Dynamic Governance (Sociocracy) in Project Management

About Leadership in an Agile environment

Douwe Brolsma

Sociocracy

• Demo-cracy – Demos: the people

• Socio-cracy – Socius: fellow man

• All votes count !!!

Dynamic Governance - Sociocracy

De 4 basic rules of the Sociocratic Circle-organization Method (SCM)

1. consent governs decision making

2. The organisation is made up of circles

3. Circles are connected through double links

4. Role assignment is performed through sociocratic elections

1. Consent governs decision making

• Governs – meaning it does not exclude other forms of decision making

• Objections – only if the circle’s purpose is negatively influenced

Governs

Consent

DemocraticAuthoritarianMagicChaotic

www.sociocratie.nl

Consent – not concensus

NOT the best solution

but

the most acceptable one

2. The circle

• Every circle has it’s own purpose.

• Decisions concerning policy take place in those circles.

• Three tasks are delegated to participants in the circle: Leading, Executing and Measuring

• Every circle maintains it’s own education.

Leading

ExecutingMeasuring

Purpose

Top circle

Departmentcircle

Departmentcircle

Departmentcircle

Departmentcircle

Management Circle

www.sociocratie.nl

Plus a process to realize the purpose

Autonomy in action

www.sociocratie.nl

Conditions

• One MUST make mistakes

• Tolerance is needed

www.sociocratie.nl

Tolerance

The Internal Circle

The voice of my intuition

The public person

The private person

Copyright: Global Sociocratic Centre, Introductie Module 1, School for Leaders, G. Gharest, Canada, 2009

The conductor of the orchestra

Author of the symphony of my

life

The Musicians

• Preconditioning• Feeling• The researcher, adventurer• The passionate

• I want …. I chose• The integrator• The internal leader• The grownup responsible for his or

her needs

• My helpers• My inspirators• My aspirations• The voice of my conscience

• Productive• I shall, I have to• Convincing, Theoretical• Desired self image

The Leader

3. The double link

• Two circles can be linked through a double link – at least two people take part as equals in a higher level circle.

• These could be the Leader of the circle and one or more chosen Representatives.

Double link in organisations

Top circle

Departmentcircle

Departmentcircle

Departmentcircle

Departmentcircle

Management Circle

o Leadero Representative

Linear organization structure

Dept. 1

ExecutiveBoard

Managementboard

Dept. 2

TechnoStructura

LeaderLeader

Dept. 3

Leader

Dept. ..

Leader

Dept. 1

ExecutiveBoard

Managementboard

Dept. 2

TechnoStructura

LeaderLeader

Dept. 3

Leader

Dept. ..

Leader

Both happen

Top circle

Departmentcircle

Departmentcircle

Departmentcircle

Departmentcircle

Management circle

Tuning between policy development and execution

Dept. 1

ExecutiveBoard

Managementboard

Dept. 2

T.S.

LeaderLeader

Dept. 3

Leader

Dept. ..

Leader

Top circle

Managementcircle

Departmentcircle

Departmentcircle

Departmentcircle

Departmentcircle

Policy

Measurementdata

4. Electing representatives

Assigning roles to people:

It’s an ‘open procedure’

Changing your mind is very probable

With consent

No winners or losers

Interesting links (NL and UK)

• http://www.sociocratie.nl

• Endenburg Blog

• Sociocratische school Drenthe

• Publicaties

• Many YouTube films

(search using ‘Dynamic Governance’) • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjcq_mwujoI

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyWRrK_JEoM

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp8yz7K_E6s

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l_8hwaGt-w

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs1cB41H0ks