Lightweight Coordination via Pirate Democracy

I’ve been asked to help facilitate the group task of manually managing song uploads until our new upload tool is ready. Here is a lightweight model I’m pitching for how we can organize a crew to do this – to rapidly clarify the goal, launch it, and maintain it. Feedback requested.

This idea is loosely based upon pirate codes of conduct (they were democracies!), a bit of Swarmwise by Rick Falkvinge, and my overall cooperatives research. It’s built on the premise that when expectations are clear, a common goal is agreed upon, and roles are defined before assigned – conflict and confusion will be reduced and a group will be able to healthfully pursue its common goal.

:sailboat: Founding an Expedition

(1) Goal - A common goal is discussed, clarified, written out, and agreed to on paper in a transparent space accessible to the community connected to it

(2) Crew - People who agree to put work toward that goal on a regular basis become the crew

(3) Roles - From among themselves, the crew chooses two key roles:

(A) :sunny: Someone with excellent understanding of the goal who can teach the crew techniques for fulfilling it. They will keep the crew focused on the goal, help coordinate their efforts, and report status transparently on a schedule to the co-op at large

(B) :crescent_moon: Someone who will safeguard the wellbeing of the individual participants. They will check in with each of them regularly as people, make sure they are being heard and included, and be available to act in regards to concerns they have

(4) Rhythm - The expedition’s crew has biweekly meetings and keeps the co-op posted on a similar schedule of its status toward the goal

(5) Disbanding - When the goal is achieved, or becomes irrelevant, the expedition and its associated roles, rights, and responsibilities are automatically disbanded

This is a sketch, and a brainstorming tool. Please share your thoughts, feelings and alternate proposals for setting up and coordinating this project. To quote sociocracy, “Is it safe enough to try?” And also, to quote a woman I admire from a video of a community council in Rojava, “We are not here just to say nice things to each other!” :wink:

:evergreen_tree::evergreen_tree:,
Hakanto

2 Likes

Fantastic concept. Very definitely needed in LOTS of different areas. We have lots of people wanting to help out, but the coordination goes through too many over-worked gateways (i.e. people) and so a lot of this enthusiasm gets lost.

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I’m in! I think it could work.

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