The sociocratic organizational design, a managerial innovation in a french cultural context[Le design organisationnel sociocratique, une innovation managériale en contexte culturel français]

Could sociocratic governance be seen as a managerial innovation? The authors examine this question, focusing on the sociocratic decision circle, which redistributes power and responsibility according to a principle of equivalence. However, integrating sociocracy into the French cultural context appears to be a challenge. The intervention research methodology here is based on two organizational ethnographic studies, one of an alternative school and the other of a food store and community center. The results highlight the learning of the ability to initiate proposals and formulate objections. This is seen as an enrichment both for the individuals and the two organizations, leading the authors to see sociocracy as a seed for more solidary and sustainable management.