I am proud the have ben working on this Academy 2023 project with maybe the 1st SAT - Sociocracy Ambassadors Team: Hillary, Justin, Sandra, Yuri and Adrian
The “product” of our team is a brochure that aims to show people that:
" Sociocracy can offer alternatives and effective solutions to the problems we see in traditional hierarchical governance approaches."
Here you have some qotes from each of our team members:
“Sociocracy is a powerful model for distributing power and decision-making in organized groups. In my team and with my clients, it has allowed us to communicate more effectively, run more efficient meetings, and come to more equitable decisions.” (Justin)
“I hope you find useful and insightful information in this booklet to support you becoming a Sociocracy Ambassador and contributing to spreading a new way of relating to each other and making decisions together.” (Sandra)
“The awareness of having alternatives to ‘business as usual’ brings me hope in my own practice, and I enjoy so much when sharing new ways of doing things brings hope to other people. I find hope to be such a rare commodity in this world and it renews my energy and creativity and helps me engage with purpose. I wish it will do the same for more people.” (Yuri)
“We use sociocracy in our cohousing community and it has helped us learn, work, and grow together. It’s a model we use to empower people to create change in a status quo world.” (Hillary)
“I guess that people are truly free when they have choices. Raising awareness about the alternative offered by sociocracy involves spreading information and knowledge about the principles, benefits, and practical applications of sociocratic governance and consent decision-making.” (Adrian)
What talking points should we have about the benefits of sociocracy?
As sociocracy ambassadors, our role is to effectively communicate and promote the principles and benefits of sociocracy to other people.
Case studies - Examples:
Continuous Improvement: SoFA emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and learning within organizations. By regularly evaluating and reflecting on processes, policies, and decisions, organizations can identify areas for improvement and make adjustments accordingly. This iterative approach fosters collaboration and progress by encouraging collective intelligence and adaptability within the organization.
Inclusive and participatory environment:
Overall, SoFA promotes an inclusive and participatory environment by providing training, facilitating consent decision-making, implementing a circle structure, encouraging double-linking, and emphasizing continuous improvement. By embracing these principles and practices, organizations can harness collective intelligence, enhance collaboration, and achieve their goals effectively.
Practical immplementation:
Offer guidance on how to introduce sociocracy within an organization or community. Discuss the importance of training and education to ensure a smooth transition and provide ongoing support. In particular, sociocratic groups will need to invest a reasonable amount of time training all of its members in sociocratic facilitation. Highlight the need for clear roles and responsibilities, effective meeting structures, and feedback mechanisms.
Becoming a Sociocracy Ambassador:
Becoming ambassadors of sociocracy involves deepening our understanding of sociocratic principles and practices, promoting them within our community or organization, and actively engaging in spreading awareness and education about sociocracy. Here are some possible steps to become an ambassador of sociocracy:
Understanding of Sociocratic Principles and Practices:
Join Sociocratic Organizations: Engage with existing sociocratic organizations or communities to connect with like-minded individuals and practitioners. Participate in sociocracy workshops, training programs, and conferences to deepen your knowledge and skills.
Spreading Awarness and Education abour Sociocracy:
Train as a Sociocracy Facilitator: Consider becoming a certified sociocracy facilitator or consultant through organizations like Sociocracy for All. Facilitation is a critical skill in sociocratic groups, and training programs can provide in-depth knowledge of sociocracy and equip you with the skills to facilitate sociocratic processes effectively. This certification enhances your credibility and enables you to offer professional guidance and support to organizations interested in adopting sociocracy.
Suggested Books and Meeting Tools:
Many Voices One Song - A sociocracy manual
Who Decides Who Decides? - How to start a group so everyone can have a voice!
Let’s Decide Together - The definitive guidebook for practicing decision-making with children
Meeting Evaluation Cards - Meeting Evaluation Cards product by Sociocracy For All
Recommended training:
Consent:
- Deciding Together - Free Overview
- Facilitating group decision making - Full Class
Meetings:
- Inclusive meetings - Free Overview
- Paterns and processes for inclusive meetings - Full Class
Structure:
- Building horisontal organisations - Free Overview
- Descentralizing decision-making with circles and roles - Full Class
Performance:
- Horizontal accountability - Free Overview
- Performance, leadership and accountability in horizontal organizations - Full Class
Practice:
- Facilitation practice 5 x 2h - everything at once!
- Sociocracy Leadership Training (SoLT) 9 weeks - immersion training
- Nonviolent Communication 3 x 2h - speaking and listening with compassion
Certification:
- Sociocracy Academy - 12 months
I recommend to review this post from Dec '22:
and this post from May '23:
How to be an ambassador of sociocracy?
I also recommend this post about an imaginary “Sociocracy Ambassador” role description:
Are you willing to imagine the “role description” for a Sociocracy Ambassador?
If you want to share your personal reflections on this topic, please feel free to do so in a comment below. Thank you.
Best wishes!