Democratizing organizations through social tech

Driver Summary What is the current situation we are facing ? Many organizations, especially those pursuing social and democratic goals, rely on hierarchical or ad-hoc structures that limit participation, learning, and resilience. < br/> What is the effect this situation is having on things we care about? It undermines their ability to deliver on their missions, leads to burnout and dysfunction, and erodes trust in democratic or collaborative ideals. Why does this matter to us? Because we believe that healthy, participatory organizations are essential infrastructure for meaningful democracy and systemic change. What is needed to address the situation? Organizations need support to adopt more intentional, equitable, and adaptive ways of working—combining proven social technologies with participatory culture-building. What is the intended impact of addressing this need? Organizations will become more effective, resilient, and aligned with their values, enabling broader systemic transformation toward more just and democratic futures. What do I propose we try? I propose to begin by co-developing a lightweight repertoire of services and programming that support organizations in strengthening their democratic capacity through facilitated, participatory processes — grounded in sociocratic principles and complexity science. As a next step, we pilot this offering with one or two aligned groups to test its value and gather learning. While I bring deep expertise in key concepts of this field, I know this work needs a team. Rather than expecting collaborators to have the same skills, I want to create a safe and collaborative environment where learning happens through doing — with roles designed so that no one is put on the spot to deliver content before they’re ready, while still contributing meaningfully from day one. Participants Who will be involved? What are they committing to? Michael S - Coaching - Facilitating - Helping to compile initial list of offerings Activities essential to delivering this work - Brand development - Outreach & ‘sales’ & relationship management - Web presence - Content planning & writing for web - Setting up social media properties for outreach - Virtual event planning and execution - Video editing - … Duration How long will the experiment last? When will you conduct a retrospective to collect perspectives and learning? - What do we need to work on first and how long will that take? - What could be achieved in 3 months? - Where might we like to be in 6 months? Learning metrics How will we know if it was beneficial or harmful? What kinds of stories do you hope to hear? … … … Requirements What do you need in order to conduct the experiment, in terms of resources, space, supplies, funding, etc.? … … Safety What kind of support or consent do you need to make this safe to try? …