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Scaffold for our Interim Decision Making Process

Proposal

We will need to make a lot of decisions together.

To create a decision-making process we can all participate it we will need to agree on how and when different types of decisions are made by whom. This will take time. It may also be useful to experiment with some different decision-making processes first.

Adopting an interim processes for making some decisions is intended to help us make initial decisions together while cultivating a shared context from which to co-create more appropriate decision-making processes for each of the many types of decisions we hope to make together.

As outlined below, initial decisions will be made in one of four ways: by reaching consensus for 'major' decisions and, by establishing consent for for 'minor' decisions, delegating operational decisions to a working group, and asking advice on decisions required to initiate a process.

These are intended to provide context for our initial process as well as a pathway to begin exploring how to co-create our longer-term decision-making agreements. For more context, see, The Hums's outline of 4 different forms of decision-making.

NOTE: this is intended as a temporary process that will be replaced by decision-making agreements once we have created them (and should be reviewed regularly, until replaced).

Initial Consensus Agreement for Major Decisions

CONSENSUS DECISION-MAKING: forming a consensus is a way of reaching agreement by discussing all opinions, ideas and concerns and collaborating to find solutions that everyone involved actively support, or are at least willing to agree to. Consensus can be important for 'major decisions' (i.e., those that have any high risk and/or permanent outcomes). There are many ways of forming consensus agreements, with different degrees of structure and formality as appropriate to the group. The key to making consensus work is for everyone to express their needs and viewpoints clearly, and for the group to use this information to find a solution which resolves differences enough to build on common ground. A consensus process typically follows some variation of the following stages: introduction; clarification; open discussion (focusing on expressing different perspectives); exploration (focusing on potential solutions); proposal; amendments; agreement-test; and implementation. It is important to remember that consensus agreements function best when everyone shares a common goal and are willing to work together towards it. Finding a solution usually relies on people being flexible about their preferences in order to meet all the core needs. This requires a lot of trust. For examples of different consensus decision making processes, see those used by Seeds of Change), by Friends of the Earth Australia, and as articulated in 'Consensus-Oriented Decision-Making' by Tim Hartnett (2011).

While there are many ways of forming consensus agreements, to start us off we are adopting a 4-stage version:

  1. INTRODUCTION, OPEN DISCUSSION, & EXPLORATION: A facilitator starts a thread on Loomio, introducing an upcoming decision-point for the collective and opens a question round discussion to clarify any points, express different perspectives, and explore potential pathways forward. If an Assembly occurs during this time, the topic will be included on the agenda for some in-person sense-making.

  2. PROPOSAL & AMENDMENTS: Following discussion, the facilitator will make a proposal and run a sense check (e.g., a gradients-of-agreement poll) to encourage discussion of any concerns. If an Assembly occurs during this time, the topic will be included on the agenda for some in-person sense-making. The facilitator can amend the proposal as needed and run another sense-check.

  3. AGREEMENT-TEST When the proposal is stable, the facilitator will start a formal 'consensus proposal' on Loomio to test for agreement. Note that those who choose to block agreement at this stage will be expected to take responsibility for updating the proposal and facilitating a new round of decision-making.

  4. IMPLEMENTATION: The facilitator summarises the outcome and initiates any steps required for implementation (e.g., updating the handbook)

CONSENT DECISION-MAKING: for minor decisions (those that have low-risk and have easily-reversible outcomes), it may be appropriate to establish *consent* for the decision. Establishing consent is similar to forming a consensus agreement however, instead of seeking the best decision for the group, consent is established by the absence of objections. The premise is that everyone impacted is able to make principled objections and, if there are no objections, everyone can live with the decision even if it isn't an ideal outcome. Therefore, rather then aiming to resolve all concerns as would be required for consensus, a consent proposal is only amended for “principled objections” (such as “I think there is a serious risk this proposal could do harm”, not “I don’t like it”). While there are many ways of establishing consent, the stages of reaching consent agreements typically includes some version of the following steps: proposal; questions: reactions; amendments; confirmation; implementation. This approach is not appropriate in all contexts, but does provide a transparent way to make low-risk time-sensitive decisions within decentralised groups. For examples of different ways consent decision-making is being conceptualised, see this account of how consent differs from consensus decision-making, and the consent principle as used in Sociocracy.

While there are many ways of forming consent agreements, we will follow a simplified process (until we have a chance to collaborate on a more nuanced one). The steps in this process are:

  1. PROPOSAL & QUESTIONS: An individual or group will identify types of decision needed to move the project forward and invite clarification questions.

  2. REACTIONS: Following clarifications, the facilitator will run a sense check poll to test for reactions.

  3. AMENDMENTS: Those with concerns are able to suggest specific constructive modifications to the proposal for further discussion.

  4. CONFIRMATION: The facilitator can then integrate amendments and then post a formal 'Consent proposal' on Loomio (adding any amendment)

  5. IMPLEMENTATION: The facilitator then closes the proposal and summarises the outcome on Loomio for documentation.

Initial Delegating Agreement for Operational Decisions

For decisions that needed to be made relatively quickly to keep the project moving forward it may be appropriate to delegate these to individuals or groups who have been empowered with limited authority to take decisions for a specific set of issues with a defined process. For example, “The Gardening Working Group decides when to plant what in our garden.” The process defined may authorise small decisions without seeking input from other people, or include a consultative step in the process - for example, “the Gardeners may choose what plants to plant when, if they first seek advice”.

While there are many ways of delegating decisions, we will the follow consent process outlined above (until we have a chance to collaborate on a more nuanced one).

Initial Process for Asking for Advice on Decisions

This process is intended for decisions to initiate 'safe to try' ideas, as long as the initiator first listen to the advice of people who will be affected, and people who have relevant expertise, and take responsibility for the outcome. This approach can be useful in contexts with high-trust expectations that others in the group will offer feedback when asked,. This approach can help to hand power around by encouraging different people to lead at different times and reduce a project's reliance on a small subset of participants.

While there are many ways of requesting advice on decisions, we will follow a simplified process from the advice protocol on Loomio. (until we have a chance to collaborate on a more nuanced one). The steps in this process are:

  1. Notice a problem or opportunity and take the initiative to start a Loomio thread to discuss the topic.

  2. Seek input to sound out perspectives on the Loomio thread.

  3. Make a proposal and seek advice - run an Advice proposal

  4. Take advice received into account, and make a decision.

  5. Inform the people who have given advice - state an outcome.

Attribution

This Interim Decision Making Process is adapted from the Common Guide, version 0.1, available at Common Guide: Interim Decision Making Process

Creative Commons License CC BY-SA

Friendly contributions are welcome at the Common Guide's public discussion space.