Organizational Structure & Administration post.title

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Power Structure

Apart from what is required by law, our organizational structure resembles a flat table where no member has any more power than any other member. There are no exceptions to this. We believe that responsibility is a privilege, not an entitlement. Therefore, no particular role or responsibility grants extra power. Power lies with the group as a whole. Collective power is exercised through the Vision Circle (see below)

Apart from the legally required roles, the Vision Circle may create or dissolve roles of responsibility on an add hoc basis, depending on the needs of the community.

A member who has been granted a particular responsibility through the Vision Circle is empowered to make operational decisions within the limited scope defined by the particular responsibility granted. They may also make use of any budget created for the role. The member is NOT empowered to make strategic decisions, all strategic decisions must be made by the Vision Circle.

To Sum up: Responsibility is a privilege allowing for task execution where the decision-making scope restricts the member to operational choices. Authority rests collectively with the Vision Circle.

Our legally required roles are:

• Coordinator
• Treasurer
• Secretary

Community Structure

The community structure consists of a rosette of community teams and members which, consequently, creates the Vision Circle. The Vision Circle is neither above nor below any particular team or member, it is merely the representation of the cooperation and interdependence of all community teams and community members. Teams do not appoint representatives to the Vision Circle. Each member of a team is also a member of the Vision Circle.

The relationship between the teams and the Vision Circle is that each team makes operational decisions limited by the scope of the team's area of responsibility while the Vision Circle makes decisions which impact the community as a whole. The Vision Circle does not delegate tasks to the teams, but it may initiate a process of redefining a team's area of responsibility. If a dispute arises between the Vision Circle and a particular team, the Vision Circle is the final authority.

Vision Circle

The Vision Circle consists of all interested members. There are no criteria for joining the Vision Circle except that you are a member in some capacity and have an interest in participating in the meetings. Since the only requirement for joining the Vision Circle is that you are a member of the community, and since our decision making process is a form of Consensus Agreement Building, we feel this is a reasonable attempt at preventing the Vision Circle from becomming a de facto heirarchy.

The Vision Circle meets every week (the business meeting) to discuss a variety of topics and to make decisions that affect the community as a whole. We also use these meetings as "Facilitation Practice" sessions, so anyone present who has an interest in meeting facilitation may have an opportunity to practice and receive guidance and feedback from more experienced members.

Decisions are made via our Decision Making Process.

Vision Circle responsibilities:

• Conducting weekly business meetings.
• Organizing and executing intra-community programs and gatherings.
• Addressing personal and interpersonal issues.
• Addressing issues regarding the vision and mission.
• Addressing issues that affect the entire community.
• Discussing long term goals and projects.
• Approving and Monitoring the budgets of the various community teams.
• Maintaining and enforcing a master plan of land use zones and future building and feature placements.

As the community grows, teams may be formed to address particular areas of responsibility. For example, separate teams may form to address areas of:

• Community Well-being
• Long-term Planning
• Operational Oversight
• Interpersonal Support and Conflict Resolution

Teams

The day to day administration and operation of the community is conducted through teams. A team consists of Resident Members and/or Supporting Members who have volunteered to take on the responsibilities associated with the team. A community member may add, drop or switch teams at any time.

People who show up to help on an ad hoc basis are not considered part of the team as far as any decision making processes are concerned. However, each team member is encouraged to practice the community's Mission and Values when working with these people.

We believe that team involvement enriches our community and contributes to a person's overall sense of fulfilment and purpose. For these reasons, we highly encourage every member to join at least one team. The refusal or inability to join a team is not automatically grounds for dismissal, though it may prompt a conversation to see how the community can better support that member’s participation.

Team Management

The team itself decides what it does within the context of its responsibilities, how often it does it, and how it uses its budget (if any). To ensure the community thrives, each team activity (or inactivity) is expected to support our Vision, Mission, and Values and also to contribute in some way to the well-being of everyone else in the community.

Team Leadership

The members of the team shall appoint a "point person" who ensures that responsibilities are being addressed and whom community members can approach with questions, concerns and requests. This point person has no entitlements or power over the other team members, they just hold the larger vision of the team, keep an eye on the budget and act as a communication hub. Each team makes its own decisions about how point persons are chosen, how long they serve, how they step down or rotate, and how the team can support the point person so they don’t burn out.

Team Budgets

The budget for each team is set during special budget meetings, the frequency of which are determined by the community treasurer. A budget meeting is conducted just like any other meeting of the Vision Circle except that the sole focus of the meeting is to determine the budget of each team. During these meetings, the community treasure will act as the Presenter and will guide each team through the process of estimating their budget for the next period of time (determined by the treasurer). Each team should come to the meeting with an idea of how much money they will need, and be able to justify that amount.

Current Teams