets one circle bring in a role that lives in another circle, so the same piece of work takes part in both places. In Talkspirit this is a **cross-circle role**: you invite an existing role into any circle that needs its input, and the invited copy inherits the original's purpose, domains and accountabilities and follows its later changes. See [Cross-circle roles in Talkspirit](/structure-governance/cross-circle-roles-overview).

## What changed about circle membership?

Holacracy 5.0 expects every circle member to hold a role. Talkspirit still lets an administrator add a member to a circle without a role, and a written governance policy is how a circle chooses to require one. See [Adding or removing a member without a role from a circle](/structure-governance/how-to-add-or-remove-a-member-without-a-role-from-a-circle).

Every member of a circle is a **decision maker** by default. That status lets them create proposals, add roles and vote on governance. You remove it to make a member a **non-decision maker**; it is never something you grant. Decision-maker status governs what a member can change, not whether they can attend meetings.

## How does Talkspirit handle Holacracy versions?

Talkspirit has no Holacracy version setting and ships no 4.1 or 5.0 template library. The Structure module supports the Holacracy practice itself: circles, roles, proposals, elections and Integrative Decision Making. You align with whichever version of the Constitution you follow by naming your own main roles, renaming vocabulary under **Administration → Terminology**, and setting your decision rules. In line with 5.0's principle that every role is its own circle, you can also transform any role into a circle. See [Decision settings](/structure-governance/what-are-decision-settings) and [Transforming a role into a circle, or a circle back into a role](/structure-governance/how-to-transform-a-role-into-a-circle-and-back).

## Next steps

- [Holacracy in Talkspirit](/structure-governance/holacracy-in-talkspirit)
- [Main roles and the Core badge](/structure-governance/understanding-core-roles)
- [Cross-circle roles in Talkspirit](/structure-governance/cross-circle-roles-overview)
- [Decision settings](/structure-governance/what-are-decision-settings)