more info on DSG, as sourced by Robin MacAlpine who says:

"Scotland has become a centralised nation in which citizens do not seem to be deeply involved in the process of running government. There seems to be some assumption that if we leave government to the professionals that'll be the best thing for us. This isn't true. Government is a process of seeking consent from those governed and Scotland really needs to learn more about methods of involving people in decision-making and making sure that their voice is properly heard and their consent given." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is dynamic governance

Dynamic governance, known as sociocracy in Europe and many other parts of the world, was developed by Gerard Endenburg in his electrical engineering corporation, Endenburg Electrotechnik, in the Netherlands. As an engineer, Endenburg was educated in the physical sciences and found the art of management to be unclear and unproven in its ability to create a harmonious and productive workplace. Using his company as a laboratory and reasoning by analogy, he experimented by applying the principles of cybernetics, the science of communications and control, to the management of his business. In the process, he developed a unique method of organisation. The name, dynamic governance, reflects the methods roots in system dynamics and cybernetics. These principles are ingeniously combined with decision-making and governance to create a comprehensive and elegant feedback system that guides production and planning. This optimises an organisations ability to respond to internal and external pressures while maintaining security and stability. Just as all the principles of system dynamics apply to all systems, dynamic governance applies to all organisation. It enhances unique missions and goals and provides benefits that are specific to the environment in which it is applied. Over the last forty years, dynamic governance has been implemented in hundreds of businesses and organisations around the world.

How does dynamic governance work?

The primary objective of dynamic governance is creating a harmonious organisation, not just because harmony is nice, but because harmony is necessary in order for people to work together effectively. The implementation of dynamic governance makes minimal changes to operations and maximum changes to decision-making. It is based on four principles which are simple but have dramatic effects:

Consent: To ensure that organisational policies allow everyone to do their jobs well, policy decisions are made by consent. Consent means no paramount and argued objections. Circles: Decision-making is delegated to a hierarchy of circles that reflects the operational structure. This allows decision-making to flow through the organisation. Responsibility for leadership is distributed, so that individuals are included in the decisions that most affect their work. Double-Linking: In the hierarchy of decision-making circles, the membership of each lower circle overlaps that of the higher circle. This overlap called double-linking is accomplished by including at least two people from the lower circle as full members in the higher circle. Double-linking ensures communication, participation, and feedback up and down the organisation. Elections: People are elected by consent to functions and tasks. The election process ensures that the person elected to a task is accepted by the circle as the best available person to do it, and that the person elected also understands what the task requires and what other circle members need from the person performing the task.

How can it work for public policy?

Because dynamic governance helps several minds think smarter than any one person independently, it would be very beneficial to Parliament for Committees of parliament to make more informed judgements when they are carrying out inquiries or in scrutinising legislation. In wider government, there appears to be an obvious application in initial consultations on developing legislation and in handling and managing the development of that legislation. Imagine those processes proceeding in an elegant fashion! In addition, dynamic governance offers a whole new approach to the basic idea of governance. By organising organisations, including conventional government agencies, businesses, and not-for-profits, into well-disciplined networks, it becomes possible to promote orderly affairs much more effectively than current government and without the rancour of majority vote politics. Learn how Scotland might move to the leading edge of governance innovation by promoting the growth of collective impact structures. Such structures are showing they can involve many more people than ever in the processes of governing and on the basis of no voice ignored.

Who is John Buck?

A Certified Sociocratic Organisational Consultant, John serves as CEO of the Sociocracy Consulting Group. The SCG is a division of an international consulting firm headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands. John also heads operations in the SCGs Washington, DC region. John has led dozens of Dynamic Governance implementation projects for a variety of organisations, resulting in greater efficiency and increased employee engagement. He believes that such basic values as equality, liberty, and transparency can make our work places dramatically more sustainable, elegant, and profitable.

His clients span the globe and include plastics manufacturers, colleges and universities, longterm care facilities, cohousing groups, and software companies. John was the first person outside of The Netherlands to receive consultant certification from the Sociocratisch Centrum in Rotterdam. He has translated numerous documents from the original Dutch and is coauthor (with Sharon Villines) of We the People: Consenting to a Deeper Democracy.

Potential beneficial outcomes

There is clear evidence that many people who are involved in consultations about decisions being taken on their behalf do not feel that the outcomes effectively reflect their views and the inputs they have made. This leads to disillusionment and makes implementation of outcomes more difficult as they risk feeling imposed and not owned. Modes of creating decisions and outcomes which secure wider buy-in and support from groups involved are likely to improve implementation and operation of these decisions. The Scottish Parliament is in a strong position to explore some innovative and potentially radical ways of improving its decision-making processes.

A little further reading

http://www.governancealive.com http://blog-business-world.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/john-buck-dynamic-self-governance.html http://www.fsg.org/OurApproach/WhatIsCollectiveImpact.aspx?gclid=COCP3iDoLkCFcLHtAodyyUAwQ

If you have any specific questions or requests, John Buck welcomes you to contact him prior to his visit to the Central Belt of Scotland, where he will spend 2 days giving introductions to Dynamic Self Governance in the context of potential network building

John Buck District of Columbia, USA (001)410-245-8654 text messages as he is travelling;fh Or email john.buck@sociocracyconsulting.com More info on the 2 day Dynamic Self Governance Scotland Events, 23/10 Edinburgh; 24/10 Glasgow A Deeper Democracy is possible: Website: http://www.dsgscotlandevents2013.co.uk , Online Events Brochure , Eventbrite booking Twitter: @DSGScotlndEvent Facebook: facebook.com/DSGScotlandEvent