Everybody is talking about Sociocracy 3.0. Here’s why.
What is Sociocracy 3.0?
Sociocracy 3.0 is a method for growing effective, agile and resilient organisations of any size, from small start-ups to large international networks and nationwide, multi-agency collaboration.
It provides a collection of principles and patterns to dynamically steer and evolve organizations.
The key components are:
- It draws on the collective intelligence of the group
- It facilitates the development of strategies that are “good enough for now” and “safe enough to try”
- It fosters accountability and a sense of engagement
- It is a transformational mechanism for both individuals and the whole organisation
Sociocracy as a term was first coined by August Compte in 1851. Many people have contributed towards the on-going evolution of sociocracy – Lester Frank Ward (1881), Kees Boeke (1930s/40s) and Gerard Endenburg (1970s). John Buck translated the Sociocracy practice and theory from Dutch into English in 2007.
The Principles of Sociocracy 3.0
Sociocracy 3.0 has a number of guiding principles that aim to re-distribute the power structure throughout an organisation; give every single person decision-making and leadership over their role and domain; create an extraordinary dynamic structure where people are constantly processing tensions and improving policies on a weekly basis.
If you can imagine, with Sociocracy 3.0, every person in an organisation has an ability to affect change. When they see an issue, an opportunity, a better way of doing something, there is a framework in place to process this immediately.
Here’s a brief overview of some of the Principles:
Consent – Decisions are made only in the absence of reasoned objection from those affected by them.
Effectiveness – Devote time only to that which brings you closer to achieving your objectives.
Equivalence – Everyone affected by a decision has the power to contribute towards the formulation of decisions and to withdraw consent on the basis of reasoned objection.
Transparency – All information is accessible to anyone in an organisation. Confidentiality requires consent.
Empiricism – Build knowledge on experience and constantly re-evaluated that which is believed to be known on the basis of new experience.
Continuous Improvement – Evolution is more effective than revolution (most of the time).
Accountability – The process of entering and keeping agreements, and managing expectations in any relationship. Note: with equivalence and consent in organisations, people are naturally more accountable.
If you are interested in learning more about Sociocarcy 3.0, The Kairos project is running a workshop this September in London. You can attend for one day (Introduction Sept 21st) or 3 days (Full Program Sept 21st– 23rd). You can register online at http://www.thekairosproject.com/leadership-events/
The event is being run by James Priest, the head of Sociocracy 3.0 – considered the leading force in this movement.
