Thinking about the "Wisdom Council Process" and its offshoots
The name "Wisdom Council Process" was chosen to express the purpose of this process ... to transform the thinking process of our society from a judgment, partisan, rule-of-law orientation to something more like what happened in aboriginal societies, with their "Wisdom Councils", where heartfelt sharing, creativity and unity are sought. It's a strategy aimed at transforming "the System" ... away from where we seek to maximize private benefit (often at the expense of the whole) ... to where we become sustainable because we all work toward the common benefit.
However, mostly so far this process has been used to improve the existing system, like helping elected leaders work more closely with one another and with citizens. Especially in Austria through the Office of Future Related Issues (under the direction of Dr. Manfred Hellrigl and Michael Lederer) many benefits have been realized under the German name "Bürgeratte" ("Citizens Councils").
And because it is oriented to support governments, the “Citizens Council” is growing in its use among the governments of Europe. In fact, even though the Dynamic Facilitation process is not "deliberative", most people think of the Citizens Council as a form of “Deliberative Democracy”… (see the contrast with "Deliberative Councils"). Yes, this process can be used and structured to work in that more limited way. And we want to keep those benefits. But at the same time we don't want to lose the immense benefit potential in the transform-the-system nature of the process. Nor do we want to lose track of the name "Wisdom Council Process" because this name more accurately "holds" the systemic transformation of both global and national society that is required.
The Citizens Councils have been vitally important in helping achieve better policy, helping legislators work together better, educating the public on complex issues and, especially for our purposes, showing that the process works. That it can work at any scale ... community, company, nation, or world. That it is not just a hopeful idea but something that really needs to happen at the global level ... to create a wise and effective to manage the global commons, to create a new economics of working together toward the public interest, and of shifting our collective way of being from mindless growth of consumption toward conscious living and relating.
However, mostly so far this process has been used to improve the existing system, like helping elected leaders work more closely with one another and with citizens. Especially in Austria through the Office of Future Related Issues (under the direction of Dr. Manfred Hellrigl and Michael Lederer) many benefits have been realized under the German name "Bürgeratte" ("Citizens Councils").
And because it is oriented to support governments, the “Citizens Council” is growing in its use among the governments of Europe. In fact, even though the Dynamic Facilitation process is not "deliberative", most people think of the Citizens Council as a form of “Deliberative Democracy”… (see the contrast with "Deliberative Councils"). Yes, this process can be used and structured to work in that more limited way. And we want to keep those benefits. But at the same time we don't want to lose the immense benefit potential in the transform-the-system nature of the process. Nor do we want to lose track of the name "Wisdom Council Process" because this name more accurately "holds" the systemic transformation of both global and national society that is required.
The Citizens Councils have been vitally important in helping achieve better policy, helping legislators work together better, educating the public on complex issues and, especially for our purposes, showing that the process works. That it can work at any scale ... community, company, nation, or world. That it is not just a hopeful idea but something that really needs to happen at the global level ... to create a wise and effective to manage the global commons, to create a new economics of working together toward the public interest, and of shifting our collective way of being from mindless growth of consumption toward conscious living and relating.
The Wisdom Council Process ... 12 principles
- ORDINARY CITIZENS can do this. They need not be a government. The conveners randomly select citizens, arrange the Dynamic Facilitation and the presentation. Key is that others pay attention. Certainly the "officially designated leaders" can generate this attention more readily, but it's not essential.
- Identify the POOL of people to represent the community ... This process involves a random sample of people, so the conveners need to identify a population from which to draw the selection, e.g. registered voters of the city.
- RANDOMLY select eight to 16 Wisdom Council members in a purely random way ... Once the pool is identified a random number generator is used. Ideally, the first "twelve" selected would choose to come. The conveners may offer babysitting, a stipend, transportation, etc. to make it easier for those chosen to come. With pure sampling the different sub-populations are included in their exact proportions over time.
- Provide a HOT ISSUE to the Wisdom Council (or the Wisdom Council can choose its own). This issue might be selected by a contest, something that some people care deeply about. It's OK if the issue is Ill-defined, complex, or impossible-to-solve, like climate change, the influx of refugees, or money in politics. Using Dynamic Facilitation the Wisdom Council will face into the heart of the matter and create new clarity about the issue, one which resonates throughout the community.
- Use Dynamic Facilitation to assure the spirit of choice-creating. Key for this to work is the quality of thinking within the Wisdom Council. "We the People" arises when the spirit of talking is choice-creating rather than decision-making or problem-solving. This can be reliably established using Dynamic Facilitation. Each person can just act naturally and need not follow any guidelines. But through DF, all find themselves facing the heart of the issue collaboratively in a way that yields shifts and breakthroughs.
- Assure time for a closure so the Wisdom Council reaches UNITY ... Using Dynamic Facilitation the group will make its progress through shifts and breakthroughs, which can be gathered into a shared story.
- Invite the COMMUNITY to hear the Wisdom Council present its story and conclusions ... This presentation goes to the people primarily, normally not to "decision-makers." This is NOT about making "recommendations." It's meant spark unity around shared conclusions ... "We the People".
- Involve the WHOLE COMMUNITY. Extra effort may be needed to involve all aspects of the citizenry to come to the presentations. And to talk with one another in follow up conversations ... in churches, taverns, community halls, etc.
- Generate RESONANCE in the community conversation, also in the spirit of choice-creating. People who hear the story of the Wisdom Council's progress sense the form of conversation. It's about agreeing or disagreeing, but continuing the story forward, seeking what's best for all.
- Help the community enhance its POWER. it helps when people can recognize what's going on. One question, for instance, might be ... "From hearing the Wisdom Council and your conversations in small groups, to what extent do you think the viewpoint of the Wisdom Council reflects the Public Interest? Would another random group determine a similar result?
- Provide SUPPORT FOR ACTION. The Wisdom Council disbands. However, a few weeks after the Wisdom Council presents, it's possible to bring together governmental agencies and civic organizations in a meeting, what we call a "Responder's Meeting." Now they are in a new situation because everyone knows what is the voice of the people.
- Structure the Wisdom Council process to occur regularly. Ideally this process would be chartered into being by "the People," like as a Constitutional Amendment. But usually it must first be set in motion by conveners. Then every six months, for example, the local government, the schools, the hospital, the library , etc. can get involved and propose issues to be addressed.
Wisdom Council Process modifications
1) Citizens Councils ... Bürgeratte ...is the name of the Wisdom Councils given to the process in Austria and Germany, where governments are the sponsor and the process is used to enlist citizen involvement.
2) Creative Insight Councils ... This is the term we use for Wisdom Councils, when some of the basics are dropped.
2) Creative Insight Councils ... This is the term we use for Wisdom Councils, when some of the basics are dropped.