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Sociocracy - empowering organizational capacity
Sociocracy - empowering organizational capacity
Start date: Oct 15, 2015,
End date: Oct 14, 2017
PROJECT
FINISHED
Sociocracy is a governance model capable of adressing particpatory descentralized organizations and networks, ensuring equivalence of all members needs and guranteeing effectiveness of operations. It is based on the consent decision making model and includes procedures and sistems for election by consent, cirlce (department) formation, role descriptions, reviews for actions and roles, proposal forming as well as building feedback loops between circles through double linking members.
The partnership is formed by 3 national umbrella organizations for grass roots local citizens innitiative groups (CIGs) for ecological and social sustainability and one University. Ecovillages, social entreprizes, farmers and consumer cooperatives, adult training centers and organizations, cultural and arts oriented groups are some of the examples of CIGs.
Through this partnership it is aimed to make sociocracy more accesible, adaptable and create an academic research that can describe the dynamics and outcomes of implemntation.
There are 4 objectives:
1. professionalize 30 staff and trainers and increase their facilitation skills and capacity (through a Sociocracy Facilitator Training Course designed in the partnership),
2. upgrade the governance models in ART, RIE, RIVE (the umbrella organizations) and several CIGs to sociocracy thus decreasing time and resource usage for routine activity, motivating members and becoming more attractive for volunteers and improving the quality of financial administration and fundraising. (Research will reveal exact quantitative change).
3. streamline communication and collaboration between the partners, CIGs and European level umbrella organizations by developing a coherent shared organizational culture and set of protocols. 12 NGOs and networks wish to implement simultaneously (creating online communities of learning that allign best practices).
4. develop a library of open virtual resources (LOVR) that supports trainers and learners and demonstrates effectiveness in the context of diversity and socio-economic challenges, decreases conflicts and improves the democratic and intercultural value-base. (will Introduce it to 225 participants through multiplier events and 500 participants through SFTCs organized by the 30 professional staff and trainers).
355 participants will benefit directly in this project (coming from the 4 partner organizations, the CIGs forming their networks, the 12 organizations and national networks commited to simultaneously implement sociocracy and the European level and International networks of Global Ecovillage Network and Transition Towns Network)
29850 will benefit indirectly. They will mostly be members of the same networks, often collegues of the directly involved participants, but also a wide range of organizations accesing the Library of Open Virtual Resources.
For managing this project sociocracy will be used together with other methodologies. It will be a process of testing while developing the resources and best practices and 'walking the talk'. Because it is a governance model it ensure quality of outcomes and lean managemnt.
The mentioned Library will be hosted on an already set up creative commons license resource platform called sociocracy30.org. The implementation and learning value of the library will be complemented by the development of a Sociocracy Facilitation Training course (a 7 day intensive course format). A first training will be caried out for the 30 selcted staff and 7 multiplier events will eensure succesful dissemination of the platform and the creation of Virtual Communities of Learning exchanging best practices and engaging with the resource library.
A research study will be carried out thoughout the duration of the partnership and will create the first solid academic model about the implications and consequences of implementing sociocracy. It will allow tailor fitting implementation and creatinga quality ensurance for CIGs allowing them to collaborate more with private and public sector organizations.
In addition to creating a pool of facilitators and making socicracy 3.0 more accesible and adaptable for a wider range of organizations and networks, the partnership will strengthen the activity of the partners themselves and the European and International networks they are part of. Because these networks are servinga and supporting local CIGs working for implemnting sustainable solutions in their communities, this partnership will generate a levarage effect in the capacity of these networks and groups to create real life change for disadvantage groups and adress European scale social and environmental issues. These effects are the long term outcomes evolving beyond the 2 year lifecycle of the partnership.