Holacracy Community of Practice Archive, 2015-2019 Community Holacracy Web Site
Posted in Practicing Holacracy • By Ryan Leisinger • 01/14/2016

Changes to Policy

Does a Lead Link have the ability to change or remove a Policy outside of a Governance Meeting? There is another Partner in the Role that the Policy impacts.

This is from 2.2.1

...however, that such Lead Link shall not have the authority to define Policies outside the governance process of such Circle that limit the authority of such Circle’s Roles to impact such a Domain.

It could be argued that removing the Policy doesn't limit their authority (in fact it could expand it) but I seems odd that a Lead Link could do this out of Governance.

3 Replies
Brian Robertson
01/14/2016

It's definitely not intentional that a Lead Link can do that, but you're right, that does seem like a reasonable interpretation of that clause.  I've captured this as a bug to fix in the next version of the Constitution - nice catch!

Ryan Leisinger
01/14/2016

It was brought to my attention that 2.2.1 is specific to "Holds Undifferentiated Functions", so if a Partner holds the role wouldn't make a difference.

 

Juliane Martina Röll
01/27/2016

Ryan, you seem to be using an older version of the constitution (version 4.0?). In Version 4.1, section 2.2.1 simply reads:

"Further, the Lead Link may not define Policies that limit the Circle’s Roles, except via the Governance Process of the Circle."

(Which, I think, still has the ambiguity that you found, but is slightly clearer to me in its meaning.)