Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Consensus Models for larger groups

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On 4/15/2003 8:25 PM, "Rob Sandelin" <floriferous [at] msn.com> wrote:

> In my observation, the number one most common problem groups have with
> consensus is that the use the large group time for  decisions that are not
> appropriate for the large group. This almost always  ends in frustration.

Sociocracy uses a 9 Step Plan (Or 9 Block Chart) to plan and track projects.
The first and last steps are particularly important for large groups to do
--Leadership and Evaluation.

Leadership includes (1) defining the task by stating requirements,
restrictions, criteria, scheduling, standards, etc. (2) Responding to
requests from teams for clarification, approving requested changes in the
mandate, and (3) Reviewing the state of things to determine what needs to be
done.

Evaluation does _not_ mean "judging." It means reflecting on what was done
to see if it was sufficient for the group's needs, how leadership might have
lead better, and what needs to be done next -- completing the cycle from
planning, doing, evaluating back to planning again.

>From its base in cybernetics, things in sociocracy go in circles or cycles.

Sharon
-- 
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org

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