Joint Decisions that are clearly belonging and are relevant to your circle
Shared Decisions that are clearly linked to one (or multiple) circle, where the overlap needs advice from other circles
Who decides: The circle that carries out the decision process, based on consent
Who’s involved: Mainly the people in the deciding circle (incl. facilitator) & anyone who is consulted for advice
There is different kind of decisions you might come across as a circle which we can broadly cluster in 2 categories:
Where decisions are taken:
Meetings are not the only places where decisions might manifest. In general, it is important to harvest decision processes so everyone has the possibility to carefully read through the important information, ask relevant questions and raise objections. One way to do so is using Loomio, our decision-making tool. Whereas the tool is mandatory for ALL OF US decisions, circles can freely choose to use it in their processes as well.
What you should ask yourself:
Do we need the whole circle involved?
Is the decision as relevant as moving it into this stage of decision making? Do I need the opinion of all people involved? Why?
Is it a closed, strategic question (Y/N) & who is in charge of a proposal?
Is this a decision that can be made by our circle or do we need to include a wider / different circle in the process?
Inner-Circle Decisions
Cross-circle decisions
Type & advice
Decisions within the circle, following the principles of consent & objection to move ahead
If you feel that a decision is strategic and has much impact on your circle as a whole
The process should be owned/ facilitated by one of the circle members
Advice is critical: who else has relevant information?
Decisions that cross the responsibility of one circle in a way that requires collaboration between circles
Follow the principles of advice & consent to move ahead
The process should be owned/ facilitated by one of the circles involved, who in the end also decide through consent
You might need meetings &/remote communication to align between the circles. Focus calls are great for this
Any critical objections of the circles involved need to be addressed
Examples
implementing a new communication process for the circle (people are directly involved in the execution)
Creating your strategy for the upcoming months
Collaborating with a new partner for the circle (your circle & partnership support, possibly the board)
Changing the dates of your program (the whole initiative circle & the board to align your agendas)