Why Scarabée Biocoop decided to implement Holacracy?
In November 2014, Scarabée Biocoop, a cooperative of four (4) stores, three (3) restaurants and one (1) delicatessen trade, decided to experiment Holacracy, a new managerial technology, with iGi Partners during two days: Taster and Discovery Days. This 31-years-old cooperative is well known in the french west coast for its engagement, its values, its culture and its continious innovation. Scarabée was recently awarded the prize “Sustainable Developement” for “Ille et Vilaine” area.
Afterwards, the President of the “Directoire” (equivalent of a Board), Isabelle Baur, attended the Practictioner Certification Training delivered by iGi, accompanied by the person who introduced this innovative system to Scarabée in the first place, Isabelle Annycke.
After four (4) intensive days of training with twenty eight (28) employees from Scarabée biocoop in january 2015 (at least two (2) persons per Circle including ex managers), the 11th of february 2015, the four (4) members of the Directoire (Rémy Dourdain, Marc Chevalier, Pascal Le Déan et Isabelle Baur) signed the constitution of Holacracy, a document that defines clearly and precisely the rules of the game. The four of them see in Holacracy an opportunity to develop employees and accelerate the company.
Since february and until mai 2015, iGi Partners accompanies them, with two (2) certified coaches for two to three days on-site per week: circles’ facilitation, coaching and pedagogy to help Scarabée Biocoop make the PowerShift.
“Everyone has inside of him/her something rich to express and it is a pity that a company doesn’t take advantage of all the treasures hidden in all of us. Holacracy allows people to fully express themselves and help the organization moves towards.”
– Isabelle Baur
Isabelle Baur testifies her new governance choice in a short video we’ve made during the launch:
Transcription of the video:
Isabelle Baur: What’s the point in having nice stores, nice restaurants or being highly innovative, if the human organization and the company organization don’t hold up…
My name is Isabelle Baur, I’m 52 years old, I’m the mother of three children, I work and I’m the Chair of the Board of the Scarabée Biocoop cooperative.
I feel that Scarabée’s organization today has become totally obsolete and increasingly in our organization, we were in a pyramid organization with bosses and then the people who follow orders. And it’s time for our organization to have performances that are as good as the projects that we develop. In any case, it was obvious that we wanted, or at least I wanted and my Board wanted to get out of a conventional organization
Today, Holacracy lets us redistribute everyone’s roles and everyone can take on the functions that interest them. In other words, we accept to lose what we thought was a power over people and we also accept that the people around us can grow within the company. That gives new meaning to the work performed by the people who come… Who come, who get up every morning and who come to work for the Scarabée organization.
The tensions and wealth that can be expressed with Holacracy, the company improves its performances, is faster. We can get away from all the discussions that come up sometimes when making decisions and we go straight to the point and improve our performances. And we become faster than we are today!
My experience with it is that I see that it can create total fluidity in the meetings, relations that we have in the company. Now, I haven’t used it in our company yet.
Of course, we receive support, luckily, in fact! Because I don’t see how we could do it. It is a method that I am not familiar with so we get support from iGi Partners. For this amazing experience, it is very important for Scarabée, it is a real commitment, a real choice… I don’t dare to try calculating the human costs yet… But since I have decided to do it, we will absorb the costs!
iGi Partners: In that case, all I can do is wish you good luck to you and your organization during this shift.
Isabelle Baur: Thank you very much!
