## Sociocracy ### Beyond Meeting Facilitation Often, people's first experience with Sociocratic governance occurs in efficiently run meetings, in which a group's reasoning and decisions are clearly logged—a fulfillment of the First Principle of Sociocracy (“Collaborative Proposal Formation & Consent Decision-Making”)[^1]. There are three additional principles of Sociocracy. You can read about each of the **Four Principles of Sociocracy** in more detail, below: 1. [[Sociocracy#1. Collaborative Proposal Formation & Consent Decision-Making|Collaborative Proposal Formation & Consent Decision-Making]] 2. [[Sociocracy#2. Clear Domains of Authority (Circles)|Clear Domains of Authority (Circles)]] 3. [[Sociocracy#3. Fractal Distribution of Power|Fractal Distribution of Power]] 4. [[Sociocracy#4. Purpose Plus People|Purpose Plus People]] ### Sociocratic Communities Sociocracy has yet to be deployed on a community-wide basis at the municipal level in the United States, beginning with clusters of homes coming together to make sense of what's going on in their neighborhoods, to make collaborative decisions, and to provide for their own needs; then linking those clusters to form neighborhood decision-making bodies; then linking those neighborhood decision-making bodies to form (or at least Sociocratically *inform*) a city council. Sociocracy *has,* however, been deployed community-wide overseas: #### In Kerala, India ##### 23-Minute Presentation <iframe width="720" height="405" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D5OIi942xX8" title="Heaven On Earth. Neighborhood Parliaments in India" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> ##### More In-Depth Presentation <iframe width="720" height="405" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jd6tfDFEliE" title="Dynamic Governance with Fr. Edwin John April 1, 2017" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> #### In the Netherlands See [From Competition and Collusion to Consent-Based Collaboration: A Case Study of Local Democracy](https://docs.google.com/document/d/11Q9T-eU3yH6yTk4vIUyeCViGsyukYs3P7PWwqjlpYmg/edit). ### The Four Principles of Sociocracy ##### 1. Collaborative Proposal Formation & Consent Decision-Making ###### Proposal Formation - **Be Clear on the Goal:** What are we trying to achieve? Why are we making a proposal at all? - **Operate in Rounds:** As each person is heard, does a sense of what's needed develop? - **Bracket Disagreement:** How might this help us fulfill our [[Vision|purpose]] and [[Mission|aims]], even if we don't agree on all the particulars? - **Use Facilitated Proposal Formation:** In charting a way forward, is there a proposal that takes everyone's concerns into account? - **Aim for Consent <u>or</u> Delegation to a Helping Circle:** Can you approach a proposal that everyone *can* consent to? If more details need to be fleshed out, might it make sense to refer further exploration to a subgroup, convened just to address this issue? ###### Consent Decision-Making - **Sense-make Together:** Objections raise awareness of significant needs that have not yet been considered in the context of fulfilling our aims. - **Objections ≠ Vetoes:** What needs are you concerned that would not be fulfilled if we consented to this proposal? - **Again, in Rounds:** Consent decision-making occurs in rounds by default.  - **Look for Paramount Objections:** Are there any *reasoned* and *paramount* objections related to the organization's [[vision]] and [[mission]], the team's integrity and aims, or the organization's or team's continued existence? (Is this likely to interfere with us doing what we’ve agreed to do, might it put our continued existence at risk, or would this way forward motivate somebody to drop out?) - **Check Inner Consent:** Pause and check into whether this proposal feels okay with you. Watch others’ body language, especially if you’re facilitating. Utilize the intelligence of the body. ###### Facilitated Processes - **Reduce the Need for Factions:** Competent facilitation reduces the perceived *need* to form factions, use subterfuge, or attempt to coerce. - **Ensure That Every Voice is Heard:** Competent facilitation not only ensures that everyone who wants to speak has a chance; competent facilitation nurtures safety, camaraderie, and the confidence to speak. - **Remember Roles:** Competent facilitation reminds people of the roles each person has agreed to fulfill, helps surface wisdom from everyone present, and ushers the group toward a consent decision. ###### Recorded Decisions - **Sacred Memory:** The group's log records the group's agreed-to way forward, agreed-to means of evaluating our success, and agreed-to timetable to revisit each decision. Because *living labor* creates these decisions, there's something sacred about a record of them—especially when that record is clear, contextualized, available, and accessible. - **Group Decision:** Since decisions occur with 100% consent, the log is not primarily a record of who weighed in for or against a particular decision. Ideally, those who object will seek to have a proposal reworked—perhaps to be implemented on a trial basis, to have criteria for success made clearer, or to add an important clarification—rather than treating the log as a record that will later let them say, "I told you so." ##### 2. Clear Domains of Authority (Circles) ###### Specific Aims - In Sociocracy, domains of authority are carried forward in circles, each with one or more specific aim. ###### Granularity of Vision - How broad or narrow a circle’s domain of authority is reflects the granularity of vision that circle maintains—whether big picture, coordinating, or attending to specific details. ###### Semi-autonomous Organization - Each circle is able to make decisions within its domain of responsibility. Though circles must still coordinate efforts, decisions about who, what, and when work gets done in order to deliver an aim is within each circle’s authority to decide. Knowing other circles’ domains of authority also equips each circle to anticipate who might be affected and to identify what other circles might need to consent in order for a proposal to proceed ahead. ###### By Role, Not by Person - The same person can serve on circles with radically different granularities of vision. (Any hierarchy is of domains and roles, not of persons.) ##### 3. Fractal Distribution of Power ###### An Organic Hierarchy? In Sociocracy, hierarchy is self-imposed by consent, and structures are put in place to ensure that feedback can travel efficiently back up the hierarchy. ###### Double Links Every standing circle is linked to every other standing circle by two links: - **Circle Lead:** A circle's leader is responsible for the delivery of that circle's aim. The circle lead carries forward management directives from higher circles and coordinates the acquisition of resources that his or her circle needs to attain their aim. - **Circle Representative:** A circle's representative is responsible to convey to higher circles (with less granularity of vision) the diversity of his or her circle's relevant perspectives, as well as "holding space" in circle meetings and attending to the team's wellbeing. - **Avoiding the Appearance of Conflicts of Interest:** No relations by blood or marriage can hold both the leader and representative positions of any circle. ###### Facilitator & Logkeeper In addition to the Circle Lead and Circle Representative, each circle elects a: - **Facilitator:** To facilitate meetings - **Logkeeper:** To be guardian of the group's memory ###### Clear Direction, Open Communication Double links are a navigation system, not a communication structure. Communication can happen between anyone in any circle. Double links allow anyone in the organization to help steer the organization. ##### 4. Open Elections and Role-based Feedback ###### Open Elections by Consent - **Unlimited Nomination:** Anyone can nominate anyone, including oneself. - **Illumination of Talent:** Nomination needs to specify why the person is being nominated. Rationale is given before the person being nominated is given a platform to object. This allows for expressions of gratitude for the breadth and depth of experience members of a group are bringing. It also illuminates experience and support that a newly elected person can draw upon. - **Selection of Best Available:** Open elections generally surface the best available person for a particular role, given the group’s resources and constraints. - **Generation of Buy-In:** Open elections gives groups voice in who their leadership is. Together, elections and role-based feedback generate trust and buy-in. ###### Role-based Feedback - **Clear Expectations:** Nominees can be confident that how well they're doing in a role will be based on what's expected of that role, not on whether another likes or dislikes your personality. Requests for improvement will always be related to roles. This affords opportunities for personal growth that can feel much more safe than in traditional organizations. - **Opportunities for Feedback:** Opportunities to give feedback to leadership occur in circle meetings and role-improvement feedback sessions, at regular intervals. This ensures that leaders remain accountable and furthers trust and buy-in. ###### Not Just the Mission or Bottom Line - **Robust & Dynamic:** Ensuring that people must matter as much as the purposes they are gathering around helps Sociocratic organizations to remain robust and dynamic. - **Shared Purpose:** Every group needs to know, “Why are we together?” - Our coming together for a reason answers, “*Why* are we together? - The roles that each of us fulfills when we come together answer, “Why are *we* together?” [^1]: If you've never experienced a Sociocratic meeting, here is a less-than-five-minute intro video (targeted to college students, but useful to anyone constrained for time) that will give you an idea what they're like: [Sociocracy: The Operating System of the New Economy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3zFWpntExg).