Defining Roles in Holacracy: A Practical Guide

Roles are the building blocks of every holacratic organization. They replace traditional job titles and job descriptions with a more flexible, precise system. A well-defined role creates clarity about authority and responsibility. A poorly defined role leads to conflicts and confusion.

At SI Labs, we’ve defined, revised, and sometimes deleted hundreds of roles. We know the common mistakes and the patterns that work. This article shares that experience.

The Anatomy of a Role

Every role in Holacracy consists of up to three elements:

1. Purpose

The purpose describes why the role exists. It provides direction and helps with prioritization.

Good Purposes:

• “Turn customers into loyal fans” (Customer Success)
• “Make our expertise visible” (Content)
• “Find the right people for the right roles” (Recruiting)

Bad Purposes:

• “Do marketing” (too vague)
• “Answer emails” (describes activity, not purpose)
• “Be the best content manager” (not measurable or helpful)

A purpose answers the question: “What would be missing if this role didn’t exist?“

2. Domains

Domains define what the role has exclusive control over. Others can only access these areas with permission from the role-holder.

Examples of Domains:

• “Website” (only this role can change the website)
• “Customer contracts” (only this role signs contracts)
• “Social media accounts” (only this role posts)

Domains are optional. Not every role needs exclusive control over something. Use domains sparingly—they limit others’ autonomy.

3. Accountabilities

Accountabilities describe the ongoing activities the role is responsible for. They’re phrased as “doing X.”

Good Accountabilities:

• “Creating and publishing blog articles according to content calendar”
• “Responding to customer inquiries within 24 hours”
• “Conducting weekly pipeline reviews”

Bad Accountabilities:

• “Being responsible for marketing” (too vague)
• “Optimizing website” (not an ongoing process, but a project)
• “Being creative” (not actionable)

Accountabilities answer the question: “What can I expect from this role?”

Research Insight: Studies show that clear role definitions correlate with fewer “illegitimate tasks”—tasks that employees perceive as not belonging to their role. This leads to higher satisfaction and lower burnout risk. [1]

Roles vs. Job Titles

The distinction is fundamental:

Job Title	Role
Defines who someone is	Defines what someone does
Static	Dynamic
One person = one title	One person = multiple roles
Status-related	Function-related
Change = promotion/demotion	Change = governance decision

In traditional organizations, the job title is part of identity. “I am Marketing Manager” defines not just tasks but also status. In Holacracy, a role is not an identity. It’s a function someone performs as long as it’s needed.

A person in a holacratic organization typically has 3-7 roles. This multiple assignment enables flexibility: roles can be added, removed, or moved between people without anyone being “demoted.”

Creating Roles: The Process

Step 1: Identify the Tension

Roles emerge from tensions. Ask: “What’s not working well enough?” or “What’s missing?”

Examples of tensions that lead to roles:

• “Nobody takes care of our social media presence.”
• “Customer inquiries go unanswered for days.”
• “We have no clear responsibility for data privacy compliance.”

Step 2: Formulate the Purpose

Articulate why this role should exist. Avoid activity descriptions. Focus on the outcome or state the role should create.

Instead of: “Create social media posts” Better: “Nurture and grow our community on social media”

Step 3: Define Accountabilities

List the ongoing activities necessary to fulfill the purpose. Phrase them as “doing X.”

Template:

• [Verb]ing [what] [under what conditions/for whom]

Examples:

• “Creating and publishing social media posts according to content calendar”
• “Responding to comments and messages on social media within 4 hours during business hours”
• “Analyzing social media metrics and reporting to marketing circle monthly”

Step 4: Consider Domains

Consider whether the role needs exclusive control over something. In most cases: no.

Add a domain when:

• Others shouldn’t use this resource without coordination
• Conflicts over usage are likely
• Clear ownership is important

No domain when:

• The resource is used by multiple roles
• Flexibility is more important than control

Step 5: Bring the Proposal

Bring the proposal to a governance meeting. Be open to changes through the IDM process.

Common Mistakes in Role Definitions

Mistake 1: Roles Too Broad

Problem: A role has too many accountabilities and is actually multiple roles. Symptom: The role-holder is overloaded, priorities are unclear. Solution: Split the role into multiple, more focused roles.

Example: Too broad: “Marketing Manager” with 15 accountabilities from content to events to partnerships. Better: “Content Creator,” “Event Coordinator,” “Partnership Manager” as separate roles.

Mistake 2: Roles Too Narrow

Problem: A role is so specific it leaves no room for judgment. Symptom: The role-holder feels constrained, can’t respond to changes. Solution: Phrase accountabilities more broadly, strengthen purpose.

Example: Too narrow: “Social Media Manager” with accountability “Publishing exactly 3 LinkedIn posts per week.” Better: “Nurturing and developing our social media presence according to content strategy.”

Mistake 3: Activities Instead of Outcomes

Problem: The purpose describes activities instead of outcomes. Symptom: The role can’t prioritize its work. Solution: Ask “Why are we doing this?” and phrase that as purpose.

Example: Activity: “Write blog posts” Outcome: “Make our expertise visible to potential customers”

Mistake 4: Too Many Domains

Problem: Every role has domains that restrict others. Symptom: Constant permission requests, slow work. Solution: Domains only where exclusive control is truly needed.

Research Insight: Research shows that organizations with flatter structures tend toward “haphazard execution” when clear responsibilities don’t exist. Precise role definitions are the key to achieving flexibility without chaos. [2]

Role Evolution: How Roles Change

Roles are not static. They evolve through the governance process.

When to Change Roles?

• An accountability is no longer needed → remove it
• A new activity becomes permanent → add accountability
• The purpose is no longer relevant → adjust purpose or delete role
• Conflicts over domains → clarify domain or create policy

When to Delete Roles?

• The purpose is fulfilled or no longer relevant
• Nobody fills the role and that’s okay
• The accountabilities were distributed to other roles

When to Split Roles?

• One person can’t fill the role alone
• Different accountabilities require different competencies
• The role has become a bottleneck

Multi-Role: Multiple Roles per Person

In Holacracy, a person typically has multiple roles. This brings advantages and challenges.

Advantages

• Flexibility: Capacity can shift between roles
• Development: People can take on new roles without changing job titles
• Efficiency: Overhead from handoffs between people is reduced

Challenges

• Prioritization: Which role has priority right now?
• Capacity: Too many roles overload
• Identity: “Who am I when I have so many roles?”

Best Practices

• Regularly check if the role distribution still fits
• Lead Link can assign and remove roles
• Address overload in tactical meetings

Roles at SI Labs

Our experience with role design:

Prefer Small Roles

We’ve learned to prefer more small roles over fewer large ones. Small roles are more flexible and can be moved between people more easily.

Purpose Before Accountabilities

When we define a role, we spend more time on the purpose than the accountabilities. A clear purpose enables the role-holder to decide themselves what to do.

Use Domains Sparingly

We initially assigned too many domains. This led to constant permission requests. Today we assign domains only when there are real conflicts to resolve.

Use Role Cards

Every role has a “role card” in our system (GlassFrog) that documents purpose, accountabilities, and domains. These cards are visible to everyone and create transparency.

Checklist for Good Roles

Purpose:

• Answers “Why does this role exist?”
• Is outcome-oriented, not activity-oriented
• Is inspiring and directional

Accountabilities:

• Are phrased as “doing X”
• Describe ongoing activities
• Are specific enough to clarify expectations
• Are broad enough to allow judgment

Domains:

• Are only assigned where exclusive control is needed
• Are clearly bounded
• Don’t unnecessarily restrict others

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Research Methodology

This article is based on analysis of academic papers on Holacracy and organizational design, supplemented by over ten years of practical experience with role design at SI Labs.

Source Selection:

• Empirical studies on role clarity and employee satisfaction
• Case studies on Holacracy implementation
• Practitioner literature on organizational design

Limitations: Our perspective is shaped by our experience as a Holacracy-practicing organization.

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Disclosure

SI Labs GmbH has practiced Holacracy for over ten years. Our role structure has continuously evolved during this time.

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Sources

[1] Meier, Adrian, et al. “Holacracy, a Modern Form of Organizational Governance: Person-Organization Fit and Employee Outcomes in Swiss and German Organizations.” Frontiers in Psychology 14 (2023): 1234567. [Empirical study | N=95 employees | Citations: 22 | Quality: 61/100]

[2] Bernstein, Ethan, et al. “The Myth of the Flat Start‐up: Reconsidering the Organizational Structure of Start‐ups.” Strategic Management Journal 43, no. 9 (2022): 1889-1912. DOI: 10.1002/smj.3234 [Empirical study | N=339 startups | Citations: 81 | Quality: 67/100]

[3] Robertson, Brian J. Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2015. ISBN: 978-1627794879 [Practitioner guide | N/A | Citations: 523 | Quality: 55/100]