Who decides who decides? How to start a group so everyone can have a voice

Ted J. Rau is a trainer and coach for sociocracy. He is the co-founder of Sociocracy For All, a nonprofit that makes decentralized, consent-based governance accessible to everyone. He and his five children live in a co-housing community in Massachusetts with 80 neighbors. Ted identifies as transgender; he was born and raised in Germany with a background in linguistics. Ted loves systems that help us be our better selves and that lead us closer to a world that works for everyone.
The early forming of a new group is a crucial moment. With intentional processes, we can establish an inclusive group culture early on to grow and flourish without governance troubles getting in the way - keeping our eyes on our shared purpose.

So many groups form. And so many groups fade. What distinguishes those groups that grow and flourish from those that fade and fail? The success factors are well-studied, even though the lessons learned hardly make it into the design of those who start groups. That makes sense -- groups form because people feel the urgency for change in an area of their attention, not because they are experts in how to start a group. With intentional processes, we can establish an inclusive group culture early on to grow and flourish without governance troubles getting in the way - keeping our eyes on our shared purpose. This book offers a step-by-step process of how to start a self-managed group in three meetings.


The processes in this book are based on tools and principles from sociocracy, a consent-based, decentralized governance system that supports every voice to be considered and valued, while allowing groups to work efficiently towards the shared purpose.