Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Question re failure rate of forming groups

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On May 4, 2010, at 12:02 PM, Craig Ragland wrote:

> That being said, I don't believe these numbers could possibly be based
> on strong data and I don't believe anyone actually knows about any
> changes in the failure rate. Craig

There is also the question of what a "forming group" is. Is it forming  
when:

1. A group of fiends begin exploring the idea,
2. The put out public notices,
3. Have  been talking for one year or more,
4. Are continuing to attract new members,
5. Are ready to buy land if they can find it, etc.

Like urban, suburban, and rural have to be defined to have any  
meaning, "forming" is open to interpretation.

Active consultants, however, are likely to have a better sense. If  
they are hired by a group to work on issues, one can assume that that  
group would be serious and at a tangible level of "forming." Then on  
follow up, they would know if the group made it to move in.

People like Diane Christian and Laird Schaub have been in a  
communications center like the Fellowship for Intentional Community  
and do consulting. They would have at least an intuitive sense of how  
many of their contacts had later turned up in communities.

A more meaningful assessment might be at a higher level of  
organization - beyond talking.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines
"Logic will get you from A to B.  Imagination will take you  
everywhere."  Albert Einstein