Yes, Power-With Systems Do Exist
The Shift Within: How We End Oppression and Divisiveness to Create Liberation and Indivisibility for All
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Yes, Power-With Systems Do Exist
While power-over systems have been most prevalent throughout history, power-with systems have also existed in various forms. Power-with social systems are characterized by shared power and decision-making among individuals or groups. These systems prioritize collaboration and cooperation and aim to distribute power and resources more equally. For example, historically, some indigenous societies have traditionally operated under power-with systems, where decision-making is based on consensus and community participation.
Present day examples of power-with social systems include some forms of democracy, consensus-based decision-making, and cooperative organizations. One example is sociocracy. Sociocracy is a method of governance that seeks to create more inclusive and collaborative decision-making processes within organizations. It was developed in the 1970s by Dutch sociologist Gerard Endenburg, who sought to create a more effective and equitable way of running businesses and organizations.
Sociocracy is based on a set of principles and practices that emphasize the importance of consent-based decision-making, self-organization, and continuous improvement. Under this model, decision-making is distributed throughout the organization, and each member has an equal voice in the decision-making process. One of the key principles of sociocracy is the use of "circle" structures, which are self-organizing teams that are responsible for specific tasks or areas of the organization. Circles are empowered to make decisions related to their areas of responsibility, and decisions are made through a process of consent-based decision-making.
Sociocracy has been adopted by several organizations around the world and in the USA. For example, the Center for Election Science, a nonprofit organization, uses sociocracy as its governance model and has implemented a circle structure and consent-based decision-making process. The Sociocracy Consulting Group is a consulting firm that helps organizations implement sociocratic governance structures and decision-making processes. Other examples include Living Well Community Care Home, the Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive, and Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe, all of which are worker-owned cooperatives that use sociocracy as their governance model.
Another example is holocracy. Holacracy is a governance model that emphasizes decentralized decision-making and self-organization. It was developed by Brian Robertson in the early 2000s as an alternative to traditional hierarchical management structures. There are several companies who have implemented holocracy as their governance model including Zappos and Medium.
Zappos, an online shoe and clothing retailer, is one of the most well-known companies that has implemented holacracy. In 2013, the company announced that it was adopting holacracy as its management system, which involved restructuring the organization around self-organizing teams and removing traditional hierarchical management structures. In 2016, Medium, the well known digital publishing platform adopted holocracy with the goal of creating a more decentralized decision-making process and empowering employees to take more ownership over their work.
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