By Ted Rau of sociocracyforall and originally an email
There are two and a half major changes that sociocracy brings to organizations.
- more clarity on who decides what
- more clarity on how we decide
- more clarity on how to decide who decides what (and who decides who decides what)
Of course, all those parts are interconnected. For example, if a group is not clear about what it can decide, it will likely bounce around and have a hard time coming to any decision.
Futhermore, if decision-making domains aren’t aligned well with the doings of the organization, then it will be hard to make decisions about those doings – because we never have the right people in the room, or too many people in the room!
If the structure isn’t clear, you can out-facilitate it. Even the best facilitators cannot course-correct an unaligned or unclear circle structure.
Do you have clarity on who decides what?
Here are a few checklist questions:
Is every agenda item in every meeting relevant to every member of the group? (Or do a lot of people just sit there with opinions?)
Can most of your decisions be made by one small group of people? (Or do you need to ask for permission a lot?)
Are most of your decision-making groups small enough to allow deep listening? (Or do you have meetings where only some talk?)
Do teams feel like they are working shoulder-to-shoulder? (Or does it feel fragmented and like people are on their own a lot?)
Can you flexibly change who decides what when things change? (Or are you locked into one way of dividing things up?)
If you enjoy these questions, also try out our Health Check!
Learn how to design a clean and aligned circle structure
Join us on April 25! (7-9 Seattle, 10-12 NYC, 15-17 London, 16-18 Paris)
Alternatively, you can read (or remind yourself) about the sociocratic circle structure.
What this class will cover:
- Features of sociocractic structures
- How to draw a structure – step by step
- Exercise: draw your structure + get feedback
- Common misconceptions and questions
Republished with permission.
Featured Image added by Enlivening Edge Magazine. Image by 165106 from Pixabay
