A weblog with random thoughts and reflections on society and ecology.
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Monday, January 20, 2003
Systems Theories & Community Groups
Simple rules have complex consequences.
It seems that simple and shared rules are important for social groups to function well - in terms of flexibility, self-organization and emergence. Rules are important for coordination and effective action. Simplicity makes them easily understandable and allows for emergence.
The rules often emergy through group interaction - verbal and/or actions. It is important that they are flexible and emergy through an inclusive process.
During my time as coordinator for Sustain Dane in Madison, Wisconsin, I realized that the core people all shared a basic understanding of organizations and communities as dynamic systems.
Here are some of the basic rules we shared, many of which were implicit and part of the culture that emerged through our activities.
- Freely/actively share information within Sustain Dane and with the large community (no secrets)
- Inclusivity (members with wide range of backgrounds)
- Self-organize into (long or short-term) workgroups focusing on a particular project
- The role of the coordinator is to
- Gently coordinate activities and keep everything flowing (light touch)
- Assisting others - within Sustain Dane and the larger community -so they can do their work better
- Team work (shared decision making)
- Solution focus (addressing difficult issues by focusing on constructive
solutions)
- Partnership approach (with individuals, organizations, and the Earth)
- Respectful communication (in all instances)
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