Decision-Making Process [was Group Think - Three Meetings] | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Sharon Villines (sharonsharonvillines.com) | |
Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2011 06:20:32 -0700 (PDT) |
On 5 Jul 2011, at 1:32 AM, Norman Gauss wrote: > The three meeting process suggested by Laird Schaub has been deemed as > potentially exhausting in our community, especially for relatively minor > proposals. Our decision-making policy is posted on our website - link below. We have levels of decisions only major decisions have to come to a meeting. Most decisions are made by posting them on email to see if there are any objections. If there are no objections or the objections can be resolved in discussion with the objector, the decision is made. We usually post the decision for 4-7 days. We don't have a predetermined time but it has to be a reasonable time for everyone to read the posting. Over a holiday, for example, would be longer. This is the sense of the team posting the decision and someone else will raise the point if a time period is too short or too long. We tend not to be rigid about that stuff. The problem with time periods or "discuss three times" is that they are based on arbitrary numbers with no reference to content. As cohousers can't we do better? What is a discussion? You had 5 minutes available and that counts as once? The second time three key informants were not available? That's twice, regardless of the quality of the discussion? You have a discussion with everyone present and there were no further questions but it was the first discussion so you have to wait to make the decision? If over time your decision-making group has found that it takes three meetings to make a decision, then using that time frame as a guide is a good one. It's been tested. It works. But in this case you have a basis on which to determine the number — it isn't arbitrary. Since Laird has lots of experience, it may not be arbitrary for the groups which he facilitates or in which he participates. Dynamic governance stresses content and quality of decisions. Yes, you want to move forward but not forward at all costs. You want to move forward with the best decision you can make at the moment. This means including evaluation of decisions and altering them when more information indicates a better solution. Sometimes a decision has a built in deadline, sometimes not. In best of all possible worlds, the decision becomes obvious in the course of discussion. Decision — Implementation — Evaluation. Amend Decision. Most decisions can be very quick. Sharon ---- Sharon Villines Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC http://www.takomavillage.org
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Re: Group Think - Three Meetings Norman Gauss, July 4 2011
- Decision-Making Process [was Group Think - Three Meetings] Sharon Villines, July 5 2011
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