Cohousing-L Mailing List: Cohousing-L Digest, Vol 135, Issue 7 - governance methods in cohousing (second email - handout, links)

[Diana Leafe Christian (diana]

Hello again Virginia, Liz, Rick, and all,

        Here's a list of handouts, articles, and online articles about the 
variety of different governance and decision-making methods used in cohousing 
and other kinds of intentional communities. 
        
        It's complex to try to send attachments to the Coho L list serve, so 
please email me if you'd like these handouts -- diana [at] ic.org. 
        
        (1) Handout - "Differences  between Governance & Decision-Making"
                Email me and I'll send it (diana [at] ic.org)

        (2) Rick - My sense of the relationship between governance and what I 
call "effective project management" in communities. 
                * Handout - "Three Aspects of Healthy, Thriving Communities"
                   Email me.

        (3) Consensus decision-making - resources advocating it:
                * I highly recommend Tree Bressen's website -- tree group.info
                * Laird Schaub is another advocate of consensus for communities 
- his blog -- communityandconsensus.blogspot.com 

        (4) Consensus decision-making - resources on innovative modifications 
(which I think work better)
                * Handout, "The N St. Consensus Method" - just email me.

                * Article, "Radical Governance Changes in Two North American 
Ecovillages," on the representative Village Council consensus method of Dancing 
Rabbit Ecovillage and the current decision-making method of Earthaven 
Ecovillage (where I live):
        
http://www.ic.org/radical-governance-changes-in-two-north-american-ecovillages/

                * Saying Goodbye to Consensus-with-Unanimity in European 
Communities
                        The 100% consensus and 66% and 75% super-majority 
voting percentages used by L'Arche de SaintAntoine community in France; a 
method very much like the N St. Method used by Kommune Niederkaufungen in 
Germany; and the four-choice decision rule and unique elections process of 
choosing committee members at Sieben Linden Ecovillage in Germany. (This is the 
fourth article in the "Busting the Myth" series described below.)
                        Email me and I'll send it.

                * Systemic Consensus — Fast, Visual, and Hard to Argue With
http://www.ecovillagenews.org/wiki/index.php/Systemic_Consensus_—_Fast,_Visual,_and_Hard_to_Argue_With
                        A simple, easy-to-use math-based method developed by 
two systems analyst professors in Austria, and used by some Austrian groups and 
at least one Austrian community, Schönwasser Ecovillage.  

        (5) Consensus decision-making - critiques

                *Busting the Myth that Consensus-with-Unanimity is Good For 
Communities, Part I
http://www.ecovillagenewsletter.org/wiki/index.php/Busting_the_Myth_that_Consensus-with-Unanimity_is_Good_for_Communities,_Part_I

                * Busting the Myth that Consensus-with-Unanimity Is Good for 
Communities, Part II 
http://www.resilience.org/stories/2013-03-20/busting-the-myth-that-consensus-with-unanimity-is-good-for-communities-part-ii

                * Busting the Myth that Consensus-with-Unanimity Is Good for 
Communities, Part III - Consensus and the Burden of Added Process: Are There 
Easier Ways to Make Decisions?
                        Email me.

                * Busting the Myth that Consensus-with-Unanimity Is Good for 
Communities, Part IV - Saying Goodbye to Consensus-with-Unanimity in European 
Communities (described above)
                        Email me.

        (6) Sociocracy / Dynamic Governance - Resources for this whole-system 
governance system that includes decision-making
               
                * Sociocracy /Dynamic Governance trainer Jerry Koch-Gonzalez of 
Pioneer Valley Cohousing and I are doing a pre-conference workshop on this at 
the Annual Conference of Coho/US (the Cohousing Association of the US) in 
Durham, NC. Our workshop is Friday, May 29 from 8 am to 4 pm. For more 
information, 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y0dOexQdv_QOfq1wDR7GgOQEMyalCuTNY97qPVMAD5s/edit

                * Handout - Quick Sociocracy Overview
                        Email me.

                * Four articles that appeared in Communities magazine, "How 
Sociocracy Can Help Communities"
                        - Part I, Transparency, Equivalence, and Effectiveness
                        - Part II, Self-Governance with Circles and Double Links
                        - Part III, Consent Decision-Making and Community 
Vision, Mission, and Aims
                        - Part IV, Why No Tyranny of the Minority in Sociocracy
                        - Part V, Sociocracy to the Rescue at Aldeafeliz 
Ecovillage
                                Email me.

        (7) Holacracy - Another whole-system governance system that includes 
decision-making _ but . . . it's expensive to learn.
        http://holacracy.org

        I hope you find these resources  helpful.

        All good wishes,

        Diana Leafe Christin