Author: Hope Wilder
-
Circle Structure Introduction
What is a circle in sociocracy? A circle in sociocracy is a working group with defined membership that has authority to make decisions in a certain domain. In organizations with more than one circle, circles are nested in a way so that each has clarity over their domain and can do its work while still being connected with…
-
Lessons Learned on Conflict in a Sociocratic School Plus Best Practices from Restorative Justice
Conflict is hard, can lead to rifts in relationships, and also make an organization crash and burn. It can be all too easy to push disagreements under the rug, ignore intense feelings in order to keep going with running the business and accomplishing the goals of an organization.
-
Youth Power Coalition: A Movement Organization Using Sociocracy
Jump to: What is Youth Power Coalition? Youth Power Coalition (YPC) is a coalition of youth leaders and adult allies building a movement for youth-led collective impact using sociocracy. They advocate for youth decision-making power in all spaces where decisions affecting youth are made, from school boards to city halls. Youth Power Coalition: About YPC…
-
High Mowing School Sociocracy Implementation Case Study
Between 2012 and 2015, High Mowing School (a Waldorf boarding high school in New Hampshire) used sociocracy as a governing structure with faculty and students. The outcomes of sociocratic implementation included an increased sense of community, of faculty and students being seen, and being heard, as well as greater effectiveness in the operation of the…
-
Let’s Decide Together
The definitive guidebook for practicing sociocracy with children. Children can decide with sociocracy too!
-
List of Nonprofits Using Sociocracy
Why should nonprofits use sociocracy? Many nonprofits use sociocracy as a governing method. Sociocracy works well in mission-oriented organizations as there is a very clear path towards clarifying your vision, mission, and aims. This clarity helps drive the organization as a whole to carry out its mission more effectively. Additionally, staff members have an opportunity…
-
Nonprofit Organizational Structure in Sociocracy
Circle Structures of Nonprofit Organizations Many nonprofit organizations choose to use sociocracy for their organizational structure. Sociocracy uses circle structures, which means an interconnected set of “circles,” or committees. Each circle has a particular domain, or area of decision-making responsibility, as well as aims, meaning particular goals. Each circle is connected by two people. The…
-
Gerard Endenburg: founder of Sociocratic Circle Method and trailblazer of self-management
Endenburg and the origins of sociocracy Where did sociocracy begin? The term was first coined in 1851 by French philosopher Auguste Comte,[ to mean “the rule of the associates.” Kees Boeke, a Quaker school founder in the Netherlands, wrote about sociocracy, “Democracy as it might be,” in a booklet in 1945 after applying the principles…
-
Robert’s Rules and Sociocracy: A Comparison
The word democracy comes from the Greek “demos”, and is the shared rule of the people. The original meaning of democracy is a very large umbrella, of which majority rules is only one subset. Sociocracy, on the other hand, derives from “socios,” and means “the rule of the associates.” Sociocracy is one form of democracy…
-
Conflict as a tension to steer by
Conflict as a tension to steer by The unwritten rules in many groups are clear: Be nice, avoid conflict at all costs and, if a conflict arises, see it as a “personal problem” of one perhaps problematic individual. In sociocracy, we have the opportunity to see things differently. A conflict or individual’s strong feelings can…
