Sociocracy
A brief introduction.
2014-12-23 22:03
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Opening (Option 1)
(Select the option that best suits the audience)
What brought you here and what is your biggest
need for your organization?
Facilitate a round where each participant shares their
name, motivation and need in 2-3 sentences
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Opening (Option 2)
(Select the option that best suits the audience)
Names round
Collect a list of organizational challenges you
have experienced
(This activity will be followed up in the closing-activities)
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Opening (Option 3a)
(Select the option that best suits the audience)
Think about
what you long for in organization
the one gift you cannot give or share
the one thing you would change if you could
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Opening (Option 3b)
(Select the option that best suits the audience)
Now share in a round:
What stands in the way?
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Sociocracy...
a.k.a. dynamic governance in the US
...is an elegant whole system approach for
development and evolution of harmonious,
adaptable organizations
...is a governance method with an inclusive
decision making process and feedback loops
involves people in forming policies that guide
their creative flow
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Sociocracy...
a.k.a. dynamic governance in the US
...draws on the collective intelligence of the group
facilitates the development of policies that are
good enough for now and safe enough to try
fosters accountability and sense of ownership
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A Few Terms
which will be helpful down the line
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Whats in a word
socio
from Latin socius - companion, friend
-cracy
from Ancient Greek (krtos, power, rule)
different to the rule of the demos
the general mass of people with voting privileges
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Vision, Mission, Aims and Values
Vision
why: the desired future
Mission:
how: the big picture
Aims
what: products, services, experiences, transformation,
raw materials
Values
define the culture
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Organizations
In an organization people collaborate to realize
common objectives
Sociocratic organizations align around shared
vision
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Governance
from Latin gubernare - to steer a vessel
Sociocratic processes relate to governance, not
operations
operational processes can be defined using sociocratic
methods
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Policies
To govern, we create policies
Policies guide our day-to-day tasks
like banks of the river, guide the creative flow
Policies are created to resolve issues arising in
relation to achieving aim/s
Minimum Viable Policy
good enough for now
safe enough to try
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A Brief History of Sociocracy
From 1851 to today
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A Brief History
1851 Auguste Comte
Scientific method applied to society
Sociocracy is the social order of the future - not yet
achievable but inevitable
1881 Lester Frank Ward
redefined the term Sociocracy to describe the rule of the
people with relationships with each other
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A Brief History
1926 -1954 Kees Boeke
Established the first sociocracy in his residential school
(based on Quaker consensus principles)
Book Sociocracy: Democracy as it might be (1945)
1970s Gerard Edenburg
Student in Kees Boekes school
Integrated principles from Engineering and Cybernetics
Evolved the Sociocratic Circle-Organization Method
in his company Endenburg Electrotechniek
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A Brief History
1978 Sociocratisch Centrum Utrecht
created to promote Sociocracy
1994 New law in the Netherlands
Sociocratic organizations are no longer required to
have a workers council
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A Brief History
2007 We the People
John Buck / Sharon Villines make Sociocracy accessible
to the English-speaking world
since then emergence of a wide-spread
grassroots movement
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How does it work?
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3 Influences
Sociocracy builds on what is already working (common
sense)
Quaker Meeting Practice
active listening / facilitation / norms / synergy / group
ownership
Science
Cybernetics, Systems Thinking / Complexity Theory
Nature
Consent, transformation, evolution
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3 Core Principles
Equivalence
Everyone has a voice in decisions that affect them
Effectiveness
are we effective in achieving our aims, respecting
people and resources, being responsive to change
Transparency
All information is up-to-date and accessible to all.
Consent to secrets / confidentiality when necessary.
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Feedback Loops
Feedback and
reflection
enables
continuous
evolution and
improvement
of policies in
service of aims
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Consent
Consent is the absence of objections
i.e. everyone can live with it
Consent is not consensus with unanimity
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Objections
are gifts
contain emergent wisdom seeking expression
into the consciousness of a circle
relate to a circles aims
belong to the whole circle
we objections in sociocracy
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6 Consent-Based Meeting Processes
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Governance Meetings
Opening Round
Attune to one another and to aims
Administrative Matters
consent to last minutes, dates, consent to agenda
Agenda Items
Closing rounds
evaluation of meeting and results, future agenda items
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Governance Meetings
Agenda Items
Short Reports
Review of Policies
Select People for Roles
Consent to Proposals
Raising Issues
Proposal Forming
Performance Review
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Consent Decision Making
Harvesting objections to capture emergent wisdom
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Consent Decision Making
We need to consciously balance equivalence and
effectiveness
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Consent Decision Making
Objections stop proposals becoming policy
Withholding objections could harm the aims of a
group or organization
Being able to raise objections at any time means
that proposals only need to be good enough for
now, safe enough to try
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Consent Decision Making
We deliberately harvest objections
Every policy has a review date
Experienced groups can move quickly through the
stages of Consent Decision Making
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Concerns
are not objections
dont stop proposals becoming policy
often contain wisdom
can be recorded in the logbook
to further evolve policies
to set evaluation criteria (including review date)
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Rounds
A group facilitation technique to maintain equivalence.
1. Pick a random person
to start
begin with a different
person each time to
maintain equivalence
2. Go around the circle,
give everyone the
chance to speak
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Consent Decision Making
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Circle Structure and Double Linking
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Circles
A circle is a group
of people gathered
around a shared
aim
Circles are semi-
autonomous
Circles can be
purely operational
or self-governing
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The Birth of a Circle
An existing circle identifies a function that is
beyond the scope of a role
A new circle is formed
The founding circle provides initial policies and
creates roles for the new circle
If and when effective, the new circle becomes self-
governing
Regardless, members of new circles can raise issues
and object to policies affecting them
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Circle Structure
Circles already exist in every organization
Look at people gathered around aims
Preserve functional hierarchy if useful
More abstract/long-term vs. more concrete/short-term
Establish functional leadership
Assign governance to the whole circle to establish
equivalence
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Double Linking
Resolving the tensions of middle-management -
complementing hierarchy with bottom-archy
Interdependent circles elect representatives to
participate as full members in both circles
governance meetings
Representatives
stand for the interests of the circle that elected them
raise items for agenda
object to policy proposals
can be elected to other roles
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Examples of Circle Structures
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Circle Functions
Facilitation
Logbook keeping
Meeting management
Representation (double linking)
Operations coordination
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Proposal Forming Process
Co-creating strategies that resolve tension
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Proposal Forming
1. Identify the issue
2. Consider
Collect considerations as questions that reveal the scope
3. Create
Gather ingredients / ideas for solutions
4. Refine: prepare a sample dish
design a proposal
5. Review (process with consent decision making)
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Proposal Forming
taps the collective intelligence of the group
involves people in forming policies that guide
their creative flow
fosters accountability and a sense of ownership
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Roles and Elections
Circles elect people for functions
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Roles
Role descriptions can be created using proposal
forming
Minimal role descriptions contain
term
responsibilities
desired experience, skills and qualities
regular performance review dates
People avoid expressing interest before elections
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Election by Consent
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Elections
Nominations are made on the strength of the
reason
not according to the majority
You can nominate yourself or pass
When harvesting objections, ask the candidate
last
Objections may be resolved by amending the role
description
e.g. the length of the term
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Performance Review
A feel-good process that allows people to harvest
appreciations and opportunities to improve
The individual holding the role initiates the
process and begins each step
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Performance Review Process
1. Invite people with various perspectives to
contribute to the performance review
someone you collaborate with, someone you lead,
someone who leads you, and a facilitator
2. Collect appreciations
3. Identify areas for improvement
4. Co-create and consent to improvement plan
5. Full circle consents to improvement plan
6. Act on the plan!
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Evolution of Decision Making
Autocracy Democracy Consensus Sociocracy
supremacy leader majority individual reason
equivalence no limited high high
trust required high high high low
cost for
low medium high low
decision
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Evolution of Decision Making
Autocracy Democracy Consensus Sociocracy
addresses no rarely maybe yes
complexity (single-minded) (lobbying) (groupthink) (synergy)
quality of depends on depends on depends on depends on
decisions leader proposal proposal group wisdom
adaptability of depends on depends on depends on dynamic /
decisions leader culture culture built-in
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Sociocracy
can be implemented in full or partially
whole-system implementation requires organization
wide consent, including Board and Management!
partial implementation is limited by your area of
influence
harvest objections relating to a proposal to implement
sociocracy
is a transformational mechanism for both
individuals and the whole organization
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Sociocracy may be applied within
startups
small and medium businesses
families
investor-funded organizations
communities
huge networked organizations with the scope of
a nation state
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Closing Activities
(Pick the ones you fancy)
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Review Organizational Problems
Follow-up to the optional opening activity
Do you see a way forward with the problems you
collected in the beginning?
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Questions
(optional)
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Key Insights
(optional)
Facilitate a round where everyone shares their
most important insights
in a brief statement of 1-2 sentences
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Closing Round
(optional)
What do you take away with you?
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Appreciations and Improvements
(optional)
Facilitate a round where everyone shares
appreciations and improvements on the
presentation
in a brief statement of 1-2 sentences
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For more Sociocracy 3.0
learning materials visit
http://sociocracy30.org
James Priest Bernhard Bockelbrink
is an interdependent consultant, facilitator is an agile coach supporting organizations
and trainer specializing in holistic on their way towards a culture of leadership
organizational development, distributed and close collaboration that allows them to
leadership implementation and complex sustainably grow great products and services
systems optimization. with happy people.
http://jamespriest.org http://enhanced-reality.net
[email protected] [email protected]
This work by James Priest and Bernhard Bockelbrink is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0
International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.
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