Staff Collective Decision Making Process

The Free Geek Collective ceased to exist on February 28, 2013. For information on current staff, please go to Staff. For detailed information about the re-organization of Free Geek's management structure, please go to 2013_Restructuring_Documents.

Staff Collective Decision Making Process: Too often there is a lack of clear decision making (both internal and external to the group) or the inability to reach a decision in a timely manner. This is an effort for the staff collective to address this problem.
List of Policies - Policy Development

This policy was agreed on at a special all-day Monday staff collective meeting on Nov 1, 2010. Minor adjustments in wording were suggested to address concerns and they were approved at the staff collective meeting on November 5, 2010. (link to minutes forthcoming)

Policy decisions made by the Free Geek staff collective are made using the formal consensus process as outlined in "On Conflict and Consensus" except when contradicted by this procedure.

1. An informal consensus process may be used as long as ...
   • the text of the decision is recorded in the official minutes of the group making the decision, along with a context statement and the text of any concerns raised, and
   • any member of the group making the decision has an opportunity to force the decision to be made using the formal consensus process.
2. Proposals for formal consensus decisions must be drafted, preferably in advance of any meeting.
3. Proposals for formal consensus decisions must include a context statement describing the problem being addressed.
4. Proposals for formal consensus decisions must include a reasonable deadline for deciding, allowing time for discussion and taking into account any external deadlines, etc.
5. If a proposal for a formal consensus decision has not been decided upon at its deadline, a formal call for consensus must be made along with a statement of any outstanding concerns, including any potential blocks to the decision, and an attempt to resolve the concerns must be made in good faith by all participants in the decision:
   • A potential block must be based on a valid concern.
   • A valid concern is one rooted in one or more of the following:
     1. An inability of the organization to function,
     2. An inability of a worker to effectively perform their job,
     3. A violation of an organizational principle, a law, or an agreed upon code of ethics.
   • The group (minus the person raising the potential block) determines if the concern on which the potential block is based is valid according to the above stated criteria or not.
   • If the concern is deemed invalid, the block is removed and that concern is treated as a stand-aside concern rather than a valid block.
   • If the concern is deemed valid, the block stands, but outside facilitation must be pursued to address the concern.