What is the Wisdom Council Process?
Regularly (maybe every month or quarter?) ten to sixteen members of the community or organization or network are randomly selected and brought together. They meet for a short time (i.e. a day and a half) as a Wisdom Council. Each Wisdom Council is provided with or identifies an issue of vital importance to the community whether solvable or not. Then the Wisdom Council meets in private where someone skilled in Dynamic Facilitation helps them engage the issue in the spirit of “choice-creating." Ultimately through shifts and breakthroughs they achieve unity on shared perspective-- e.g. what's the real problem and how should we address it. Then they present their shared perspective back to the community in a ceremony, along with their story of how they reached this unity. Now, that Wisdom Council is done. Everyone in the community or organization now has the opportunity to reflect on it in small groups, and to report his or her level of resonance. After the presentation and community conversations, generally people sense that most everyone is in sync ... "Yes, I think so too!".
Then the process repeats with a new random group, who may pick up the same issue and carry it forward another step or address some new issue. Through this process the whole system of people gets involved in a new community building conversation, makes progress on "impossible" issues and establishes shared understandings and perspectives. Plus just the existence of this new creative ongoing conversation is a structural change to the normal operation of the community. It transforms the community to a new level of democratic "decision-making", with "We the People" asserting its rightful wise authority. The Wisdom Council Process can be applied to all levels of system—communities, NGO's, cities, nations, networks, corporations, schools and even to the global system.
Then the process repeats with a new random group, who may pick up the same issue and carry it forward another step or address some new issue. Through this process the whole system of people gets involved in a new community building conversation, makes progress on "impossible" issues and establishes shared understandings and perspectives. Plus just the existence of this new creative ongoing conversation is a structural change to the normal operation of the community. It transforms the community to a new level of democratic "decision-making", with "We the People" asserting its rightful wise authority. The Wisdom Council Process can be applied to all levels of system—communities, NGO's, cities, nations, networks, corporations, schools and even to the global system.
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Many experiments have shown that this process works. For instance, two state governments in Austria have adopted the Wisdom Council Process (In German it's called a "Bürgerat" or "Citizens Council") into their constitutions. (See seven short videos posted in English on the website for the State of Vorarlberg) Plus there have been national experiments in Germany and Austria.
The projected benefits of the Wisdom Council Process are over-the-top-good. The costs are low. And the risks are hard to find. Most objections come from people who can't imagine it working. But it does.
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Dr. Manfred Hellrigl describes how his department OFRI in Vorarlberg, Austria uses the Wisdom Council Process
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Ned Crosby, Democracy pioneer, asks Jim Rough about the Wisdom Council Process
Ned Crosby developed the Citizens Jury, the Citizens Initiative Review and originated the Jefferson Center for New Democratic Processes and Healthy Democracy Oregon. He and Jim are long time friends. (Sadly, Ned passed on May 30, 2022)
More information
1) The Wisdom Council Process? ... vs. the Citizens Assembly
2) Examples of the Wisdom Council
3) Who can use the Wisdom Council Process?
4) 12 Principles of the Wisdom Council Process
5) Special case: "Creative Insight Council" -- cheating is okay, But don't call it a "Wisdom Council"
6) Special case: "Society's Breakthrough" -- applying the Wisdom Council Process to Society
2) Examples of the Wisdom Council
3) Who can use the Wisdom Council Process?
4) 12 Principles of the Wisdom Council Process
5) Special case: "Creative Insight Council" -- cheating is okay, But don't call it a "Wisdom Council"
6) Special case: "Society's Breakthrough" -- applying the Wisdom Council Process to Society
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