Governance + Group Dynamics
Nobody Likes Bosses
Posted on November 1, 2015 byEven an anti-authoritarian household needs agreements—but who and how to enforce them is another question.
Hot Topic, Raw Emotion, and the Spice of Life: Chewing over Food Choice in Community
Posted on June 24, 2015 byAt La’akea, members’ various approaches to food reflect the quest for emotional as well as physical sustainability.
Rough Start to Rural Community
Posted on May 28, 2015 byRough Start to Rural Community Christian and Johannes Zinzendorf call themselves Harmonists, with central beliefs around the value of hard work in an agrarian life, and a communion with the… Read More
Income Sharing Urban Communities
Posted on May 2, 2015 byIncome Sharing Urban Communities Point A is a group which has “an audacious proposal to form urban, income sharing, egalitarian, democratic, ambitious, engaged communes in the cities of the American… Read More
Which stage is your tribe?
Posted on March 17, 2015 byWhich stage is your tribe? It turns out that by listening to the way people speak to each other in working and social groups one can tell a great deal… Read More
Radical Governance Changes in Two North American Ecovillages
Posted on October 31, 2014 by1 Comment
Earthaven and Dancing Rabbit embrace their groups’ evolution and growth with innovative new governance and decision-making methods.
Facebook as Village Gathering Space
Posted on September 28, 2014 byWhat goes on in my mind as I stroll along the Facebook village? When I joined Facebook I got quite excited because I could invite people to events that my… Read More
Burlington Cohousing’s Excellent Solar Adventures
Posted on January 14, 2014 byWhen community members want to place “private” panels on “public” roofs, don’t expect clear sailing.
Women and Intentional Communities
Posted on April 11, 2013 byAn interesting article about women and intentional communities! http://www.more.com/home-not-alone
Living the Questions
Posted on September 7, 2012 byBelfast Cohousing & Ecovillage grapples with obstacles to create a visionary housing project in rural Maine.
Busting the Myth that Consensus-with-Unanimity Is Good for Communities
Posted on June 7, 2012 by5 Comments
How can a diverse group best make decisions? After many years advocating it, the author concludes that consensus is not the answer.
Busting the Myth, or Changing the Terms?
Posted on June 7, 2012 byWant a “problem” person to behave differently? Give a different response.
“Busting the Myth”
Posted on June 7, 2012 byWhen assessing why a community is struggling to make decisions, we need to ask first how they handle conflict resolution, group-process training, and entrenched patterns.
Diversity Issues in Los Angeles Eco-Village
Posted on June 7, 2012 by3 Comments
A longtime ecovillage activist moves beyond denial to recognize the institutional racism affecting not only her society and her community, but her own way of thinking.
The Paralysis of Racism in Social Change Groups
Posted on June 7, 2012 byWhen a member of a minority population claims racism, how does a group committed to racial nondiscrimination respond?
Spirit in the Woods
Posted on March 7, 2012 byAt New View Cohousing, practicing consensus, navigating illness, and simply
sharing lives are continuing spiritual exercises.
Sharing the Path
Posted on March 7, 2012 byEven “non-spiritual” groups can benefit through a multitude of simple practices that deepen participants’ connections with themselves, one another, and the sacred.
Sociocracy
Posted on December 7, 2011 byLost Valley Educational Center avoids collapse and reinvigorates itself by applying a new approach to governance combining the best of diverse models.
Social Permaculture
Posted on December 7, 2011 by1 Comment
While expert at understanding ecological connections, permaculturalists often founder in relating with one another. Applying permaculture principles to group dynamics can help us work together more effectively.
Unto the Second Generation
Posted on September 7, 2011 by12 Comments
When a cohousing group’s honeymoon ends, and economic stress dictates selling units to any willing buyers, can a community’s core values and connections endure?
The Relationship of Relationships to the Group
Posted on June 7, 2011 by2 Comments
Relationships don’t exist in a vacuum. Through a culture of communication and support, communities can create the healthy container which relationships need in order to flourish.
Shadow Sides of NVC and Co-Counseling
Posted on March 7, 2011 by1 Comment
To make best use of nonviolent communication and co-counseling, avoid these traps.
Hand in Hand, Heart to Heart
Posted on March 7, 2011 byWith loving help from others, the old emotional distresses that can sabotage both our mental health and our relationships in community can be cleared and permanently resolved.
Poor Minutes Lead to Wasted Hours
Posted on December 7, 2010 byAuthor: Laird Schaub Published in Communities Magazine Issue #149 Good records of what happened at meetings are important for a variety of reasons: ● Informing members who missed the meeting… Read More
And I Listen
Posted on December 7, 2010 by2 Comments
Howling, shouting, cries of despair, and The Pierced One greet a parent on her first visit to her daughter’s adopted community. Luckily, through lots of talking and listening, things improve.
Call in the Experts?
Posted on September 7, 2010 byAuthor: Beatrice Briggs Published in Communities Magazine Issue #148 Q. Our group is very divided. We need to make major decisions regarding finances, organizational structures, and policies, at a time… Read More
Power and Powerlessness in Community
Posted on September 7, 2010 byA community member transcends a feeling of powerlessness when he inadvertently comes up with a brilliant idea about how to organize cooking groups, and others join him in implementing it.
Balancing Powers
Posted on September 7, 2010 by1 Comment
In a healthy community, leadership and followship are equally important roles, each with vital skill sets that can assure effective teamwork.
Power and Disempowerment on the Ecobus
Posted on September 7, 2010 by7 Comments
Some saw this radical environmental education program as a “cult,” others as an intensely focused experience of challenge and growth. Had participants lost their individuality, or gained a new sense of self?
More Perspectives on Leadership and Followship
Posted on September 7, 2010 by1 Comment
The author identifies additional leadership skills, cautions against blind followship, and reflects on the many types of power in cooperative groups.
