Build Community and Get Things Done

Creating a decision making structure/practice in a new intentional community

I worked up the following notes for a for a presentation to a group forming a community and beginning to struggle with their decision-making process. -- LynnwoodBrown - 22 Oct 2005

The Road Ahead (there ain't no shortcut)

• Groups almost inevitably go through these stages. It helps (a little) to recognize it.
• The Four Stages of Community Formation - based on Scott Peck's model
  1. Pseudo Community - aka Forming, the honeymoon.
  2. Conversion - aka Norming, "If you'd just see how reasonable my position is..."
  3. Chaos - aka Storming, hell, "we've failed"
  4. True community - Performing, "He may be a basturd, but he's our basturd."
• Your decision-making process is where rubber meets the road - where this will play out. That's why it's so important.
  • "We're all mature adults who have done a lot of self-work therefore we'll be able to just talk things through."
  • Flaw is that you've forming a new entity, the group, that has it's own life
  • Lack of established/known/trusted group structure & process is possibly the major cause of anxiety and conflict. More than the content of the conflict(s).

Decision-making in community is different

• Decision-making in a community setting is different than most other context (work, business, etc)
  • The social dimension versus task dimension takes on a bigger role.
• This discussion does not presume what decision making process your group will follow. Applies equally to consensus and robert's rules.
• It does assume some level of respect for minority positions - i.e. recognizing that winning-at-all-cost will not likely create a place where you want to live. Fill in with your favorite condominium-association-from-hell story.
• Consensus versus consensus - could be the formal Consensus Decision-Making Process (big C) or simply a commitment to come up with solutions that mostly work for everyone (small c).
• Aside - Consensus DM really can work very effectively with small groups.
• It's NOT:
  • unanymous agreement.
  • Making everyone feel OK all the time (being run by emotions)
• In communities, it has two equally important aspects:
  1. The formal decision-making process
  2. The informal problem-solving processes throughout the community.
• The effectiveness of the decision-making process

Recommendations for accerating development of your structure/practice of decision-making

1. Formalise your decision-making process
   • Explicitly lay out how proposals are developed, communicated and ultimately decided.
     • Clarify what is a proposal.
     • What committees/groups should it go through first.
     • Think about the informal ways ideas/proposals are mulled, tossed around, refined.
     • Think about ways that anticipated minority/counter positions can be included early on.
   • Select a decision-making model (i.e. how decisions are made in the meeting) and follow it as consistently as possible.
     • This is easier in RR because it is so familiar. I.e. Make a motion, second it, discuss, etc.
     • Because Consensus DM is less familiar, takes a little more effort to practice it consistently until it becomes habit.
2. Create distinct settings/times for task-oriented (head) meetings and social-oriented (heart) meetings
   • E.g. Separate business and community meetings
   • Alot of trouble/stress/conflict comes out of mis-match or intrusion of these two conversations.
     • Running rough-shod over peoples feelings in the name of "efficiency"
     • Reasonable (vs rational) discussion being hijacked by emotional outburst.
   • Helps create space for both modes exist by itself and not be measured by standards of the other.
3. Create an informal conflict-response plan
   • Identify levels of conflict and possible responses.
   • Keep responses appropriate to level.
   • Be cognizant when you need to go to next level. Jumping to higher level too quickly can exasperate situation.