In Propositions for Organizing with Complexity: Learnings from the Appalachian Foodshed Project (AFP), Nikki D’Adamo-Damery described nine propositions that emerged from the work of the AFP. Proposition #2 was: “Establish Consent instead of Consensus.” The following...
Tracy and I enjoyed a rare opportunity to participate in an online conference call with a person who has had a profound influence on our work in the world, the founder of sociocracy, Gerard Endenberg. The first ever “free company” Sociocracy literally means “rule by...
After experiencing collaborative governance as part of the Jewish Leadership Collaborative of WNC, Blaine Greenfield was so impressed, he asked us onto his radio show on WPVM! Listen to Michelle and Blaine talk about Circle Forward on the Blainesworld Radio Show here....
This is the first article in our series on the 8 Primary Principles of Collaborative Governance. “Trust always affects outcomes—speed and cost. When trust goes up, speed will also go up, and costs will go down. When trust goes down, speed...
An Online, Global, Open Space conversation Hosted by the Healthy Power Alliance February 22nd 3pm London time/ 10am New York / 7am Seattle / 8pm New Delhi The Global Challenges Foundation is launching the ‘Global Challenges Prize 2017: A New Shape’ in order to spark a...
This month, participants in our free monthly video call, “Deepening the Art of Facilitating Consent,” asked me to send out one of the slides I used. The topic of the call was The Difference Between Consent and Consensus, and the point I made was: perhaps...
Tom Atlee, Founder, Co-Intelligence Institute recently sent me some emails on the topic of consent and consensus. I enjoyed his perspective so much, I asked him if I could post what he wrote. He agreed, and here it is: Tom Atlee: I have only recently gotten a good...
Have you had an experience like this? You are hiking up a steep trail to a mountain ridge with a gorgeous view. As you gain elevation foot by foot, the trail gets trickier. Each step requires you to dig deeper for strength, breath and perseverance. If you’re like me,...
This is Part 2 of a series in response to the US elections, and Brexit. Read Part 1: The Path Forward is Under Our Feet In the aftermath of the U.S. elections, one thing is clear: Most Americans are remarkably in agreement with the idea that the current political and...
Why not majority rule? Why not consensus? People often think there are only two choices for how we make governance decisions: majority voting or consensus. Most people don’t realize that circles of decision-makers (“circles”) have a third option –...
