Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Sociocracy for Small Groups?

[Diana Leafe Christian (diana]

Hi Frances, 
     I believe your small forming community group could use sociocracy 
effectively and beneficially, like several other small communities and small 
forming community groups. Herding Cats Home, a 7-person shared co-living 
community in Calgary (living under one roof and sharing dinners as you've 
described in your post), has used sociocracy successfully for several years, as 
well as Emerald Village Ecovillage near San Diego, with 10 full members. 
Several communities began sociocracy when they had a relatively small group and 
were still forming, like Baja BioSana near La Paz, Mexico; Common Ground 
Ecovillage (formerly called Hart's Mill Ecovillage) near Chapel Hill, NC; and 
Rocky Corner Cohousing near Bethel, CT.
       In my experience as a sociocracy trainer for intentional communities for 
9 years, benefits to communities when using sociocracy can be (1) Better 
meetings, (2) Getting more done, (3) Being better organized, and (4) Feeling 
more connected to other group members. 
    However, these benefits occur only if the group meets what I call the "four 
necessary conditions" for sociocracy to work well in community. These are, (1) 
Everyone learns sociocracy, not just some in the group. (2) The group uses all 
the parts of sociocracy, not just some (because the parts work synergistically  
to help the group accomplish its work tasks and feel more harmonious as a 
group, as well as to reduce and even prevent the typical abuses of power that 
occur in communities sometimes), (3) Using sociocracy as your trainer taught 
you, rather than trying to combine it with consensus or voting (which doesn't 
work!), and (4) Getting periodic review trainings or consultations. 
     If you'd like a handouts about the benefits of using sociocracy in a 
small, co-living community like you're planning, or in a cohousing 
neighborhood, or in any kind of intentional community (with quotes from people 
living in communities using sociocracy); an overview of what sociocracy is and 
how it works; and the enthusiastic endorsements of people from existing and 
forming communities who have taken my 10-week Online Sociocracy Training, 
please email diana [at] ic.org, or go to DianaLeafeChristian.org. And I'll also 
send information about my next online course, scheduled for Saturday in the 
daytime, Sept 4-Nov 6. I wish you and your friends all the best in your 
community plans. ;)
     Diana Leafe Christian

> On May 25, 2021, at 10:43 AM, frances woolison <franceswoolison [at] 
> hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> We are a small, forming, coliving cooperative - 6-10 people, singles and 
> couples, who will be living as a family would under one roof in a very large 
> older home. Our private spaces will be our bedrooms, and we plan to share 
> nightly dinners. We will live our own separate lives, with no common 
> industry, but will self manage the upkeep of the home, and with a goal of 
> building caring, sharing relationships with one another. Would Sociocracy be 
> a suitable governance model for such a small community?
> 
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