Description
“People are happier and more satisfied and getting more done.”
— Laurie Nelson, Cherry Hill Cohousing, Amherst, MA
As noted in our class Sociocracy, Part One, Sociocracy is an especially successful self-governance and decision-making method that instructor Diana Leafe Christian, community consultant and author of Creating a Life Together, now highly recommends instead of consensus. Because its mutually beneficial, mutually reinforcing parts provide checks and balances against “power over” behaviors, Sociocracy can reduce conflict in communities and offer four powerful benefits:
* Better Meetings * Getting More Done * Being Better Organized
* Creating more harmony and connection in the group
“Our meetings are faster and lighter and have a rhythm that feels satisfying.”
— Anamaria Aristizabal, Aldeafeliz Ecovillage, Colombia
Part Two of this lively, enjoyable class covers (1) Selecting People for Roles, a fair, clear, participatory way to choose people for community roles and roles in committees and teams, (2) Role-Improvement Feedback, a harmonious, good-will way to help people in roles fulfill their responsibilities and tasks even more effectively, (3) Consenting to Circle members, a process for committee and team members to consider and decide on new members who’d like to join their committee or team. (And as a last report, after one or more sessions of Role-Improvement Feedback, a process to ask people who may be disrupting the work of a committee or team to leave that committee or team.), and (4) Sociocracy’s Circle Structure, how committees and teams, called “circles” in Sociocracy, are organized and linked together for shared information and transparency.
“Information flows better, and we have better follow-up to our decisions.”
— Anamaria Aristizabal, Aldeafeliz Ecovillage, Colombia
This class is for people who no longer want to endure long, painfully ineffective, or even conflict-ridden meetings, and yearn for effective, enjoyable, good-will meetings instead. Requirements to participate: Participation in Sociocracy, Part One or the equivalent.
“I loved this course. Who knew community governance could be so fun!”
— Jeff Conklin, Riversong Cohousing, Eugene, OR, Dec. 2021 course
Diana has taught Sociocracy to ecovillages, cohousing communities, and other kinds of intentional communities and member-led groups in person and online, in the US, Canada, France, Sweden, England, Russia, Mexico, Columbia, and Brazil, since 2012.
“I would never have joined our community if we didn’t use Sociocracy. It’s our saving grace.”
—Kreel Hutchison, Baja BioSana Ecovillage, La Paz, Mexico
