Sociocracy
Sociocracy is a system for organizing and managing groups as well as a decision making process within those same groups.
I started developing a mind map on sociocracy briefly after I took a course with Rakesh 'Rootsman Rak' Between April 7th and 12th 2017. I finished the mind map on July 11th 2017. I reviewed it on January 06th 2018.
The title I assigned to this map is very meaningful, since it says that in sociocracy we have to trust the process and the people involved in it.
I started developing a mind map on sociocracy briefly after I took a course with Rakesh 'Rootsman Rak' Between April 7th and 12th 2017. I finished the mind map on July 11th 2017. I reviewed it on January 06th 2018.
The title I assigned to this map is very meaningful, since it says that in sociocracy we have to trust the process and the people involved in it.
Reading the map - Structure
Red is the color that attracts the human eye the most (same as with birds), its bubble is the thickest and 'Pioneer Group' is the only word in white. We start reading the map from there. |
In the case of Pioneer Group/General Circle, there is a lighter red bubble which explains what the Pioneer Group/General Circle is.
There is also another bubble whose shade of red is between the initial bubble and its explanation, however I will analyze it later.
The fundamental steps of the process are in a lighter shade of orange: Proposal forming, Consent round, Test for Consent and Write into the Log book.
The intermediate steps of the process are in a lighter shade of orange, while the explanations of the varius bubbles are in yellow.
There is also another bubble whose shade of red is between the initial bubble and its explanation, however I will analyze it later.
- From the Initial Bubble come out the Vision, the Roles, the Groups and the Consent decision making and I will analyze these different aspects of sociocracy in this order.
- Vision is the aspect of sociocracy from which less bubbles come out. Apparently the simplest of them all. There are just two bubbles of a lighter green shades explaining what the Vision is and how to create it. Anyways the Vision is the most important aspect of the sociocratic system. It is the final objective, the horizon that moves a step ahead for every step ahead the group takes and which, like utopia, allows us to walk. All the rest of the sociocratic system is conceived to allow the group to get to the group Vision. After the creation of a Vision there is a Consent round which will be explained later.
- Roles and Groups are the who does things in a sociocratic system.
- Roles. In order for groups to work properly, there need to be certain functions, covered by people. In sociocracy there are 3 types of function, covered by 3, or more, people. The functions are Facilitation, covered by Facilitators, Organizing meetings, covered by Secretaries and Recording, covered by Logbook keepers. This last function is connected with the final part of the Consent decision making process. In order to elect the different Roles there are different Consent rounds which will be explained later.
- Groups. In sociocracy there might be three types of group that have three different shades of blue in this map. Bubbles in a lighter shade of blue are used to explain the different Groups. In case Subgroups are created, in order to work constantly on specific tasks, we will have a sociocratic double link with the General Circle with Operations Leaders (One person of the General Circle into each one of the Subgroups that makes sure the needs of the General Circle are met in the Subgroup) and Representatives (One person from each of the Subgroups into the General Circle that makes sure the needs of the Subgroup are met in the General Circle). What Working groups do is presenting proposals which will have to undergo a Consent decision making process in Policy meetings held by the Pioneer Group. This will happen in case the Pioneer Group wasn't disbanded. If who presents a proposal is a Subgroup the Consent decision making process will be done by the General Circle, now composed by Operations leaders and by Representatives following the sociocratic double link. When the Pioneer Group is disbanded there will be just the General Circle and the Subgroups and these will present proposals.
- Consent decision making. This is the aspect that differentiates sociocracy the most from other structures for organizing groups. We use Consent decision making in Policy meetings that the whole Pioneer Group/General Circle attends. Consent decision making is not necessary in Operational meetings, done by Subgroups and Working groups, although it is an option for decision making during these meetings as well.
The fundamental steps of the process are in a lighter shade of orange: Proposal forming, Consent round, Test for Consent and Write into the Log book.
The intermediate steps of the process are in a lighter shade of orange, while the explanations of the varius bubbles are in yellow.
- Test for Consent. When testing the consent to the proposal we always have to bear in mind our Vision: if there is no rational, logical, valid reason as to why the proposal doesn't allow the group to get to its Vision, people have to consent and the proposal becomes a decision. Another thing that we always have to bear in mind is the two colored bubble (the only one): the proposal doesn't have to be perfect; it has to be Good enough for now, safe enough to try. The only answers that one can give during the test for consent are: Consent, Consent with concern and Objection. Consent and Consent with concern take the group to a DECISON. If there is a rational, logical, valid reason as to why the proposal won't allow the group to reach its Vision, there will be an Objection, that will have to be addressed and the decision doesn't pass through.
- In sociocracy we hear everybody (we use the talking stick) and we record everything that happens.
Sociocracy - Mind Map by Alessandro Ardovini is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.