Integrative Decision-Making (Holacracy)
A strictly facilitated process for adopting a proposal that resolves one person's tension. It has six steps: present the proposal, clarifying questions, reaction round, amend and clarify, objection round, integration. The facilitator tests every objection against fixed criteria, so only real harm to the circle's work can stop a proposal.
Use when a team keeps reopening the same arguments and needs a way to make governance changes quickly without letting the loudest voice win.
Solves: Proposals get talked to death because everyone feels entitled to redesign them.
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Step 1: Present proposal: the proposer names the tension and the proposal (2-3 min).
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Step 2: Clarifying questions: anyone may ask to understand it. The proposer may answer or decline (3-5 min).
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Step 3: Reaction round: everyone except the proposer gives one reaction, in turn, with no discussion (5 min).
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Step 4: Amend and clarify: the proposer may clarify or change the proposal, focused on their own tension (2-3 min).
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Step 5: Objection round: each person says objection or no objection. The facilitator tests each objection against the criteria (5 min).
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Step 6: Integration: find an amendment that resolves the objection and still addresses the proposer's tension, then repeat the objection round (5-15 min).
- Stop cross-talk immediately. The process only works if each step stays in its lane.
- Test objections by asking the questions from the criteria aloud: would this cause harm, or is it a concern you already had?
- Remind the proposer they do not need to satisfy every reaction in the amend step.