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Self-Organization

Remote Governance: Running Holacracy Meetings Virtually

Governance works remotely too – with the right adaptations. Learn best practices for virtual Holacracy meetings.

Published on: January 24, 2026 by SI Labs

Can governance work remotely? This was the question we asked ourselves at SI Labs when we suddenly had to work fully distributed in 2020. The answer: Yes – but it requires adaptations. Remote governance isn’t simply “governance over Zoom.” It’s its own format with its own challenges and opportunities. For a complete overview, see our Holacracy guide.

After years of practice with distributed teams, we share here our insights: What works, what doesn’t, and how to make remote governance successful.

The Challenges of Remote Governance

1. Missing Nonverbal Communication

In in-person meetings, we see body language, facial expressions, small reactions. Much of this is missing remotely – even with cameras on.

Effects:

Harder to recognize when someone wants to speak
Reactions go unnoticed
Moods are harder to read

2. Technical Hurdles

Audio problems, unstable connections, different tools – technology can become an obstacle.

Typical problems:

“Can you hear me?”
Delays that cause interruptions
Screen sharing doesn’t work

3. Attention and Energy

Remote makes it easier to get distracted. “Zoom fatigue” is real.

Symptoms:

Participants check emails on the side
Shorter attention span
Faster exhaustion

4. Time Zones

Distributed teams struggle with time zones. A meeting that’s morning for some is evening for others.

Consequence:

Compromises on meeting times
Some time zones are structurally disadvantaged
Asynchronous alternatives become more important

Technical Requirements

Must-Have

Tool	Purpose	Examples
Video conferencing	Synchronous meetings	Zoom, Google Meet, Teams
Chat	Quick communication	Slack, Teams
Governance tool	Document structure	GlassFrog, Holaspirit
Shared document	Asynchronous preparation	Notion, Google Docs

Nice-to-Have

Tool	Purpose	Examples
Timer	Visible timeboxing	Online timer, in-app
Voting/Polling	Quick votes	Mentimeter, Zoom Polls
Whiteboard	Visualization	Miro, FigJam

Our Recommendation

Minimal stack:

Zoom (with mandatory cameras)
Slack (for asynchronous preparation)
GlassFrog (for governance documentation)

More important than many tools: Everyone knows and uses the same tools consistently.

Research Insight: Studies show that successful remote teams don’t use more tools, but fewer – consistently. The average successful remote organization uses 3-4 core tools intensively. [1]

Facilitation Adaptations

Before the Meeting

1. Collect agenda asynchronously

24-48 hours before the meeting:

Open agenda channel in Slack
Everyone posts their governance tensions
Proposals already formulated if possible (see proposal writing)

2. Share proposals in advance

Share complex proposals as documents:

Describe the tension
Concrete proposal
Answer expected questions

3. Tech check

5 minutes before meeting:

Everyone in the call
Audio/video tested
Screen sharing prepared

During the Meeting

1. Explicit check-in

More important than in person:

Everyone briefly says where they are (physically and mentally)
Builds connection
Reduces distance

2. Visual timer

Time visible to everyone:

Shared screen with timer
Or: Facilitator announces time
“We have 3 more minutes for this item”

3. Clear speaking order

Who speaks next must be explicit:

Facilitator calls on people: “Maria, your reaction?”
Or: Determine order in advance
Use raise-hand function

4. Chat for side communication

Not everything needs to be verbal:

Clarifying questions can be collected in chat
“+1” for agreement
Share links and documents

5. Shorter timeboxes

Remote tires faster:

Maximum meeting duration: 60-75 minutes
Breaks every 45 minutes
Better two short meetings than one long one

After the Meeting

1. Immediate documentation

Enter governance changes right away:

In GlassFrog/Holaspirit
Still during the meeting, not later
Secretary shares summary

2. Asynchronous follow-up

What wasn’t resolved:

Continue discussing in governance channel
Plan next meeting
Prepare proposals for next time

Asynchronous Governance

Remote enables a mode that’s harder in person: asynchronous governance.

When to Go Async?

Suitable for:

Simple, uncontroversial changes
Small accountability adjustments
Policy additions without expected objections

Not suitable for:

Complex structural changes
Controversial proposals
First-time role creation

The Asynchronous Process

1. POST PROPOSAL
   Proposer shares in governance channel:
   - Tension
   - Concrete proposal
   - Deadline for objections (48-72 hours)

2. CLARIFYING QUESTIONS
   Others can ask questions
   Proposer answers

3. REACTIONS
   Those who want share reactions
   No obligation

4. OBJECTIONS
   Objections can be raised until the deadline
   With reasoning

5. DECISION
   - No objection → Proposal accepted
   - Objection → Synchronous meeting for [integration](/en/articles/integrative-decision-making)

Best Practices for Asynchronous Governance

Clear deadlines:

Always state when objections are possible until
Typical: 48-72 hours
Consider time zones

Transparency:

Everyone can see all proposals
Accepted proposals are documented
Objections are public

Escalation path:

If someone has an objection, integrate synchronously
Asynchronous integration is too complicated

Research Insight: Research shows that asynchronous governance processes work particularly well for experienced Holacracy teams. Teams in their first year should primarily work synchronously to learn the process. [2]

Time Zone Management

Strategy 1: Rotating Meeting Times

Meeting time rotates so the burden is distributed:

Week 1: 9:00 AM CET (good for Europe, early for USA)
Week 2: 4:00 PM CET (good for USA, late for Europe)
Week 3: 9:00 AM CET (repeat)

Strategy 2: Time Zone-Specific Circles

When teams are highly distributed:

Regional sub-circles with their own governance
Super-circle governance at overlapping times
Only a few people need to attend at inconvenient times

Strategy 3: Async as Default

Synchronous meetings only for:

Integration of objections
Complex proposals
Monthly sync meetings

Everything else asynchronous.

Hybrid Governance: Some On-Site, Some Remote

The most difficult constellation: Part of the team is in the office, part is remote.

The Challenges

Remote participants get forgotten
Side conversations in the room that remote doesn’t hear
Technical quality for remote often worse
Two “classes” of participants

Best Practices for Hybrid

1. “Remote first” mindset

Even when some are in the office:

Everyone uses their own laptops
Everyone in the same video call
No side conversations in the room

2. Dedicated remote advocate

One person in the room watches out for remote:

“Maria remote wants to say something”
Ensures audio is good for remote
Repeats what was said in the room

3. Same tech for everyone

Good microphones in the room
Camera shows everyone in the room
Or: Everyone individually on laptop

4. When in doubt: Everyone remote

If hybrid doesn’t work well:

Governance meetings fully remote
Even if some are sitting in the office
Creates equality

Tools for Governance

GlassFrog

Advantages:

Specifically developed for Holacracy
Complete governance documentation
Meeting mode for facilitation

Disadvantages:

Cost
Learning curve
English interface

Holaspirit

Advantages:

Modern interface
Good visualization
Multilingual

Disadvantages:

Cost
Less Holacracy-specific

DIY Alternative

For smaller teams or to start:

Notion/Confluence for role documentation
Slack channel for asynchronous governance
Spreadsheet for role overview

Recommendation: Start simple and switch to a specialized tool when complexity increases.

Remote Governance at SI Labs

Our Setup

Synchronous: Zoom for meetings, max. 60 minutes
Asynchronous: Slack #governance-channel
Documentation: GlassFrog
Preparation: Shared Google Doc for proposals

What We’ve Learned

Camera on is non-negotiable We require cameras on for governance. Without faces, too much context is missing.

Async is an efficiency booster 30-40% of our governance changes run asynchronously. That saves meeting time for the truly complex topics.

Hybrid only works with discipline We’ve tried hybrid governance multiple times. It only works when everyone has the same experience – which practically means: everyone remote.

Shorter, more frequent meetings Instead of 90 minutes every two weeks, we do 45 minutes weekly. Fits better with remote.

Research Methodology

This article is based on analysis of academic papers on remote work and virtual collaboration, supplemented by practical experience with remote governance at SI Labs since 2020.

Source Selection:

Studies on virtual team collaboration
Research on remote meeting effectiveness
Practitioner reports on Holacracy in distributed teams

Limitations: Our experience is based on a team of 15-25 people in similar time zones (Europe). Very large or globally distributed teams may have different challenges.

Disclosure

SI Labs GmbH has worked predominantly remotely since 2020 and has conducted remote governance since then. This experience shapes our recommendations.

Sources

[1] Gilson, Lucy L., et al. “Virtual Teams Research: 10 Years, 10 Themes, and 10 Opportunities.” Journal of Management 41, no. 5 (2015): 1313-1337. DOI: 10.1177/0149206314559946 [Meta-analysis | 10 years of research | Citations: 1200+ | Quality: 78/100]

[2] Velinov, Emil, et al. “Change the Way of Working: Ways into Self‐Organization with the Use of Holacracy.” Journal of Organizational Change Management 34, no. 5 (2021): 1063-1078. DOI: 10.1108/jocm-12-2020-0395 [Qualitative study | 43 interviews | Citations: 43 | 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]

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