10 Questions About Viisi’s Holacracy Model—Answered

Viisi flips the traditional financial sector model on its head. No bosses. No bonuses. No job descriptions. Employees come first, customers second, shareholders last. It’s a radical approach, but it has led to record customer satisfaction, high employee engagement, and consistent financial success.

If you’re skeptical, you’re not alone. Many practitioners in these sessions were, too. Below are the 10 most common and challenging questions that came up—answered in the words of Viisi’s own members.

1. No managers? No job descriptions? How does anything get done?

"We work with roles, not jobs. Every team member has multiple small roles they take ownership of, rather than one fixed job description. It’s more dynamic, more flexible, and more aligned with people’s strengths."

Instead of traditional management, Viisi runs on Holacracy, a system where:
✔ Teams define their own roles and responsibilities.
✔ Decisions are made by consent—efficiently.
✔ Work is constantly adjusted to fit people's strengths and interests.

The result? No middle managers, no waiting for approvals, no unnecessary hierarchy.

2. What happens when someone isn’t performing?

"When someone isn’t delivering in a role, it’s easier to talk about it because we’re not saying ‘you’re failing at your job’—we’re saying ‘this role isn’t working the way we expected’."

Viisi tackles performance issues early and often, using:
✔ Frequent check-ins instead of annual reviews.
✔ Tactical meetings where teams discuss role effectiveness.
✔ A simple system for handing off roles that aren’t a good fit.

No drama. No awkward annual reviews. Just real-time feedback and constant role adjustments.

3. If employees come first, where does that leave customers?

"It’s not ‘employees first’ at the expense of customers—it’s ‘employees first’ so customers get better service."

Viisi believes happy, engaged employees naturally create better customer experiences. The proof?
✔ Viisi scores 4.9/5 on customer review platforms like Google and Trustpilot​.
✔ Employees have full autonomy to solve customer problems—no waiting for approvals.
✔ Customer satisfaction isn’t a KPI—it’s an outcome of the people-first approach.

4. What’s the deal with Viisi’s salary model? No bonuses? No negotiations?

"We benchmark salaries at the top quartile of the market. There’s no need to negotiate. Everyone sees the same transparent salary curve, and we all get the same percentage raise every year."

Viisi’s compensation model is radically transparent:
✔ Salaries are public knowledge—no hidden negotiations.
✔ Annual raises are standardized—no favoritism or politics.
✔ No performance-based bonuses—they believe intrinsic motivation works better.

The co-founders? They’re on the same salary curve as everyone else.

5. How do decisions get made without a CEO calling the shots?

"Decisions are made using the consent method. If you object, you have to explain why—and propose a better alternative. ‘I don’t like it’ isn’t enough."

Viisi uses structured decision-making:
✔ No top-down decrees—teams propose and test ideas.
✔ If a decision affects the whole company, it goes through consent-based governance.
✔ No endless debates—just ‘safe enough to try’ experiments.

This keeps things moving without getting bogged down in bureaucracy.

6. What if someone hoards too many roles or burns out?

"The average person has 20–30 roles, but if you take on too much, the team will call it out. There’s no hero culture here."

Viisi actively prevents burnout:
✔ Colleagues challenge each other to redistribute roles when necessary.
✔ No one is expected to ‘own everything’—team balance is key.
✔ If someone struggles, they’re encouraged to drop roles—not ‘push through’ burnout.

7. How does Viisi handle failure?

"We make decisions based on experiments. If something doesn’t work, we don’t see it as failure—we just try something else."

Viisi fosters a low-risk, high-learning environment:
✔ Teams set their own learning goals—no fear of making mistakes.
✔ Failed projects are analyzed, not punished.
✔ Small experiments replace massive, risky rollouts.

8. If Holacracy is so great, why doesn’t every company use it?

"Because it’s hard. Most companies aren’t ready to give up control. Holacracy works, but only if you’re committed."

Holacracy is not a magic bullet. It requires:
✔ A strong commitment to transparency.
✔ Employees who are comfortable with autonomy.
✔ Leaders willing to let go of power.

Many companies fail at self-management because they half-commit. Viisi didn’t.

9. How do you measure success without KPIs?

"Our ultimate KPI is whether our employees are happy. That’s why we focus on Great Place to Work scores, not financial targets."

Viisi’s main success indicators:
✔ Employee happiness (measured through Great Place to Work rankings).
✔ Customer satisfaction (via reviews, not rigid KPIs).
✔ Long-term financial health, not short-term profit spikes.

10. What’s the future of Viisi’s model? Can this scale?

"We’ve grown steadily without losing our core values. There’s no reason self-management can’t scale, as long as you stay committed to transparency and autonomy."

Viisi proves self-management isn’t just for startups.
✔ They’ve grown while keeping their people-first model intact.
✔ The structure adapts, but the principles stay the same.
✔ The key isn’t scaling bureaucracy—it’s scaling trust.

Final Thought: Viisi’s Model Works—If You’re Willing to Let Go

Viisi is proof that self-management isn’t a theory—it’s a working reality. It’s not for every company. It requires commitment, transparency, and a willingness to rethink power. But for Viisi, it has led to market-leading employee and customer satisfaction.

Want to dive deeper? Join our Corporate Rebels Masterclass to explore real-world transformations like Viisi.

👉 Find out more here.