Site Admin – The Sociocracy Consulting Group

Whole Body Consent

November 27, 2012November 27, 2012Site AdminUncategorized

The world of business is divided into owners, managers, workers, suppliers, customers and externalities. The story told in business school for the past forty years has been that the job of management is to serve the interests of the owners. The workers are to be controlled or negotiated with by management. Suppliers should be valued…Continue reading

Co-operative Principles

November 13, 2011December 20, 2020Site AdminUncategorized

[Written by Nathaniel Whitestone, cross posted from the DecisionLab blog] I am passionate about economic democracy — not so much in the sense of majority rule voting, but in the sense of the people involved in something controlling it together. Some people have argued that, for this purpose, organising as a sociocratic business is better…Continue reading

The Key

October 11, 2011October 11, 2011Site AdminUncategorized

“I can take one look at an organisational chart and tell you whether they will still be in business in a few years’ time.” Philip smiled at me and raised his eyebrows. I was already deeply impressed with his insight and achievements, but with this he had me hooked.

The Stop Button

August 25, 2011August 25, 2011Site AdminUncategorized

[edit Nov 14 2011: Now it is the USA, and people are getting clear about what they want. Need a stop button!] London is burning. The world saw an Arab Spring, and in London and San Francisco — across Europe and North America — we celebrated other people’s civil discontent as a sign of positive…

Creative Solutions & Good Vibes

What a valuable tool sociocracy is. I have been working with Sheella Mierson, a gifted instructor of this process, and she is great! With only one of the techniques I learned from her we were able to cut through a thorny impasse in our Board and generate a creative solution with good vibes all around. WOW.

Rabbi Marcia Prager, P'nai Or Jewish Renewal community of Philadelphia, and Director and Dean of Ordination Programs for ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal

A Collective Effort Like no Other

When we set up the International Conscious Movement Teachers Association we wanted to create a genuinely inclusive organisation run on a less hierarchical model. It’s been quite a journey - learning new ways of being - transparency, equivalence...passing decisions off to those responsible for the area of work - and letting them get on with it! We ended up with a lot more than we had bargained for...a collective effort like no other, and intelligent decision-making that genuinely stems from collaboration and creativity. The biggest surprise for many of us is how heart-warming the process is - and how it supports the making of bonds between us.

Tim Foskett, Director, International Conscious Movement Teachers Association

Increased Staff Engagement

Our practitioners and members of the staff seemed happy enough, but they weren't really engaged in the business of running our center. All the management thinking seemed to float up to me. Now, with sociocracy, everyone is communicating about our processes. We are getting more efficient and some of the load is coming off my shoulders.

Executive Director of a Vermont healthcare center

Moving Through Problems Together

Our community faced daunting financial and personality challenges on its path to getting built. Sociocracy helped everyone get over their problems by getting together. We now have a happy, thriving community and sociocracy is the basis of our governance system.

Founding member of a Vermont cohousing community

Productive Give and Take

Sociocracy is very effective at creating a productive give-and-take between the manifold perspectives that exist in any university. The inner core of an organization can express itself more fully once the rigid categories of levels and hierarchies are abandoned in favor of a more integrated model.

Dr. Edward Clift, Dean, The School of Media Culture and Design at Woodbury University, Burbank, CA

Increased Profits the First Year

Sociocracy has made a big difference in Creative Urethanes’ ability to withstand the economic downturn. We saw increased profits within the first year of using the method. Over time we have applied it to many areas of the company. As a result we have better communication throughout the company, lower employee turnover, more energy in staff members due to increased involvement, more creative ideas that help us thrive in our industry, and continuous improvement within the organization. Best for me is I have more assistance—having everyone’s help during hard economic times has lifted some weight off my shoulders.

Richard Heitfield, President, Creative Urethanes, Winchester, Virginia