Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Common meals - mandatory participation?

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Aug 24, 2014, at 10:55 PM, Elizabeth Magill <pastorlizm [at] gmail.com> 
wrote:

> I expect that if we drop the centralized planning we will lose at least one 
> meal a week, maybe two.
> 
> It is a strategy I think a community could use to jump start their program, 
> and then talk about how to reduce the centralization after a year or more of 
> successful meals. Since we have quite slowly added new households it is quite 
> clear that our successful meals program is what has helped get more people 
> involved in it.

One of the basic strategies used by sociocracy is to think about organization 
with two parts:

1. POLICY & PLANNING is done on the basis of equality and collaboration. 
Everyone sits in a circle (figuratively speaking) with equal authority and 
consideration to decide what they want/need, what it will require, how they 
will pay for it, and who will do what. They decide who will lead.

2. OPERATIONS is the implementation of the policies and plans. Execution needs 
a person who can say "the buck stops here," a leader who is accountable and has 
the authority to make decisions.

The leader executes the policies and plans approved by consent by each member 
of the circle. Everyone knows that person is in charge and is in charge because 
everyone decided they were the best available person for the job. Grousing 
about them will get you no where and action will be hit and miss. Effectiveness 
and productivity will decline if not come to a halt.

Action without a leader is like herding cats. It works with two and maybe three 
cats. Otherwise forget it -- unless you have a lot of smelly cat food available 
for rewards. Cohousing doesn't run on cat food.

If a decision comes up that hasn't been answered by the circle, the leader 
makes that decision on the spot and "argues about it later." A special meeting 
can be called to address the decision or it can wait until the next scheduled 
meeting. But life can go on because the leader has the authority to make that 
decision.

If you think you don't need policies and leaders, read The Tyranny of 
Structurelessness by Jo Freeman:

http://www.sociocracy.info/the-tyranny-of-structurelessness/

(I realize I've posted this before but it truly is a wonderful analysis of what 
"really" happens in leaderless groups -- it becomes personality driven.)