and         

in collaboration offer

Introduction to Sociocracy

Learn the practical tools and skills of collaborative decision-making

A half-day learning workshop

Introduction

A team is the basic unit of organising and decison-making for almost all organisations. Research shows that decisions reached collaboratively by good functioning teams are far wiser and more innovative than ones taken by an individual. Yet few teams know how consciously to take decisions as a group - and even those that do, often revert to dysfunctional behaviour. This is not surprising, since we are not taught collective decision-making at school or in work. This workshop is designed to correct that. 

How do you formally take decisions as a team?

The conventional ways of making decisions are often ineffective or dysfunctional. Consider:

• Debate and vote often leads to divisions, with winners and losers.

• Delegating decisions to an autocratic leader can cause resentment and conflict.

• Seeking agreement by consensus can work, but can also be time-consuming and can lead to stagnation when one person simply blocks a decision.

Sociocracy offers an alternative way, using consent (which is not the same as consensus). It uses a process that has been tried and tested over the last 50 years, in a wide number of settings and organisations, from communities, companies, civil service, schools, churches etc. in many countries around the world.

A unique workshop

More and more people have heard of or are becoming aware of Sociocracy, or one of its derivations (S3, Holacracy, DSG, IDM, Circle Forward). Some may have read the book by John Buck, We the People, Consenting to a Deeper Democracy. Yet few people have been exposed to or experienced the practical side of collaborative decision-making, what makes it work. This workshop is not about the philosophy or the theoretical principles behind sociocracy, rather this is a highly practical workshop where you will learn and practice the actual ‘mechanics’ of collaborative decision-making. If you want to learn ABOUT sociocracy, then this workshop may not be for you, but if you want to learn how to actually put sociocracy and collaborative decision-making into practice, then this workshop is just for you.  

You will learn:

• Key tools and practices of collaborative decision-making

• How to ensure everyone’s voice is properly heard

• How to enrich decisions through a both/and process

• Uncovering blind spots with objections as seed of wisdom

• How to elect people as representatives or to specific roles

• Using rounds & listening to harvest everyone’s perspectives

Whether or not you choose to apply sociocracy in your organisation, these tools will help you be more effective and more efficient in decision-making.

Who is this for?

• Anyone working or operating in a team (business, community…) wanting to learn how to consciously make better and more effective decisions as a team.

• People somewhat familiar with sociocratic theory but wanting to experience it.

• Leaders wanting to learn skills needed in next stage organisations, like Agile, Lean or Teal

Limited Spaces.  Standard Ticket: £79. Early Bird £10 off till 10 December '18.  Moreover 7% off (any ticket) available if paying by direct bank transfer (please email or call us to get instructions) - group tickets discounts also available if paying directly (please email)   No-one should be excluded due to cost: flexible pricing to meet everyone's budget (please email for details).

Email: fk@open2flow.co.uk    *     Call:  020 7117 8648     *      Direct  07729371915

About the Learning Facilitator, François Knuchel:

François is a vastly experienced trainer and consultant, specialising in transcultural management training, new-paradigm leadership and lean business design. His experience of using circle management methods in the Japanese automotive industry has deeply influenced his passion for re-imagining the way that we work together. He is a leading authority on sociocracy, and a long time practitioner of Lean Management (since before it was called Lean!).  Francois is a director of the Human Organising Co and former co-organiser of RSA’s ‘Reinventing Work” network. François has been exploring different facets of collaborative decision-making for the last 20 years.