A method, system and computer program product for workflow style governance includes creating a document and specifying a document style of the document—either a linear workflow style or a branched workflow style. Thereafter, in response to a subsequent request to load the document, the specified document style for the document may be retrieved and, on condition that the specified document style is a linear workflow style, a specified version of the document is retrieved into a document editor for editing as a new version of the document. But otherwise, on condition that the specified document style is a branched workflow style, different components of the document are retrieved as a composition of components, each of an independent version, and a selected one of the components of the composition of the components making up the document is then loaded into a component editor for editing as a new version.