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Holarchical Group Improv

Holarchical Group Improv (HGI) is a basic governance model that allows the spontaneous self-organizing capabilities of small groups to apply at larger scales through playful pretense. HGI is based on the assumption that a group’s ability to spontaneously self-organize is greatest when the group has approximately 3 to 7 members, but that ability starts to break down as more members are added. By organizing large groups as a holarchy of small groups where each level of the holarchy can act as if it were a small group, small group dynamics can be applied at larger scales.

In order to understand how this governance model works, we must first understand its essential components: holarchy, group identity, and improv.

Holarchy

Holarchy is a nested system of holons, which are defined as things that are simultaneously whole units unto themselves as well as parts of a larger whole. A holarchy can be seen as a special type of hierarchy in which the different levels of the structure are not separate from the other levels, but rather nested within them. For example, the body of a biological organism is comprised of cells, which are comprised of proteins and lipids, which are comprised of molecules, which are comprised of atoms, etc. Another example is units of time. Days are comprised of hours, which are comprised of minutes, which are comprised of seconds, etc.

As an example of how an HGI group can be organized, if we have 27 people, then we can create a holarchy with 3 levels where each level has exactly 3 members (3 times 3 times 3 equals 27). That is, groups of 3 individuals (3 people each) are organized into 3 second-order groups (3 times 3 equals 9 people each), which are organized into 3 third-order groups (3 times 9 equals 27 people total). Each level of the holarchy consists of exactly 3 members.

Group Identity

What makes a group a group instead of just a collection of individuals? This might be more of a philosophic question than a practical one, but for our purposes here, let’s define a group as multiple individuals who are united by some common trait or goal.

Improv

We will define improv as the practice of spontaneous self-organizing. Improv is most commonly associated with comedy and jazz, both of which provide helpful insights that we can explore and apply to HGI.

In comedy improv, the primary rule is “yes and” which means that whatever happens, you say yes to it and then build on it. In other words, you accept it and commit to it. Likewise in jazz improv, there is the famous Miles Davis quote “It’s not the note you play that’s the wrong note – it’s the note you play afterwards that makes it right or wrong.” The basic idea here is that whatever happens is less important than what you do with it. This resonates with the story of the Taoist farmer. Events unfold as they unfold, and whether those events are good or bad depends on what happens next.

How does this idea of “yes and” apply to HGI? Decision-making and action-taking. Acceptance-based decision-making. Commitment-based action-taking.

Improvising at Multiple Levels

In a holarchy, all levels exist simultaneously. All individual members at the base level are simultaneously part of every other level. So how does improvisation unfold at multiple levels simultaneously? The answer requires an exploration of the holarchy of group identity, methods of group representation, and the holarchy of time cycles.

Group Identity

Each group has a name. Something something …

Methods of Representation

Each group has a representative who is referred to by the group name whenever they are acting as the group representative. Representatives should strive to embody the spirit of the group they represent.

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Time Cycles

The first level groups of individuals function at the fasted time cycle, the second level groups of groups function at the second fasted time cycle, and so forth. If groups of individuals sync up daily, then the second level groups might sync up weekly, and third level monthly, fourth level quarterly, and so forth. This rhythmic synchronization can be a helpful structure, but it does not necessarily need to be rigidly enforced. This is improv after all. Spontaneity is essential, so it is necessary to have some sort of method for taking action at different levels spontaneously. One way to achieve this is to designate specific communication channels as exclusive to different levels of the holarchy. For example, if the group is organized online, a group chat app like Discord could be used exclusively for first level communication, email exclusively for second level, and so on.

Implementation

As an example, let’s imagine we have 100 people who want to organize using HGI. If we start with groups of 5 individuals, that yields 20 groups of 5. Those 20 groups can then be grouped into 4 groups of groups of 5. So now we have a holarchy with 3 levels. The top level is a single group of size 4, the mid level consists of groups of size 5, and the base level consists of groups of 5 individual people.

Something something mission command

[TODO]