I was wondering if an agenda item can both be Decision and Exploration at the same time? Can you give me some examples.
-Ronald Bracy
Hello Ronald,
As I understand, in the decision-making process, before making a decision we need a certain proposal.
Usually, we should understand the needs and the context (circumstances) and even explore some dimensions and gather some ideas that will then be synthesize into a proposal.
The first proposal could then go through a consent process. If there are no objections, the proposal become a decision. If there are one ore more objections, these should be understood and addressed by integrating them into a new proposal.
This means we have to reshape (reformulate) the initial proposal taking into account the objections and finally have a proposal that could work for all the members of the group. Another consent round will come.
When there are no (more) objections, the proposal automatically become a decision.
So, as presented before, there are more stages we usually go through to make a decision, reporting and exploring being part of the process.
Even when the decision seems to be a simple one, report and explore exist and maybe someone already did them automatically, without naming them as they are. In case there is an objection it become obvious that we need reports and explorations to make a decision.
I guess other people could share with you their own understanding and knowledge and so you will be able to form your own view on this topic.
For more understanding, I recommend you to read the sociocracy manual “Many Voices One Song”. There you will find most of the answers you are looking for.
Participating on different events, courses, trainings and communities of practice are also extremely useful for understanding and form new and useful skills.
Best wishes
Adrian
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To add to Adrian, since they nest, an item can be a decision that requires an exploration first. So the short answer is yes.
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