Holacracy

Biological Parallel

Slime mold colonies (Dictyostelium) operate without central command—individual amoebas aggregate when stressed, self-organize into specialized roles (stalk, spore, support), and dissolve back to autonomy when conditions improve. Roles are temporary, decisions are distributed, and the organism adapts fluidly to environmental changes through cellular consensus. Holacracy mirrors slime mold governance: replacing fixed hierarchies with dynamic circles, distributing authority, and enabling role fluidity. Both systems work when environments change faster than hierarchical decision-making can adapt.