Beyond Democracy: The Film by Ted Millich

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Beyond Democracy: The Film by Ted Millich consists of interviews with international leaders and consultants in sociocracy. The interviews were done over a period of several years and include Gerard Endenburg, John Buck. and Frank Karsten. Some excerpts are available on YouTube. The film has menus and subtitles in English, Dutch, French, and German. Ted Millich also publishes a video blog on YouTube. (He’s an interesting speaker.)

Worker Cooperatives Correcting Wealth Distribution

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The Working World Logo Cooperative ownership doesn’t guarantee that a cooperative will be a worker cooperative, nor do they necessarily correct inequities in wealth distribution. Shaila Dewan titled her New York Times Sunday Magazine article on worker co-operatives, “Who Needs a Boss?”, undoubtedly reflecting the publicity from Zappo’s recent decision to try Holacracy, a governance method developed from sociocracy. A flurry of articles that included some variation of “no more bosses” or “no titles” became very popular. The problem… Read More . . . “Worker Cooperatives Correcting Wealth Distribution”

American Society for Cybernetics

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American Society of Cybernetics Logo The American Society for Cybernetics is an interdisciplinary association whose members are interested in the study and application of first and second order cybernetics and general systems thinking. ASC holds annual conferences in changing locations. The History page is an interesting history of cybernetics in America. “The science and art of understanding”—Humberto Maturana “Interfaces hard competence with the hard problems of the soft sciences”—Heinz von Foerster

Values and Purpose

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The principles and methods of sociocracy are often presented as “empty” meaning they can be used by any kind of organization to accomplish any aim. Values and purpose have no place in scientific method the argument goes. Sociocracy is based on studies of how things work in nature (cybernetics) and how people function in groups (sociology). It is free of ideology—any religious, economic, or political world view. No hidden agendas. No value system. Equivalence and self-determination are… Read More . . . “Values and Purpose”

The Six Problems With Holacracy, and Others

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My disclaimer… (1) I am NOT an expert in holacracy, (2) I love new stuff, and (3) I absolutely love people and concepts that challenge the status quo. That’s that. Why am I discussing a commentary on Zappos adoption of holacracy that begins with that particular picture of the author and that particular quote from the author? Because the picture is fun and the comments are good. When he says he knows nothing he means… Read More . . . “The Six Problems With Holacracy, and Others”

Holacracy, Zappos, Forbes

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An article by George Anders on Zappos in Forbes appeared this week. Anders writes about “innovation, careers and unforgettable personalities” for Forbes Magazine and formerly for the Wall Street Journal, two of the most respected and long-lived business sources. I honestly never thought I would see Holacracy, Zappos, Forbes in the same sentence. Kudos to Brian. This is one of the more sensible articles on the Zappos adoption of Holacracy, less sensationalistic though Anders characterizes… Read More . . . “Holacracy, Zappos, Forbes”