Decentralization: Shared Doctrines

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Decentralization: Shared Doctrines

Posted by Justin Long ⋅ July 18, 2008 ⋅

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Together we develop standards for how each of us should behave.

Decentralized organizations are not a covenant with anarchy. Instead of doing “what is right in their own eyes,” each member does “what is right” according to a shared, mutually agreed set of values—a doctrine.

This doctrine starts with the plausible promise, which points the way to the lofty vision or ultimate purpose. Declaring what is most important gives us a measure of what the swarm values.
Sharing a promise means sharing the values of the promise. These values become the standards by which the swarm is governed. Rather than rules instituted by a central authority, a swarm has agreed-upon self-established norms which members enforce on each other.

Shared values lead to shared behaviors: a few things everyone in the swarm does. For example, ants share a common behavior: “When you smell a food smell, follow it. When you find food, take it back to the hive and drop a scent marker as you go.” Those two simple rules are based on two values—Food and Information—which lead to common behaviors enabling ants to swarm any food source. Behaviors are not unique, isolated or specialized actions. They are categories of activity that should be done regularly by everyone. They can be seen, heard, reported and measured.

When a swarm’s members take the time to establish a plausible promise, list shared values, and identify shared behaviors based on these, they have created a shared doctrine. Shared doctrine enables everyone to react in the same basic way to the situations they find themselves in, and minimizes the unexpected.

The lack of values, behavior or doctrine leads to chaos in which everyone goes in different directions, at different speeds, doing things that no one expects. The result: the swarm will rapidly be pulled apart.

Shared doctrines take time to build. They have to be shaped through mutual consultation and consensus-building. However, the time is well worth it. The combination of a plausible promise and a shared doctrine defines the identity of the group: why and how it does what it does. They are the force that holds a swarm together and enables decentralized leadership. Without the foundation of this common, easily stated standard, a swarm cannot survive.

Values are a stronger binding force than authority.
Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez, in “The Starfish and the Spider”

Case studies
• Recovery programs like Alcoholics Anonymous all have easily duplicated, simply-stated doctrines.
• During the WTO protests, all groups were required to sign on to a basic set of principles for just that day, even if they did not typically agree with them (e.g. no weapons, no drugs, no alcohol, etc).

Key readings
Sjogren, B., & Robison, G. (2003). Cat & dog theology: rethinking our relationship with our master. Waynesboro, GA: Authentic Lifestyle.

Questions to ask
• Based on the plausible promise, what are the things that you value? (Complete the statement, “I believe…”) Are these shared by everyone in the swarm? Who will be attracted to these values?
• For each value, can you list a few kinds of behavior? Complete the statement, “Because I believe this, I will…” with an action:

What behaviours would damage or destroy trust?
How will information be shared?
How will conflicts of interest be managed?
How will decisions be made?
How will the network be governed?
What will we do with members who don’t observe these rules?