Design Effective Meetings and Teamwork with Sociocracy

Education program for the Sociocratic Facilitator and Circle-Trainer

Upon Request

Chania – Crete and Athens, Greece

Program aim

Sociocracy is a participative-democratic, dynamic governance method that brings  cooperation capacity, commitment and empowerment to the people. It works within any decision-making processes, in teams, in organizations, as well as  in the entire society. Long-term we aim to teach Sociocracy with the first pioneers in the southern EU-countries as it will strengthen trust among people and help empower these countries.

Optionally, after the two year program, the group of certified participants will be able to start a Center for Sociocracy in their countries and begin to multiply the knowledge gained.

Course description

The aim of the two (2) times 6-day-course is to help organisations to work in a sociocratic way through building up an Internal Sociocracy Trainers Team.

At least 2 or 3 participants from one organisation shall share the whole program, which will run about 2 years. The leaders of the organisations have to elect 2 or 3 members of the organisation in order to participate in the program with the aim, to come back later on and help the organisation to work in a sociocratic way. It is a prerequisite to have the consent and acceptance for the method from the responsible leaders, in order to work with sociocracy.

On the basis of Sociocracy as created by Gerard Endenburg (NL) in 1970, the participants will learn during the first year to facilitate meetings in a sociocratic way, inside their own organization as well as in other organizations. During the first part, 6 days  in total, they will get the experience on “How to work in a sociocratic circle”. Until the second part, after approximately one year, the participants must practice sociocratic facilitation many times and reflect their experiences in a minimum of ten (10) documentations and through their study-groups, with the  help of the sociocratic supervisors.

The main goal of the second year of training is to learn to train their teams “How to work in a sociocratic circle”. This is the role of an “internal Sociocratic Circle-Trainer” in participants’ own organization.

First year: Become a Sociocratic Facilitator

  • After one year reflecting their progress in their supervised study-groups, the participants will become professional Sociocratic Facilitators.

Second year: Become an Internal Sociocratic Circle-Trainer

  • After the program the participants follow their ongoing supervised study-groups and help each other to create an internal Sociocracy Team in order to transfer the knowledge to their own organizations.

Methodology

Through this training participants become professional Sociocratic Facilitators. The  first educational part of the “Sociocratic Circle-organization-Method (SCM)*” was designed by Gerard Endenburg, NL. The second educational part of the SCM is the Internal sociocratic Circle-Trainer in their own organization. The third part would be the CSE – Certified Sociocracy Expert, who will accompany other organizations in implementing Sociocracy.

“Structure creates behaviour. Changing structure changes behaviour.” Gerard Endenburg.

In a sociocratic circle, this means in every meeting of a sociocratic organised group, every person is equal in decision making. The meeting-structure of SCM* changes immediately the behaviour of the circle-members. The core of the program in the first part is to gain competence in facilitation of sociocratic meetings to ensure that every voice matters. Collective wisdom comes up with each  agenda-item, at the same time effectiveness and efficiency are developed, so the group accomplishes their tasks/goals as trust increases.

The Four Basic Principles

The “Four Basic Principles” will be learned with practical implementation and exercises:

  1. The “Consent principle
  • Meeting-structure and consent decision- making, practice with examples and cases by the participants.
  • Four (4) phases to create a solution, picture-forming, opinion-building and consent-forming.
  • Participants learn in practice how to make meetings effective with the distinction of policy (basic) decisions and executive decisions.
  1. The “Circle Structure
  • Participants practice working in a sociocratic organization with shared responsibilities in different “circles” with clear “domains”.
  • Real projects as examples will be worked out in sociocratic exercise-circles using a circle-aim, an aim-realization-process and distribution of tasks.
  1. The “Double Linking
  • We implement a sociocratic circle structure with two levels in the hierarchy, connecting the circles with two roles, the “circle-leader” and the “delegated” to practice equality and shared power among two levels.
  • In the exercise-circles participants implement the four process-roles for shared leadership, near “Circle-leader” and “Delegator”; “Facilitator” and “Secretary” will be implemented and participants will gain experience with these roles.
  1. The “Open Election
  • This is the task of the Facilitator. A well-designed sociocratic procedure that includes appreciation and realistic feedback helps each circle-member build their potential.
  • We practice the open election of functions and roles for distributing the tasks in order for participants to realize the aim of the circle.

Added Skills and Tools to be transmitted

  • Create vision, mission and aim/offer of a circle
  • Use “Development-talks” as a sociocratic performance review
  • Provide transparency inside the organization with a Logbook-System
  • Handle IT-tools for online-meetings

Benefits

Participants gain knowledge and skills as well as behavioral changes for them and their organization. The cooperative meeting-structure creates new experiences and behavior for all. Specifically , participants will:

  • be able to implement a sociocratic teamwork in their NGOs and professional settings. As a Professional Sociocratic Facilitatorthey are able to offer sociocratic facilitation to any organization.
  • significantly increase the effectiveness of their decision-making structures after the course in their own organizations. Shared decision-making also creates a shared responsibility in these organizations.
  • identify their potential, increase their confidence, minimize their friction losses, and thus the productivity of their organizations grows.
  • develop personal competences, process-leading, equality, tolerance and trust. Participatory and cooperative values will be strengthened.
  • ultimately through these sociocratic decision-structures become co-entrepreneurs, share in the cooperation and enjoy success.

First year : Become a Sociocratic Facilitator

History of Sociocracy, Auguste Comté, Kees Boeke and Gerard Endenburg

  • Gain an understanding of the methodology that creates “equality” because of shared power in decision making with the “Four Basic Principles”: “Consent principle”, “Circle Structure”, “Double Linking” and “Open Election”
  • Design, prepare and facilitate effective meetings using the sociocratic meeting-format
  • Exercises in consent decision-making and open election, reflection of learning
  • Agenda-setting and preparation of agenda items
  • Common aims/goal as a basis of all decisions in a circle
  • The inner consent – decisions inside the individual (cognitive processing)
  • Experience in dealing with objections, tensions, emotions and difficult situations
  • Exchange and networking in relation to all organizations present

How to work in a sociocratic circle to reach the groups’ common aim

  • Four process-roles in a sociocratic circle because of shared leadership and responsibility to all members: Circle-leader, Delegator, Facilitator and Secretary
  • Strengthen effectivity and efficiency with the distinction between policy-decisions and executional-decisions.
  • Aim-Realization-Process for the circle as leading-tool for the circle-leader and organizing the interfaces between circles
  • The domain of a circle and of a circle-member as autonomous space to act
  • Distribution of tasks with role-description and open election
  • The circle-process of leading-doing-measuring in all activities of a sociocratic circle creates the continuous improvement process
  • The development-talk for developing the individual in a sociocratic way.

Excursion – Outdoor activity

  • Reflections
  • Evaluations
  • Closing

The didactical methods change always from role-plays and practical exercises, to theoretical inputs, answering questions, reflecting experiences and collecting learnings.

After the first part, in the following year till September 2021 the participants have to work on, reflect and audit their progress in their study-groups, to become certified professional Sociocratic Facilitators.

Second year: Become an Internal Sociocratic Circle-Trainer

Development-talks to finish the Facilitation Diploma

  • Repetition of the lessons learned “How to work in a sociocratic circle”
  • The role of the Internal Sociocratic Circle-Trainer and the “Sociocracy Team”
  • The program “How to work in a sociocratic circle”
  • Order clarification with the leader of a team – get an order
  • First three training-meetings with the circle
  • Through all 6 training-meetings learn the meeting-format and agenda-setting
  • Explain the four basic principles
  • Collect and decide the circles aim-criteria
  • Training on the role of the leader, the facilitator and the delegate
  • Work on the common aim of the circle
  • Work on the aim-realisation-process

Last three training-meetings with the circle

  • Finish the aim-realisation process
  • Train the distribution of tasks
  • Train the logbook-keeping and role of the secretary
  • Elect and train the intern facilitator
  • Measurement of the aim-criteria
  • Handover the responsibility to the circle

Excursion – Outdoor activity

  • Reflections
  • Evaluations
  • Closing

By completing the second year, you will:

  • Build up your intern Sociocracy Team
  • Strengthen your study-group and peer-learning

After the second year program the participants stay in their study-groups and help each other to create an internal Sociocracy Team in order to transfer the knowledge to their own organizations.

How to go on

Additionally, further modules in Sociocracy can be organised in their country. With a next 3-day “module 3” they learn to understand the challenges in creating sociocratic circle-structures from the individual over organizations to society.

This module 3 is the precondition to start the three-year program to become a professional Certified Sociocracy Expert – CSE. A group of CSE is able to start the Sociocracy education-program in their own “Sociocracy Center”.

Programme (Two year)

Duration:  7 days in the first year + 7 days in the second year (optional)
Dates:       Upon request
Location:  Chania- Crete and Athens, Greece

Designed for participants/groups

Sociocracy is a tool for every person who works with groups of people to achieve common goals. The method creates ownership and fosters leadership for every member of the circle, as everybody who is a member of an organization will benefit from the tool. “Getting things done” is a need of every organization.

Nevertheless, team-leaders and process-managers are particularly invited to attend, including professionals, human-resources-managers, leaders of profit – organizations and all types of not-for-profit or NGOs, governance-organizations and professional networks. The program is also designed for people from the educational sector, trainers, students, and anyone who works in a team.

We invite diverse participants initiating change in their communities and organizations. It is more beneficial for the organizations who will send two or more of their members to the program.

Instructors

Barbara Strauch is founder of the Sociocracy Center Austria in 2013 and author of the book “SOZIOKRATIE. Kreisstrukturen als Organisationsprinzip zur Stärkung der Mitverantwortung des Einzelnen.” 2018 (Sociocracy. Circle structures as organizational principle to strengthen the co-responsibility of the individual. Co-author: Annewiek Reijmer). As a social manager and expert in community-building Barbara Strauch studied the life – work of Gerard Endenburg and Annewiek Reijmer, who created in the Sociocracy Center Netherlands the methodology of the Sociocratic Circle-organization Method SCM in 30 years of experiences. In 2013 Barbara Strauch has been the first Certified Sociocracy Expert (CSE) of the German speaking area. Since 2014 she developed the educational program for Sociocracy Experts in the German speaking countries and is now leading this program. Barbara Strauch is trained in Systemic Constellation Work, Transaction-Analysis, Project management, Gender Mainstreaming, Quality and Equality-Management, many moderation methods, self-organization-methods and psychotherapeutic work

Dr. Markos Perrakis is a leadership development & process facilitator, psychologist, speaker, consultant and trainer of individuals and teams, founder and Managing Director of the EU Adult training & Counseling Provider Fractality. He designs and implements EU projects in the fields of leadership development and strategic planning, and uses eclectic appreciative approaches in the public and private sector in order to promote effective communication, individual and collective process development. He specializes in coaching, supervision, human capital development, training and assessments. He holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Styles and their efficiency in organisations with publications in the fields of organizational psychology and counseling and a M.A. in clinical Psychology. He is trained in Systemic Consultation, solution focused & cognitive behavioural approaches, methods of participatory design, Spiritual Intelligence, a certified provider of Vocational Guidance and Professional Orientation, utilizing psychometric assessments and coaching tools for teams and individuals in organizational, career and personality issues and ISO 9001 Lead Auditor.  He is representative of the Association of International Institution Supervision in Europe (ANSE), Member of International Intervision Groups, Scientific Assistant of SOL (Society of Organisational Learning), Scientific partner of the European Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (EUMU) in Greece, in the fields of Strategic Planning and Human Capital Development programmes.

Dr. Perrakis is one of the first persons in Greece who applied the methodology of Appreciative Inquiry, which is used in the UN Summit by UN leaders. In contrast to the traditional management approaches that focus on problems, the appreciative approach makes use of the potential of the human capital of organizations

Venue

A. Our first part of the program will take place in the Island of Crete, one of the most exotic destinations of the Aegean Sea in Greece. The workshop and the accommodation is at the unique 4-star village resort of Porto Platanias in Chania that provides you with safe and luxurious accommodations. It is the perfect place to combine personal growth with holidays.

This Mediterranean destination embraces both sea and charming nature. Porto Platanias Village is located within walking distance from the beach and the village of Platanias. Local taverns, Greek eateries, and arts shops draw people from all around the world and contribute to the vibrant feeling of the Cretan summer, still offering 30°C (86°F) daytime temperatures and 25°C (77°F) warm sea to enjoy in September. For more information on the venue, visit: http://www.portoplataniasvillage.gr Closest international airports: Chania (24 km); Heraklion (165 km)

B. Our second part of the program will take place in Athens,  Classical Athens was a powerful city-state that emerged in conjunction with the seagoing development of the port of Piraeus. A center for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato‘s Academy and Aristotle‘s Lyceum,[6][7] it is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy,[8][9] largely because of its cultural and political impact on the European continent, and in particular the Romans.[10] In modern times, Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece.

Participation Fee

Option A.

The fee for this course is 980 Euros each year. It includes tuition fees and educational materials, certificates. Beverages and a welcome cocktail, a one-day excursion (optional).
Accommodation and meals are not included in the above fees.

Option B.

Total full package price for participants with double room accommodation: 1,550€

All prices include:
– A 4-star hotel accommodation, 6 nights
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Full 7-day workshop tuition fee
– Educational materials
– Certificate of participation at the end

*It does not include facilitators diploma, follow ups and supervision

Additional option:
– A full-day excursion with the group led by locals with local snacks and drinks – €50

Contact us

Questions or concerns? please contact us at [email protected] or call +302106010522.
Cancellation Policy*

Until 30 days before the starting date of the selected workshop, cancellation will be free of charge and the pre-payment will be fully refunded. Between 30 to 15 days before the starting date of the workshop, 50% of the fee will be refunded. Within the 15 days before the starting date of the workshop no refunds will be made.