WOSonOS 2013 - Sustainable Development of Self-Organizing Governance

Sustainable Development of Self-Organizing Governance

Conveners: QingHua Song and Hulu Chen
Participants: Felena Feliz, Catie Wonders, Marie Nelson, Victor Rivera, Lazr Andersson, Stephen Strenges, Charlotte Henley, Alan Stewart, Peggy Holman, Gail West, Diane Gibeault, Adriana Diaz-Berrio, Colleen Byrne, Harold Shinsato

[Note Taker, Harold Shinsato - these notes are very rough, incomplete, and likely contain errors. Use this only to stimulate your thinking. Harold also video taped about 40 minutes of the conversation.]

Need development
A lot more people on planet
resources people need

permaculture

Welcome to discussion

QingHua Song: (spoke in Chinese, translated to English by Hulu Chen): We work in an NGO in Beijing. Sometimes problem for communities to sustain themselves
Elena: What does it mean to people naturally get together - self managed teams
Charlotte: Conversation about sustaining governance whatever the issue or topic.
Catie - What are the struggles?

QingHua Song: In China the government dominates. The people ask the government to solve issues. The government wants to help the people to solve problems themselves so they don't have to wait and now the government faces question but people are never satisfied. For our organization, the problem lies in that the government can only offer what they request. They want to help people to speak their needs. To do that - people are self organizing. They need to get used to this style. Since people don't want to take responsibility, once people get organized, it is hard to sustain. Why would they want to do it. Don't want to take responsibility. We encountered lots of self organization in the very beginning.

Keeps orgs unsustainable. We kept summarizing factors for self-org
1. Have to have a leader
2. Have to have a team
3. Have a mechanism for action plan
4. Meet regularly

Alan: in Hong Kong have to listen to people.
QingHua: Government willing to hear from people - people more satisfied when they listen not all local governments do that. Not many organizations like that.
Charlotte: In rural South Dakota, we hosted an open space. It was 3 days. Lots of passion in room aroun dhealth - well being - in broadest sense. Have community support health of citizens. Charlotte enthusiastic about Appreciative Inquiry (AI) plus OST. 2 Great consultants - wonderful initiatives. Leaders, Organizers, had strong chair - got to get it done. She admires him. Got things going - immediately leadership went to central organization. Get groups, neaders never went back to groups. You must go back to them. We will figure it out. When applied for grants - this is our cause. This is what you want to do. Forced to conform to grant. In the end did not reflect what it was all about. Healthy Hiren versus Vitality Hiren.
Grants not much different. Members of group not used to take responsibility. In Canada, initiative about health, critically what worked best. 4 groups organized traditionally, surveyed everyone. Felt like eng. Collected data. We have all info. Group of volunteers paid coordinating executing on data. Relationship - expecting to do. Group got exhausted over 2 years. Too much work
1 project did differently. Other project in B.C., what did was - why don't we have a healthy community. What can you do to add to that community? What can you do in your organization. To contribute to the vision. Here are some resources. Just promoted idea in central committee did not organize it. 1 year leater, came together. Had breakfast meeting to celebrate success of initiatives - let's keep it going. Project funded for 2 years. Most groups disintegrated, but B.C. group continued for 5 years until the Executive Director changed and the one "in charge" killed it by doing too much - dod not understand nourishing people. Her own committee did not understand.

Elena: Believe in power of 1. Can happen and make a difference. That is important. It is relationships - you will do somethin gfor me.
Peggy:What contributed to success?
Charlotte: Honored peoples ideas encouraging relationship. This is what we wanted. Sometimes individual, sometimes organization. Fitness class. Team center. Role of wise leader. She just kept feeding them and not taking image central community.
Stephen: Visual person shows cycle
Diane: The leadership prior to O.S. didn't buy into concept of letting go with sponsors and leadership. Pre work is condition. Philosophy and principles, firing the client, ethically can't work in this context. Personal relationships in tetes to action. 2 days of pre work with consultants. No clarity. What are we doing here. Not a lot of clarity. People feeling confused. Not understand uneasiness. Insist on top leadership.
Harold: World Blu - democratic governance of companies.
Peggy: Between the cracks and brings a different dynamic shift from hierarchy to network. The core dynamic from is about hub formation. Leadership looks like central but spirit of welcome is what makes hubs thrive. "Do this" does not work underfunded - looks invisible. Natural linkers are on boundaries, they bring disruptive stuff - ones really good at it do it with compassion and grace. Disruptive - listen to people who link.
Gail: we confuse ourselves with the term we use - have demo system to have sustain - most demo - vote polarizes people - between cracks allows for sustainability.
Catie: Best way to make group sustainable keep it from allowing one person to kill the project.
Gail: Not necessarily.
Charlotte: Distinction between volunteer group and organization. So in favor of consultants - 2.5 days - wanted it - supported wellness in community. Went back to his habits compounded - if you want this grant. More sustainable. Burnt granters - return to pre-work. Not supposed to be that. If you encounter situation like that again - group of people new funders - new leaders. Still on same page.
Peggy: Transition to collective leadership model. Story center Ethical Leadership funded by Kellogg foundation. Funding for many decades. When training individual leaders, go into communities - thrive and leave.
GEL - not think of individual but as collective phenomenon. Circles of leaders. Still strength. Not a single point - multiple people form a core.
Diane - Canada success project, but separate organizations. Only when time to celebrate came together. Feel alone. Increases chance - distributed leadership. Paid coordinator - good at making those link sbest example of sustainability.
Peggy: Three elements -
1) Resource to support to being in service
2) Company of friends, so can build on each other.
3) Maintain relationships when
3) Invitation to take responsibility for what you love.

Leader coordinator, pulling out what people love.
Stephen: Problem, vision, Catalyst (limited), self organizing (OST) -> Action Plan -> Follow up -> Sustain

Gail: Self organizing government. What must re context out of future of what we do not know embedded into genetics of community.