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

If you are transitioning to a Holacracy or broader self-managed team model, there are several organizations and coaches that specialize in helping teams move from traditional management structures to distributed authority, clearer roles, and self-organization. Here are some options to consider:

Holacracy-specific coaching

• HolacracyOne — The organization that developed the Holacracy framework. It provides certified coaching, implementation support, training, and guidance for adopting Holacracy across an organization. www.holacracy.org
  Official site:

• Energized.org — A licensed Holacracy provider focused on helping organizations build cultures of ownership and self-governance.

• Nova Consul Holacracy — Provides Holacracy adoption support and coaching.

• HappyWork — Offers organizational transformation support around Holacracy and self-management.

• SelfOrg Consulting — Provides training and coaching for self-managed teams and modular Holacracy implementations.

Broader self-managed team / organizational coaching

Depending on whether you are adopting the Holacracy framework exactly or simply moving toward self-management, you may also want coaches experienced in:

• team autonomy and decision-making
• agile/self-organizing teams
• distributed leadership
• conflict resolution without managers
• role clarity and accountability systems
• culture change

Some providers worth evaluating:

• WonderWorks Consulting — Works on self-organizing structures, conscious leadership, and organizational transformation.

How to choose a coach

For a transition like this, I would look for someone who can help with more than training. Ask candidates:

1. Have you helped an organization adopt Holacracy or another self-management system at our size?
2. Do you coach leadership teams as well as frontline teams?
3. How do you handle resistance from former managers and new role holders?
4. Do you provide facilitation during governance/tactical meetings?
5. Can you help us define roles, circles, decision rights, and metrics?

The official Holacracy directory is a useful starting point because it lists certified providers and coaches.

If you share your country/region, organization size, and whether you are adopting full Holacracy vs. a lighter self-managed model, I can narrow this to a shorter list of likely-fit coaches.

Transitioning to a self-managed structure like Holacracy requires specialized guidance to help your team unlearn traditional hierarchy habits and master constitutional governance, tactical meetings, and role-based tracking.

Several official and licensed providers offer certified Holacracy coaching, training, and organizational implementation support:

• HolacracyOne : The core organization behind the framework, offering direct coaching, the Self-Management Accelerator e-learning platform, and connections to individual licensed practitioners.
• Energized.org : Based in Europe (Netherlands), specializing in organizational design, self-management, and Holacracy adoption at scale.
• L'institut iGi / Nova Consul : A France-based provider focused on agile governance and coaching teams through the transition to decentralized management.
• HappyWork : Another prominent French coaching and consulting agency assisting organizations with cultural and structural shifts toward self-management.
• Synnervate : Offers consulting, training, and integration coaching for evolutionary, self-governing organizational models.
• Independent Certified Coaches: You can also browse and filter individual licensed experts through the official Holacracy Coach Directory to find regional or remote support tailored to your company size.

If you'd like, let me know:

• Your company size and industry
• Whether you are looking for remote or on-site coaching

I can help narrow down which provider or training path fits your team's transition plan.

Yes. If you’re specifically transitioning to Holacracy, I’d prioritize coaches who have hands-on experience implementing the framework rather than general “self-managed team” consultants. Holacracy itself recommends working with an experienced provider during the first months of adoption.

Strong options

• holacracy.org — The most direct option. They developed Holacracy and have certified coaches who work with organizations on implementation, roles/circles, governance, meetings, and the transition to distributed authority. They operate worldwide.
• energized.org — A Holacracy provider focused particularly on ownership culture and self-governance, useful if you want the cultural side of self-management addressed alongside the mechanics.
• happywork.pro — Holacracy and organizational-development coaching, with English, French, and Spanish capabilities. They're one of the providers listed by Holacracy.
• semawe.fr — Combines Holacracy implementation with leadership coaching, facilitation, and organizational transformation.
• selforg.consulting — Particularly interesting if you want coaching around self-managed teams rather than simply implementing the Holacracy constitution. They explicitly offer training/coaching for self-managed teams and have experience with modular Holacracy.

What I'd look for

For your situation, I'd ask prospective coaches about five things:

1. Implementation experience: How many organizations have they helped transition?
2. Team coaching: Can they coach teams through actual day-to-day self-management, not just teach Holacracy terminology?
3. Former managers: How do they help managers transition from being decision-makers to role holders/lead links?
4. Meeting facilitation: Will they facilitate your early governance and tactical meetings while people learn the system?
5. Customization: Can they distinguish between adopting Holacracy faithfully and adapting the approach to your organization's circumstances?

HolacracyOne currently reports 50+ certified coaches/facilitators and 1,000+ practicing organizations, so its provider network is also a good way to find an independent coach rather than hiring HolacracyOne itself.

If you're in the Seattle area, I can also look specifically for Seattle/Pacific Northwest coaches or firms, and compare their experience, approach, and publicly listed pricing.

Transitioning to self-management requires changing deep-seated habits around authority and decision-making. Fortunately, a robust ecosystem of licensed providers and certified practitioners helps organizations implement and master Holacracy.

Top providers and organizations offering official Holacracy coaching and implementation support include:

• HolacracyOne : The foundational organization behind the practice, offering direct coaching, organizational transformations, and connections to licensed practitioners globally.
• Energized.org : A prominent European-based pioneer specializing in organizational design and self-management coaching.
• L'institut iGi / Nova Consul : Offers French and international consulting and coaching for self-managed governance.
• Synnervate : Focuses on integral organizational development and Holacracy implementation support.
• Independent Licensed Providers: A directory of certified coaches and facilitators is actively maintained through the Holacracy Licensing Program , allowing you to find regional or specialized master coaches.

To help narrow down the best coaching fit, tell me:

• What is the size of your organization?
• What geographic region are you located in?
• Are you looking for full transformation support or just meeting facilitation training?

Yes. If you’re specifically moving to Holacracy, I’d start with coaches who have actual Holacracy implementation experience rather than a general executive coach.

Strong options

• holacracyone.com — The most direct choice. They developed Holacracy and offer personalized coaching, training, and their Self-Management Accelerator. Their certified-coach network can support the transition from traditional hierarchy into roles, circles, distributed authority, and self-management.
• holacracy.org — Probably the best place to compare providers. The official directory currently includes HolacracyOne plus providers such as Energized.org, L'Institut iGi/Nova Consul, HappyWork, Synnervate, Ivolve, and others.
• selforg.consulting — Particularly interesting if you want self-managed teams without treating Holacracy as all-or-nothing. They explicitly work with self-managed teams and offer training/coaching across Agile, Scrum, SAFe, and modular Holacracy.
• evolvingorganisation.org — Led by Nick Osborne, with a focus on Holacracy, self-managing organizations, facilitation, coaching, and organizational transformation.
• selforganizing.team — A good alternative if your main need is coaching the human/team dynamics of self-management, rather than simply implementing the Holacracy rules. Their approach combines agile team coaching, organizational dynamics, and enterprise transformation.

What I'd look for in your situation

For a transition, I'd favor a coach who can work at three levels simultaneously:

1. Structural: roles, accountabilities, circles, governance, decision rights.
2. Team-level: meetings, conflict, feedback, peer accountability, distributed decision-making.
3. Leadership transition: helping existing managers stop being the default decision-makers without leaving teams directionless.

That's important because self-management isn't simply "remove managers and let teams figure it out." Holacracy is specifically designed to replace hierarchical authority with a structured, role-based system for distributed authority.

If you're Atlanta-based, I can also narrow this down to coaches who will work with your organization remotely or in person, and compare them on Holacracy credentials, team-coaching experience, approximate cost, and fit for an organization of your size.

Several specialized consultancy firms and independent agencies offer expert coaching, implementation training, and long-term support for teams transitioning to a Holacracy management structure.

Because Holacracy relies on strict rules and structural changes, hiring a Certified Holacracy Coach licensed by HolacracyOne is crucial to preventing common implementation pitfalls.

The leading providers offering coaching for self-managed teams include:

1. Official Holacracy Pioneers

• HolacracyOne : Founded by the creator of Holacracy, Brian Robertson. They are the definitive source for official certification, ecosystem support, and direct corporate coaching programs.
• BlinkLane Consulting & Gladwell Academy : Strategic transformation consultancies that provide hands-on agile coaching and specific organizational design frameworks, including Holacracy, for enterprise-level shifts.

2. European & International Specialists

• iGoat (formerly Energized.org) : A highly prominent European organization specializing entirely in Holacracy implementation, circle coaching, and self-organization support.
• Hyphen (formerly Xpreneurs) : Based in Europe, this group focuses extensively on Holacracy coaching, tactical and governance meeting facilitation training, and systemic self-management rollouts.
• Dwarfs and Giants : An innovative consultancy based in the DACH region focusing on "Next-Land" organizational design, offering tailored coaching to shift companies away from traditional hierarchies.

3. Broad Self-Management & Teal Consultants

If you want to focus on the mindset of self-management rather than just the strict Holacracy constitution:

• Corporate Rebels : They offer global courses, workshops, and intensive consulting bootcamps to help companies deploy diverse self-management models based on global case studies.
• The Ready : A premier organizational design firm that helps major brands eliminate bureaucracy and adopt dynamic, self-managed systems built around decentralized authority.
• CoachHub : Provides highly scalable digital group coaching programs specifically geared toward helping teams build the collaborative, horizontal communication skills required for decentralized governance.

To recommend the best provider for your transition, what is your approximate company size , where is your team located , and do you prefer fully remote or on-site coaching sessions?

Yes. If you’re specifically transitioning to Holacracy, I’d start with providers certified/licensed through the Holacracy network rather than a generic “self-managed teams” consultant. Holacracy’s own site says its coaches help with rollout, roles/circles, governance, and the transition to distributed authority.

Strong options

• HolacracyOne — The most obvious starting point. They developed Holacracy and provide hands-on implementation coaching, training, and a Self-Management Accelerator. They work worldwide and have supported hundreds of organizations.
• Holacracy certified coach directory — Probably the best way to find an independent coach who fits your organization's size, industry, geography, and needs. The directory currently lists 50+ certified coaches/providers globally.
• Energized.org — Particularly interesting if you want coaching that goes beyond mechanics into ownership culture, self-organization, and the human side of the transition. They've supported 150+ organizations and have used Holacracy internally since 2015.
• HappyWork — Offers organizational/team coaching and Holacracy implementation, with experience in decentralized work practices and organizational development. They work in English, French, and Spanish.
• Sémawé — A consulting/coaching firm combining Holacracy implementation with leadership coaching, team facilitation, collaborative decision-making, and organizational transformation.

What I'd look for in a coach

For your transition, I wouldn't hire someone merely to teach Holacracy terminology. The valuable coaching is usually around:

1. Converting your existing org chart into roles and circles
2. Training teams to make decisions without escalating everything to a manager
3. Coaching former managers into new leadership/role-holder behaviors
4. Facilitating governance and tactical meetings during the first several months
5. Addressing the interpersonal issues that arise when authority is redistributed
6. Helping you decide how much Holacracy to adopt initially, rather than attempting a massive overnight change

Holacracy itself recommends getting an experienced coach because trying to learn the system while simultaneously implementing it can make the transition more disruptive.

If you tell me roughly how many employees you have, where you're located, and whether you're looking for full implementation coaching or primarily team coaching, I can narrow this down to 3–5 specific coaches/providers that would be a good fit, including likely pricing and whether they work remotely.

Transitioning to a self-managed structure like Holacracy requires specialized guidance to unlearn traditional command-and-control habits and adopt new meeting and governance processes . Organizations offering coaching, training, and strategic implementation support for self-managed teams typically work through official licensing networks.

• HolacracyOne - The organization that originally developed and stewards the Holacracy framework. They provide direct coaching, e-learning paths, practice sessions, and organizational roll-out strategies. You can explore their offerings directly through the Holacracy Services Portal.
• Energized.org - A prominent global provider specializing in helping organizations transition to radical self-management and decentralized structures.
• HappyWork - A licensed Holacracy provider that offers hands-on implementation and team coaching, having practiced the model internally since 2014.
• L'institut iGi / Nova Consul - Specialized European-based providers focusing on governance, self-organization, and collaborative company cultures.
• Synnervate & Sémawé - Licensed consultancies providing tactical and governance meeting facilitation and coaching for teams adopting self-management.

To find a localized or niche-specific certified professional, you can browse the official Holacracy Coach Directory to connect with vetted providers who hold active coaching and facilitation credentials from HolacracyOne.

If you'd like, share:

• The size of your organization or department
• Your industry or workflow type

I can help outline a customized transition roadmap or suggest how to structure your first pilot circle.

Yes. If you’re specifically moving to Holacracy, I’d start with providers that have experience coaching teams through the transition—not just generic executive coaches.

Strong options

• HolacracyOne — The most direct choice. They developed Holacracy and offer personalized coaching, implementation support, team workshops, and a Self-Management Accelerator. Their certified-coach network is specifically intended to help organizations adopt Holacracy.
• Holacracy's certified coach directory — Probably the best place to compare individual coaches/providers. It includes providers in the U.S. and internationally, with different languages and approaches.
• Sociocracy For All — Worth considering if you're open to a Sociocracy approach rather than implementing Holacracy exactly. They provide organizational consultants who coach implementation teams and self-governing groups.
• The Sociocracy Group — Offers organizational transformation consulting, facilitation, executive/board coaching, and training aimed at sustaining self-management.

What I'd look for in a coach

For a transition like yours, I'd prioritize someone who can coach the team and the organization, rather than someone who only teaches the Holacracy rules. In particular, ask about experience with:

1. Role and accountability design
2. Governance and tactical meetings
3. Helping former managers transition from "boss" to coach/enabler
4. Conflict and tension resolution between peers
5. Coaching teams through the first 3–6 months of implementation
6. Adapting Holacracy to your existing culture rather than imposing a rigid template

HolacracyOne itself emphasizes that implementations can be adapted to an organization's particular context, and its certified providers are assessed for real-world implementation coaching.

If you tell me roughly how many people are in your organization and what industry you're in, I can narrow this to 3–5 specific coaches/consultancies that would be a good fit, including U.S.-based options and indicative pricing where available.

Transitioning to a holacracy requires navigating a major shift from traditional hierarchies to distributed authority, explicit role structuring, and specialized meeting processes . Because proper implementation requires adhering to the Holacracy Constitution, organizations typically rely on Certified Holacracy Coaches and Licensed Holacracy Providers authorized by the framework's creators.

Top organizations and network resources that provide official coaching, training, and strategic transformation support for self-managed teams include:

• HolacracyOne : The creator and primary steward of the Holacracy framework. They offer direct organizational coaching, enterprise rollout support, e-learning through the Self-Management Accelerator, and live practitioner training.
• Energized.org : A prominent, globally active licensed provider specializing in guiding organizations through radical self-management and holacratic adoption.
• HappyWork : A Paris-based licensed provider offering hands-on implementation and team coaching, drawing from their own internal practice of the Holacracy Constitution.
• L’institut iGi / Nova Consul : Certified and licensed European providers focusing on holistic governance training and transition coaching for self-organized structures.
• Synnervate & Sémawé : Specialized licensed consulting practices providing tactical meeting facilitation, governance coaching, and integration support for self-managed teams.

You can browse a complete, up-to-date global directory of verified active consultants through the Holacracy Provider Directory.

If you'd like, let me know:

• How many employees are making the transition?
• Are you looking for remote/virtual coaching or onsite facilitation?

I can help you narrow down the best coaching tier or format for your rollout.