Sociocracy
We the People, by John Buck and Sharon Villines,
is the first comprehensive presentation of the history and theoretical foundations of sociocracy.
It discusses the history of sociocracy since the mid-nineteenth century, the principles and methods, how and why they produce better organizations, and “how to” chapters.
In addition to sample bylaws and practical guides for circle meetings, it includes pivotal articles by :
Lester Frank Ward, “Sociocracy.”
Kees Boeke, “Democracy as It Might Be.”
Gerard Endenburg, “Rational for a New Social Structure.”
Helping Each Other Stay Accountable to the Group
One of the most common sources of conflict in community occurs when people don’t do what they say they’ll do. This often causes repercussions “downstream,” since some people count on others to finish certain preliminary steps before they can take the next steps. By putting a few simple pro-cesses in place, people can help each other stay accountable to one another in relatively painless, guilt-free ways.
Life of a Proposal
Excerpted from Bea Briggs’ booklet, Introduction to Consensus
Three Decision Options
One of the tenets of consensus is to come to a meeting open-minded, not with your mind al-ready made up. Meeting participants must first go through the entire consensus process, including listening to other people in the discussion, before choosing to block.
Sample Agenda
Compiled from samples by Tree Bressen; Beatrice Briggs’s booklet, Introduction to Consensus and agenda methods at Earthaven Ecovillage.
Summary of the Consensus Process
“Consensus is like a natural forest. Some things die, but nothing goes to waste.” — Bea Briggs
Agenda Item Order & Pacing
Adopted from Tree Bressen’s handout, “Sample Agendas.” Tree Bressen, facilitator and teacher, has been assisting intentional communities, nonprofits, and other organizations with group process since 1994. Pages from her website are available for copying and distribution free of charge as long as these credit lines and contact information are included. Tree lives in Eugene, Oregon.
Sample Communication Agreements for Meetings
These sample agreements discourage disrespectful behavior in meetings. They describe specific observable behaviors, rather than vague states of being such as “Be responsible” or “Act more mature.” The latter are not helpful requests.
A Graduated Series of Consequences
It’s especially painful for communities when someone consistently violates agreements or be-havioral norms, or refuses to make changes repeatedly requested by others regarding behavior or communication style. One remedy is to agree on and implement a graduated series of fair, compassionate consequences, from mild to increasingly serious, that treat the person with re-spect while inducing them to make necessary changes.
About Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
Also called Compassionate Communication - is a way of speaking, thinking, and perceiving that uses honesty and transparency to reduce conflict and defensive reactions in interpersonal and group conversations, and tends to increase feelings of trust and connection.