Sociocracy and personal development —Pia Rohn, Sheella Mierson, John Schinnerer, Jerry Koch-Gonzalez and Toby Leugger

? This presentation will be in English.

Does success with sociocracy require personal development of those involved? What do different people experience when they realize their voice really matters? What challenges does our win-lose culture raise for people in a sociocratic organization? Join our panel conversation exploring how human personal development interacts with sociocracy! We will be soliciting questions from participants as well as sharing personal stories relevant to the topic.

I am co-founder of Sociocracy For All and co-author of Many Voices One Song: Shared Power With Sociocracy. I live in the 27-year old Pioneer Valley Cohousing Community (Amherst, MA, USA) which transitioned its governance to sociocracy 9 years ago. I am also a certified NonViolent Communication (NVC) trainer. I have been a parent to several sets of children.

John is a whole systems design consultant, teacher, and facilitator who works with a broad variety of clients developing cultural and ecological systems. Since 1996, he has studied, worked, taught and published in the realms of human relatings, governance and decision-making systems, appropriate technology, and ecological design. The innovative and collaborative methods, tools and techniques that John offers invite clients to transparency and equivalence while enhancing individual and group effectiveness and integrity.

I’ve worked several years as a consultant for kindergartens, thinking it was my life’s passion. Realizing that this was no longer the right place for me, I’m looking out to find a new one. At the moment I am very interested in “new” ways of working and living, and in using social media to share knowledge. At SoFA I’m involved in the German-speaking SozFA circle and the Social Media circle. 

Sheella Mierson, Ph.D., a founding member of The Sociocracy Consulting Group (www.sociocracyconsulting.com), helps organizations and individuals design structures, processes, and relationships for creative collaboration, so that everyone can flourish. In addition to being a Sociocracy Consultant, she is a Certified Facilitator for the Blueprint of We Collaboration Process (www.blueprintofwecalifornia.com), used to build trust, creativity, effortlessness, and resilience in relationships. She has written articles about self-managing organizations and about meeting facilitation, and has worked with a variety of clients in both business and nonprofit sectors. 

I accompany pioneering organisations on their way to meaningful and purpose-driven ways of working that support more effectiveness and equality of all people involved. I also work in a sociocratic school, a co-op board game shop and live in a big family house with four adults and two babies.