This agreement defines how formal decisions are made at Weave. It identifies a number of different types of decision-making protocols, and describes processes for participating in formal decision making.
Weave is a network of highly autonomous individuals, teams and ventures. As much as possible, we encourage people to make decisions for themselves.
Weave is also a network building shared commons, and pursuing shared aspirations, that call for collective agreements and commitments. There are a variety of situations where it is useful or necessary to make a formal decision as a group.
For formal decisions, Weave uses consensus decision-making, a methodology with a specific meaning and practice. Consensus does not mean unanimous agreement or engagement from everyone on all decisions. The key concept is consent (you can live with it), which is distinct from agreement (it’s your preference or first choice).
Agreements are documents which define important processes at Weave. They are the legislation which govern the rules of how we operate. Formal decisions with everyone are only intended to be used when they will have significant impact on the wider network. This Decision Agreement is the core agreement from which all others derive their mandate.
In order to enable efficient decision-making, provide clarity to participants, comply with laws, and protect the network, certain formal decisions are delegated to specific people, groups, or processes other than a consensus decision. Decisions to change existing Agreements or create new ones are made by everyone in the network together.
At Weave, formal decisions are made using a software tool called Loomio, which helps groups make collective decisions using constructive deliberation. This process is based on the principle that diverse perspectives can be synthesized to achieve better solutions that work for more people.
While making use of other channels (online and offline) to enrich input into a decision is strongly encouraged, the results on Loomio are considered the official outcome. This is so that we can keep a clear record and archive, and to ensure that everyone who desires to participate in a given decision-making process has the opportunity to make their voice heard.
Not every Loomio proposal constitutes a formal decision. Many Loomio proposals are created simply to gauge interest or share information. For the purposes of this Agreement, a “formal decision” is a clearly worded Loomio proposal seeking a specific mandate on behalf of the network.
Anyone can propose a formal decision at any time. We seek open, transparent decision-making and strive to enable the people who are affected by a decision to participate as fully as possible in making it. weave tries to make decisions with the widest possible circle of participants, while recognising the necessity and wisdom of delegating responsibility for certain decisions.
A formal decision is only required whenever there is a significant impact on the network. It is difficult to specify exact criteria for every case, so everyone is encouraged to use their best judgement to balance exercising autonomy with gaining shared understanding.
Formal decisions are needed for the following areas (some with the whole network, some with a subset of people or by a process which has been delegated by an Agreement).