How to Design a New Circle Structure for an Existing Organization
Sociocracy For All
A step-by-step Sociocracy For All guide for transitioning an existing organization into linked, nested circles.
Loading the next page…
Heirloom Library
Explore trusted sources on employee ownership and democratic governance. Heirloom explains what each source is useful for, so you can follow a guide or look up exactly what you need.
Lookup results
Refine this set without losing your search or current selections.
Counts show each option across the full published Library.
Showing 24 of 140 published resources.
Reset search and filtersSociocracy For All
A step-by-step Sociocracy For All guide for transitioning an existing organization into linked, nested circles.
Sociocracy For All
A comprehensive Sociocracy For All handbook covering consent, circles, roles, meeting process, implementation, and examples.
Sociocracy For All
A detailed case study of Unicorn Grocery, a worker-owned grocery co-op in Manchester using sociocracy in its governance.
Loomio Cooperative
An open handbook documenting how Loomio runs as a non-hierarchical worker cooperative.
Project Equity
Project Equity case studies of businesses that converted to worker cooperatives, including examples such as Big Timberworks, Namaste Solar, Pattycake Bakery, and Real Pickles.
Democracy at Work Institute
A DAWI-hosted AORTA resource outlining a conflict-resolution process that can be used by cooperatives.
Sociocracy 3.0
The S3 pattern page for consent decision-making, describing a facilitated group process that invites objections and improves proposals.
Democracy at Work Institute
A DAWI guide to democratic management practices organized around power, information, people, and money, with tools and examples for worker co-ops and democratic workplaces.
Sociocracy For All
A Sociocracy For All article explaining how leader and delegate links connect nested circles and support information flow.
National Center for Employee Ownership
An NCEO article explaining the ESOP committee’s role in plan administration, fiduciary decision-making, and employee communications.
Sustainable Economies Law Center
A SELC article explaining key tradeoffs between forming a worker cooperative as an LLC or as a cooperative corporation.
Sociocracy.info
A Sociocracy.info article on the importance of full-circle meeting structure, delegated decision-making, and circle participation.
Employee Ownership Association
A UK report on the practices, governance, and cultural conditions that support effective employee ownership.
Democracy at Work Institute
A DAWI guide explaining how governing documents can codify democratic ownership, governance structure, growth, and conflict-resolution pathways.
Rutgers Curriculum Library for Employee Ownership
A benchmark guide summarized by Rutgers CLEO comparing employee-owned company practices across engagement, reward, governance, ownership culture, and social responsibility.
USDA Rural Development
A USDA circular with sample cooperative legal documents, including bylaws and related governance provisions.
Democracy at Work Institute
An editable sample bylaws document for worker cooperatives that can help groups avoid starting their governance documents from scratch.
Medium
A practitioner article exploring how sociocracy can support platform cooperative governance, especially where scale, transparency, and member voice are difficult.
Sociocracy For All
A Sociocracy For All article explaining why large groups should not try to make every decision together and how circles can support scale.
Grassroots Economic Organizing
A worker co-op roundtable from the International Co-operative Governance Symposium discussing sociocracy, hierarchy, flat governance, and cooperative practice.
Platform Cooperativism Consortium
A Platform Cooperativism Consortium reflection on cooperative AI, shared infrastructure, democratic governance, and worker-led technological agency.
National Center for Employee Ownership
An NCEO article describing participant rights, including voting rights, disclosure, diversification, distributions, and benefit protections.
Sustainable Economies Law Center
A legal and practical manual from SELC, EBCLC, and the Green Collar Communities Clinic on starting and operating a worker-owned business.
Platform Cooperativism Consortium
A Platform Cooperativism Consortium article on cooperative identity in the digital economy, including scaling through replication, federation, social franchise, and protocols.