How might we...

• Practice/Emergence: How might we practice the five elements?
  • How might we align around what networked governance even means?

Hypothesis

If we articulate a written definition based on what we’ve all already shared and discussed then we’ll be more anchored on what we want to experiment into and learn and provides springboard for experiments.

Design

Tracy will draft a definition for governance that weaves together all of the ideas we brought up on the last call in debriefing Zulayka’s experiment. 

Process:

1. Tracy will present the draft written definition of governance:
   • Every culture produces governance — the processes of interaction and decision-making and the systems by which decisions are implemented.  Governance is how we set up systems to live our values, and leads to the creation, reinforcement, or reproduction of social norms and institutions.  Governance systems give form to the culture’s power relationships.  It becomes the rules for who makes the rules and how.
2. We will do rounds in the small group to hear from each person about whether this written definition is “good enough for now” as a tool for anchoring future experiments.  Based on the responses we will adapt the written definition as needed.

Metrics

Success:

• The minimum success of this experiment is a written definition of governance that we refer to and use.
• The hope is that it contributes to more shared analysis and sense-making.  It adds value as a frame and shared language for talking about any governance system, comparing systems, and making choices.

Failure:

• Failure is being unable to coalesce on a simple definition, and possibly feels frustrating.

Decisions

Our next experiment should get us out of cerebral ways of knowing/language.

Questions

What can we learn about governance that exists beyond our experience in governance systems – e.g., from nature?