Circle Domain(s) and Accountabilities

adrian.zarif · September 14, 2023, 5:55pm

I am following this conversation with interest because each question gives us the opportunity to seek a good enough answer and move forward on the way.

I’m glad Ted stepped in to provide more information, and indeed the best answer could be given when the person answering can identify what the person asking already knows.

This is probably why everyone’s learning journey is like a spiral where we always go through the same situations, but we can see things on a different level and find answers/solutions that are good enough for the level we are at that moment.

Coming back to your concern, I would like to share with you something from my own learning experience, not pretending to answer your question, but hopefully provide some guidance or at least inspiration.

When dealing with a complex situation, sometimes it’s a good idea to break it down into several pieces:

I understand that you are already 15 people who have a common goal. To structure your work, you need a VMA (Vision, Mission and Objectives) formulation. This is a very important reference because in the future, when seeking consent, any objection should be reasoned according to this VMA statement.

So, you already do something together and you want to organize yourselves in a sociocratic way? Excellent! Do you already know why sociocracy would be a good fit for your team / organization? I guess this is important, because the WHY has the power to keep you on this journey when you don’t have enough answers or when some difficulties may appear.

Sociocracy works well when the team is not too large. To transform this immeasurable “too large” into something measurable, let’s say that in order to be efficient, a team (circle) is ideally formed by 5-8 people. This is just a reference, because, depending on the specific circumstances, the circle can have 3 members, 10 members and sometimes even more. Why is the number of members in a circle important? One answer is that sociocracy fosters the equivalence of voices (each voice matters). When there are many people in a circle, it becomes difficult to manage all these voices in the available meeting time. Speaking last will become unappealing, as ideas start to repeat and so on.

People often start by forming a circle and be willing to work together and decide together. Yes, sociocracy is not only about deciding together. The work should be done by those who make the decisions. This makes a beneficial difference in the cohesion of the grup on a long term. To work sociocratic we need to repeatedly do the same basic things: prepare the agenda, check-in, ADMIN, consent the agenda, Report, Explore, Decide check-out, update the backlog, consent the minutes etc.

When the work inside the circle becomes overwhelming, the natural course to take is to form one or more “child circles” meaning more focused / specific circles/domains. When forming a new circle, there is a transfer of decision-making power and responsibilities to a well defined sub-domain. The initial circle will then become a “parent circle”. The activity of any new domain is semi autonomous aligned with the activity of the parent circle. A sociocratic structure is formed by nesting circles which are not completely independent but semi-autonomous.

Double linking (leader/coordinator and delegate) is very important in forming a sociocratic structure. The leader is the voice of the “parent circle” in the “child circle” and the delegate is the voice representing the “child circle” in the “parent circle”. The two links have full membership and decision-making rights in both, the “parent circle” and the “child circle”, fostering a balance of power between the two circles. Sociocracy uses “power with” instead of “power over”.

The structure of a sociocracy organization is dynamic, enabling the adaptation to different circumstances and environments. Over time, the sociocratic structure can be reshaped, taking in consideration aims as well as resources and priorities. New circles can be formed while other circles could go through a dismantling process.

Training and practice help organizations to refine their VMAs and their structure in this working and governance journey.

These are a few reflections I felt like sharing. For more specific approaches I guess SoFA trainers and consultants could give you more support.

You might find pleasing to read some of my posts: