Governance and Decision-Making

If the members of a community want to make decisions as a community, there must be a method by which official community decisions can be made, and a general understanding of what decisions the community makes collectively vs. individually.

What kind of decisions?
Each group must decide what decisions they would prefer to make collectively, and what decisions to make individually. Collective decisions make sense when the execution of decisions requires community buy-in or utilizes common resources.

Membership

Usage of community funds and resources

Usage of community labor

Conflict resolution

& more.

What kind of methods?
Autocracy - single unquestionable decision-maker. Example:  Cults.

Benevolent Dictatorship - a single person as the last-ditch decision-maker who takes input from the community. Example:  This is a method often used in families, or, in larger scenarios, family farms that run off of volunteer labor, and thus is often the method being used by communities that own land and would like to become egalitarian.

Oligarchy - a group of decision-makers above other members of the community. Example:  Ganas.

BIAS ALERT:  These wiki-writers are concerned only with decision-making systems that allow all members of a community an equal right to participate. So, we will not get into the above systems, but spend much more time on the following systems.

Majority democracy - a certain percentage of members can make decisions for the entire community. Example:  East Wind.

Planner-Manager System - Elected managers make decisions within areas of their responsibility, while elected planners resolve disputes or make higher-level decisions. Example:  Twin Oaks

Sociocracy - People in an area of responsibility make decisions by consensus, and then choose a representative to voice their opinions in higher-level decision making. Example:  Lost Valley Ecovillage?

Modified consensus - Consensus, but with modifications deemed practical by the group. Example:  Acorn.

Consensus - Through discussion, people come to make decisions that everyone involved can live with. Example:  Sandhill.

Community Buy-in and Accountability
How do you make sure that people in the community do what they agree, and agree to what they want to do?

How do you get everyone together to make decisions, or participate to the degree desirable under your system?

What do you do when members of the community fail to follow agreements?

Ideas for this page

 * Different decision making systems that communities use, and their strengths/weaknesses
 * Consensus
 * Modified consensus
 * Majority democracy
 * Planner-manager
 * Delegation (specifics of how it will be carried out)
 * Facilitating effective meetings
 * Accountability to community when agreements are broken
 * Hitting the sweet spot of having enough policy to provide stability while maintaining flexibility
 * Checks and balances in power
 * How to discuss and correct power imbalances
 * Qualities sought in community leaders



Potentially useful resources
The | "Government" section of the FEC's resource library

The | "Government" tag of the FEC's resource library

The | "Documents Explaining Major Governmental Structures" section of the FEC's resource library

The | "Decision Making" tagof the FEC's resource library

The | "Process" tag of the FEC's resource library

The | "Management" tag of the FEC's resource library

| "Four Pillars of Cooperative Governance" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "The Leadership Cycle" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Group Decsion Making Handbook"from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Committees That Rock!" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Effective Committees" from NASCO's shared resrouce library

| "Board Training for Inspiring Community Greatness" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Power and Powerlessness in Community" from Communities Magazine

| "Power and Disempowerment on the Ecobus" from Communities Magazine

| "Balancing Powers" from Communities Magazine !![Meeting Facilitation|Meetings and Facilitation] |ACDC Decision Log

|Sample ACDC Meeting Agenda

|Acorn Sunday Meeting Agenda

The | "Meetings" tag of the FEC's resource library

| "Meetings That Rock!" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Facilitation Tools" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Four Roles of a Facilitator" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Humor in Facilitation" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Facilitation Games" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Essentials of Integrative Facilitation" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Designated Meeting Roles" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Group Roles"from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Mina's Guide to Taking Minutes" from NASCO's shared resource library !![Consensus Decision Making|Consensus] The | "Consensus" tag of the FEC's resource library

| "Basics of Consensus" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Consensus 101" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Fist to Five Voting and Consensus" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "Why Use Consensus" from NASCO's shared resource library !!!Modified Consensus | "Kwunsensus Meeting Process (Modified Consensus)" from NASCO's shared resource library !![Majority Democracy|Democracy] The | "Democracy" tag of the FEC's resource library !![Planner-Manager Governance System|Planner-Manager Systems] The | "Manager-Planner" tag of the FEC's resource library !!Bylaws/Articles of Incorporation The | "Articles of Incorporation" section of the FEC's resource library

The | "Bylaws" section of the FEC's resource library

| "Bylaws of Qumbya Co-Op" from NASCO's shared resource library

| "The Book of Genesis- Creating Bylaws and Policies"from NASCO's shared resoruce library

| "Sample Co-Op Bylaws" from NASCO's shared resource library