The Collaboration Framework – A Sustainable Group Process

In our town’s relocalization group, we discovered that there was a very important element of process missing for some folks, especially the women. The group began powerfully – formed around an urgent need to prepare for “Powerdown” and Peak Oil. Primary attention was given to doing an inventory of our energy needs, matched by projects to forward solarization, local food production & sustainable lifestyle. This emphasis was not clearly matched by an equivalent valuation of the overall vision, attention to quality of leadership, relationship, communication as equals, the need for bringing in all players, all members of the group “as they were”. The leadership was mostly left brained males who had a linear view of our needs and met this with old fashioned hierarchical leadership. The emerging values of a partnership model of process were rarely introduced except occasionally by myself, several other vocal women or an occassional muffled voice from the back of the room.

This need for different leadership and process was never formally addressed in the larger group. However – the slow attrition of our community’s most powerful and intelligent women led me to realize that something was wrong – very wrong! I made an informal survey after one “event” involving a confrontation between a strong alpha male and an equally strong female. There was almost universal agreement along gender lines – the women felt that “abusive behavior” had occurred, yet the men all saw nothing wrong with what had happened! After this situation repeated itself another time, we called a women’s council. The concerns that I had been vocalizing was indeed shared by many others, and indeed – we then agreed that if we are to create a paradigm shift – a different and new future based on sustainable relationships and true leadership with grass roots governance – a system very different than what we have today – we would have to explore the nature of power, and define what is women’s power, and add it to the mix of current power models. Was it different than what the dominant culture recognizes as power, as leadership, as a way to create lasting working groups and manifest action and change? We agreed that a model of acceptance of people “where they are” is at the root of this new way of being together.

A wealth of monthly meetings were jointly planned and led, with some even being collaboratively created from the group present – right on the spot. There was also a retreat which unfolded many core values, and this following workshop on collaboration resulted after over a year’s work on leadership and governance.

Exploration of the Collaboration Framework
- Women’s Council, Willits, April 2008

This workshop is an exploration of a way in which groups of people can function in a cooperative, non-hierarchal way. We hope you will be inspired to add your thoughts as we explore it.
Core Values & Qualities that support the framework
· Value each other’s talents, gifts and resources: Everyone is special and has something to offer.
· Let go of personal attachment in favor of group outcome
· Honor all voices: Provide opportunities for all to be heard; honor all voices including non-verbal cues, our own inner voices; Offer acknowledgement; Safety to express a contrary point of view; Patience to make room for those who are clearly expressing themselves.

· Respect process: Trust how each will be informed by it.

· Encourage a high level of awareness of self and others
· High level of respectful communication: conscious speaking and deep listening; heart to heart connection
· Synergistic (From the Greek word synergo) working together; a mutually advantageous conjunction or compatibility of distinct elements; refers to the phenomenon in which two or more discrete influences or agents acting together create an effect greater than that predicted.

. Time together – take the time to deepen understandings, to be creatively together in this way.

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Here are two examples of collaborative
processes that work within the framework:

Raise the Flag Model: Someone has an idea, presents, and becomes part of the group effort to manifest it. The flag raiser lets it go if there is no energy around the idea.

Potluck Model: The group comes together and everyone forms the idea and is part of the manifestation process

You are invited to offer comments and notes for further organic expansion of the Collaborative Framework processes, concepts and qualities as we discuss and practice them for our mutual & sustainable future. Read one of Riane Eisler’s books to get you started…The Power of Partnership is a good one!

“If the many millions of concerned citizens and ‘cultural creatives’ would read this book (The Power of Partnership) and act on its step-by-step approach to personal development, the USA could see a new flowering of communities and effective democracy. Eisler is a brilliant role model as a global citizen – and as one of the pre-eminent minds of our time. “

Hazel Henderson,
author of Beyond Globalization