EPPO: How to Support Self-Management Among 1,000 Employees

In Brief

Organization: EPPO,Brazil‍

Sector: Smart Cities, Environment, Urban Mobility, Waste Management

Platform: Talkspirit | Structure, Projects, and Meetings modules, in use since 2023

Team: 1,000 employees · Revenue: $40 million · Serving over 700,000 residents

Key strength: Self-management at the group level—a leading Smart Cities initiative in Brazil, with 100% shared governance

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When large-scale self-management requires a structural memory

One thousand employees. Forty million dollars in revenue. Fully shared governance. With Talkspirit, EPPO has transformed its vision of self-management into a dynamic, traceable, and auditable system—without falling back into bureaucracy.

The challenge: managing a self-managed group of 1,000 people without compromising on rigor

Founded in 1995 by José Carlos Ventre and Daisy Ventre, EPPO is a pioneering Brazilian company specializing in smart city solutions. The group provides solid waste management, urban cleaning, environmental education, and smart water and sanitation management services to public authorities and private clients. Its services serve more than 700,000 residents.

In 2020, EPPO made a radical decision: to abandon the traditional hierarchical model and adopt a governance structure based on self-management, with clear and transparent circles and roles. The group drew on the expertise of Target Teal and the O2 model (organic organizations), a governance approach developed in Brazil.

The paradox quickly becomes apparent: how can organizations maintain the rigor, traceability, and institutional memory required by audits and certifications without falling back into static, bureaucratic documentation—which runs counter to the agility that underpins their new way of operating?

The answer won’t come from the first tool, nor from the second. It will take three steps to find the right platform.

“More than just delivering services, we want to build solutions that create value for business, society, and the environment. This mindset is also reflected in how we organize ourselves internally: a distributed, collaborative structure aligned with the principles of self-management.” — Talita Agudinho, Human and Organizational Development Specialist, EPPO

The Approach: From Miro to Talkspirit, via GlassFrog

EPPO’s organizational transformation did not happen overnight. The team went through several stages before finding the tool capable of supporting the growing complexity of its model.

In 2020, the first circles and roles were mapped out on Miro. Between 2021 and 2022, the team migrated to GlassFrog, which was better suited to the Holacracy framework. But as the structure matured, the tool reached its limits. In 2023, on the recommendation of Target Teal, EPPO discovered and adopted Holaspirit by Talkspirit, now known as Talkspirit. The migration was carried out with care. A dedicated role was created to transfer data from one system to the other.

Today, 100% of EPPO’s organizational structure is managed in Talkspirit. The platform has become the group’s organizational memory, traceability system, and governance engine.

“In 2023, we discovered Holaspirit by Talkspirit—or, as we affectionately call it internally, ‘HS.’ It was truly a turning point for us.” — Talita Agudinho, Human and Organizational Development Specialist, EPPO

Robustness, asynchronous governance, and traceability

The switch from GlassFrog to Talkspirit was driven by a very specific need: the organization was growing, and the tools they were using could no longer keep up. EPPO needed a platform capable of supporting the complexity of a self-managed group of 1,000 people.

What the platform has made possible:

• Asynchronous collaborative proposals — the ability to advance governance without waiting for the next synchronous meeting, a feature that did not previously exist in their practice
• Scalability — managing hundreds of roles, circles, and policies within a constantly evolving structure
• Traceability and organizational memory — tracking the history of every decision, every role change, and every issue resolved
• Report Generation — Analyze roles, policies, and organizational design without manual effort

“ It wasn’t enough to simply have a strong desire for change. We needed a tool capable of supporting the practical implementation of this new organizational approach.” — Talita Agudinho, Human and Organizational Development Specialist, EPPO

In day-to-day operations: every meeting, every decision, and every role has a real-time impact on organizational performance

The platform is open at every circle meeting

At EPPO, no team meeting takes place without the Meetings module open. Every time a role is created, modified, or deleted, the change is recorded in real time during the meeting, in full view of all participants. This practice has transformed the quality of documentation and collective learning.

“We don’t hold any circle meetings without the open platform and everything recorded in real time. If a role is created, adjusted, or removed, people can follow these changes live, and this also accelerates learning through daily practice.” — Talita Agudinho, Human and Organizational Development Specialist, EPPO

Asynchronous governance: a fundamental shift

One of the most significant changes introduced by Talkspirit is the ability to review governance proposals asynchronously. For an organization with 1,000 employees, this represents a significant efficiency gain: participants can review the materials and reflect on them before the synchronous discussion, which improves the quality of the decisions made.

The goal: to make Talkspirit as natural as opening Teams in the morning

" Our dream is for using the platform to become as natural as opening Teams at the start of the day. In practice, Talkspirit plays exactly that role, including for governance: it’s auditable, searchable, scalable, and adaptable.” — Talita Agudinho, Human and Organizational Development Specialist, EPPO

Results that speak for themselves

• 100% of the organizational structure in Talkspirit
• 1,000 employees managed under a shared governance model
• Asynchronous governance — approving proposals without meetings, a feature that didn't exist before
• Auditable traceability — a complete history of decisions for audits and certifications

Talita Agudinho identifies three major benefits since adopting Talkspirit:

1. Organizational memory

Every decision, every role change, and every issue resolved is recorded in the platform. During audits, certifications, or organizational changes, the team knows exactly where to look.

“Whenever we go through an audit, a certification process, or a structural change — we know exactly where to look. There’s a reliable, transparent, and structured system we can turn to. Without a system like this, maintaining effective self-management in our organization would be much more difficult.” — Talita Agudinho, Human and Organizational Development Specialist, EPPO

2. Better-quality decisions

Thanks to asynchronous proposals, participants can read and reflect on the material before meetings. The decision-making process itself is faster and more informed. For an organization the size of EPPO, this represents a significant gain in efficiency and collective intelligence.

3. Simplified access to structural data

Generating reports and analyzing roles, policies, and organizational design has become much simpler. Previously, this work required a significant amount of manual effort—copying, consolidating, and reworking information. Today, EPPO is saving time and gaining greater agility and consistency in its use of data.

For EPPO, self-management cannot be sustained without radical transparency. Talkspirit puts this transparency into practice: every role, every circle, and every decision is visible and accessible to everyone in the organization.

“For us, self-management cannot thrive without radical transparency. Talkspirit helps us turn that transparency into concrete practice.” — Talita Agudinho, Human and Organizational Development Specialist, EPPO

Our partnership with Talkspirit: a partner in growth

EPPO does not view Talkspirit as merely a software provider. The team highlights the company’s openness and support, including for adaptations tailored to the Brazilian context.

“It wasn’t just about buying a tool; it was about finding a partner to help us evolve as we continue to build our organization. The Talkspirit team was open to listening, understanding, and supporting us. Our hope is to continue growing together.” — Talita Agudinho, Human and Organizational Development Specialist, EPPO

What Your Organization Can Learn from EPPO

• You’re already implementing shared governance: if your roles and circles are currently managed in spreadsheets or generic tools, Talkspirit provides a traceable, auditable, and scalable framework for what you’re already doing.
• You are in the process of transitioning toward autonomy and accountability: EPPO’s experience shows that a structured framework is essential for establishing new habits, maintaining clarity, and accelerating collective learning.
• If you need to provide accountability during audits or certifications, the traceability and complete history in Talkspirit turn documentation into proof of what actually exists—not an extra burden.
• You manage a large organization: EPPO demonstrates that distributed governance can work effectively with a workforce of 1,000 employees, provided there is a reliable organizational memory.

What the EPPO team says

“We recommend Talkspirit to organizations that want to bring greater clarity to roles, decisions, responsibilities, and governance processes—and especially to those that want to operate with greater collaboration, transparency, and a genuine distribution of power. Technology alone does not drive change. It amplifies an organizational intent that must be genuine.”

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FAQ

Why did EPPO choose Talkspirit?

After using Miro and then GlassFrog, EPPO needed a more robust tool to support the growing complexity of its distributed governance. In 2023, on the recommendation of the consulting firm Target Teal, the company migrated to Talkspirit for its capabilities in asynchronous governance, traceability, and management at scale.

How does an organization with 1,000 employees use Talkspirit?

EPPO’s entire organizational structure is in Talkspirit. The team primarily uses the Structure, Projects, and Meetings modules. All team meetings are held using the open platform, with changes saved in real time.

Is Talkspirit suitable for organizations in Latin America?

Yes. EPPO is a Brazilian company with 1,000 employees that uses Talkspirit on a daily basis. The Talkspirit team has been open to making adjustments tailored to the local context, and the platform supports the O2 model (organic organizations), a governance approach developed in Brazil.

What is the main benefit of Talkspirit for large-scale self-management?

Traceability and organizational memory. For EPPO, the ability to access the complete history of every decision during audits, certifications, or structural changes is the most critical benefit. Asynchronous governance is the second major benefit, enabling the organization to evolve without having to bring everyone together in a meeting.

Ready to steer your organization with clarity?

Discover how Talkspirit can support your governance and organizational performance.

Request a clarity assessment here.

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