Sociocracy, also known as dynamic governance or circle-based governance, is a method of decision-making and organizational governance that has gained popularity in various settings including businesses, nonprofits, and community groups. Here are some advantages of practicing sociocracy:
- Inclusivity:
Sociocracy encourages inclusivity by giving everyone in the organization a voice in decision-making, respecting the principle of equivalence. It values input from all members and seeks to incorporate diverse perspectives, leading to better decisions that are more reflective of the collective wisdom of the group.
- Efficient Decision-Making:
Sociocracy uses consent-based decision-making, which allows decisions to be made quickly and efficiently. Once a proposal has met the consent of all members of a circle, it becomes a decision and can be implemented, reducing delays and increasing agility in responding to changing circumstances.
- Empowerment:
Sociocracy promotes empowerment by distributing decision-making authority throughout the organization. It avoids top-down decision-making and encourages decision-making at the appropriate level of expertise, leading to increased engagement and ownership among members. Sociocracy use circles and domains tp share the decision-making power.
- Clear Roles and Accountabilities:
Sociocracy uses a clear structure of circles and roles with defined responsibilities and accountabilities. This promotes clarity and transparency in the organization, reducing confusion and conflicts related to roles and responsibilities.
- Adaptability:
Sociocracy encourages regular feedback and evaluation, and it provides a mechanism for continuous improvement through regular circle meetings. This allows organizations to adapt and evolve based on feedback, evaluation & performance reviews, making it a flexible and adaptable approach to governance.
- Resilience:
Sociocracy emphasizes building strong relationships and trust among members through regular circle meetings and feedback loops. This fosters a culture of collaboration and resilience, enabling the organization to navigate challenges and conflicts more effectively.
- Scalability:
Sociocracy is scalable, making it suitable for organizations of various sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. Its modular structure allows for flexibility in scaling up or down, making it adaptable to the changing needs of the organization. Sociocracy facilitates the process of building horizontal, fractal organizations.
- Focus on Consent:
Sociocracy uses consent-based decision-making, which seeks to find solutions that work for everyone and avoids decision-making based on mere majority vote or consensus. This leads to more inclusive and sustainable decisions that take into account the needs and concerns of all members. A proposal becomes a decision when there are no (more) objections.
- Enhanced Innovation:
Sociocracy promotes innovation by encouraging experimentation and learning. It provides a safe space for members to try out new ideas and learn from feedback, leading to continuous improvement and innovation within the organization.
- Improved Collaboration:
Sociocracy emphasizes collaboration and communication among members, leading to improved relationships, increased trust, and better teamwork. This fosters a positive work culture and promotes collective ownership, leading to improved organizational performance.
Overall, practicing sociocracy can lead to improved decision-making, increased empowerment, better collaboration, and a more inclusive and resilient organizational culture, which can contribute to the success and sustainability of an organization in today’s complex and dynamic world.
I recommend anybody interested to practice sociocracy to study “Many Voices One Song - Shared Power With Sociocracy” by Ted Rau and Jerry Koch-Gonzales"
To gain even more experience in sociocracy, I invite you to attend the meetings of SoFA Community of Practice for Facilitators (CoP-F)
Meeting time:
The meeting for this group is on the second Monday of each month for 90 minutes.
There are two different events on the same day:
CoP-F East: at 14:00 UTC
(for zones like Asia, Europe, Africa and eastern North America)
and
CoP-F West: at 18:30 UTC
(for zones like western North America, South America or Asia-Pacific).
We want to offer everybody the opportunity to choose a convenient meeting according to their/her/his time zone.
Community of Practice for Facilitators (CoP-F) discussion forum page:
Meeting Facilitation and Decision Making Sheet article:
In the Community of Practice for Facilitators (CoP-F) no one teaches anyone, but we all learn from each other by practicing and sharing real life experiences about the principle of equivalence in sociocracy.
We welcome your presence and contribution. It will enrich all of our sociocracy knowledge and bring us more experience in sociocracy.
Best wishes to all of you!
p.s. Here you have some resources about sociocracy that could be used by those interested:
or Start Here
SoFA site www.sociocracyforall.org offers many learning and practice opportunities.
Quote (from MVOS):
Governance is tricky to teach. The biggest challenge is that one has to know everything at the same time. Practitioners have to know the meeting format, all processes, understand consent, know what a helping circle is, how to do a round, be aware of feedback, have emotional literacy and needs consciousness and more at once – oh, and be aware of operational roles! Sociocratic governance works best if practitioners master it all. How can we achieve that?
One step forward are the trainings:
Meeting Facilitation in Sociocracy
Nonviolent Communication Workshops & Training
Sociocracy Leadership Training (SoLT)
Sociocracy Academy