Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: consequences in community

[sga1 (sga1]

Funny tht you should ask Ilyse--just last night my girlfriend and I ( we
are the meals accounting committee) removed one of our residents from
"cook" status because she has not followed through on her committment to
clean up after other cooks in exchange for not cooking herself. The
consequence is an additional $.50 paid per meal--a minor consequence, in
other words. Except that it speaks volumes about her personal integrity
and her role in the community, and she's pissed as hell that we enforced a
consequence.

We'll see how this little drama plays out, but I think it is illustrative
of the power of social consequences. She's not angry about paying $4.50
instead of $4.00, a increase of perhaps $3.00 a month in food expenses.
She's angry that her status in the community has been changed in response
to her broken commitment, and that will be what brings her back to her
commitment, not the $.50 a meal.

My recommendation is to explore social, rather than fiscal, consequences
with your committee. Fiscal consequences can lead to petty lawsuits, leins
on people's houses if they refuse to pay, etc. Social consequences, where
small community privilages are revoked in response to large breaches of
community trust, are powerful tools once other, less confrontational
means, have been exhausted.

Yours in community,
Sean




> Hi,
> I'm researching consequences in various cohos. What happens in your
> community when a member doesn't do her work requirement, or breaks a
> community rule, or repeatedly doesn't pick up dog poop, or fails to pay an
> assessment. I'm on a committee writing Rules & Regs for Ulster county Coho
> and we need some ideas. After conflict resolution is ignored or fails,
> what to you do then?
> Thank you,
> Ilyse Simon
> Governance, Ulster County Coho
>
>
> Ilyse Simon RD
> Nutrition Therapist
> 845 338 3876
>
> "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
> safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
> sideways, chocolate in one hand, feather boa in the other, body thoroughly
> used up, totally worn out and screaming ~ WOO HOO what a ride!"
> _________________________________________________________________
> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
>
>




Project Administrator
31 South G Street
Arcata, CA 95521
707.826.1450
sga1 [at] humboldt.edu