How decisions are made: who decides what, how a proposal passes, when to vote formally, and how someone becomes a member. Drawn from the governance documents in the Library.
01Who decides what
Diagram · The four circles of membership
400M: ProductionsThe co-op as a whole. Every dot is a person.
Creative-MembersMake the creative work and share in the decisions and surplus of their projects.
Aspiring Worker-MembersIn transition toward the core: fully involved in the labor, building trust over at least three months.
Worker-MembersThe core: the heaviest and widest scope of responsibilities, and the structural decisions.
Supporters, volunteers outside the membership circles, are not shown. Circles overlap and are fluid; people move inward as trust and commitment grow.
Work inside a production is self-assigned by the team, with guide positions that rotate each cycle. Creative-Members share in the responsibilities, decision-making, and surplus of the projects they are part of. Each circle is self-governing within its domain.
Diagram · Sociocracy in three parts
01CirclesSelf-governing groups of labor, each with autonomy over the decisions that most directly affect it.
02LinksCircles stay connected through members who take part in more than one, so decisions travel in both directions.
03Rounds and ConsentEveryone speaks in turn. A proposal moves when no one has a reasoned objection to it.
Sociocracy is a fluid governance structure, not a structureless fluid: joining a circle has steps. Formal decisions at 400M are made by consensus voting, described in the guide.
Swipe to see the whole map →
Worker-Members carry the labor and final decisions outside the production spheres: general coordination so the co-op keeps operating in the absence of initiative from others, proposals about the futures of 400M: Productions and the federation, allocation of the federation’s reserves, projects related to the federation’s broader aims (Spark, for example), coordination with members of other cooperatives, and the training of Aspiring Worker-Members.
A Board of Directors exists because the law requires one to function as a legal entity. Its membership is delegated by Worker-Members, and it extends no one’s decision-making power over other members.
02How a proposal passes
Diagram · How a proposal passes
01ProposalBrought by a member or a circle.
02Review periodMembers read the proposal and suggest changes, face to face or digitally.
03 · Quorum: a majority of membersTest for consensusFull support, reservations, and stand-asides all approve. Dissent does not.
No dissentThe proposal passes
Any dissentReworked with the dissentersThe author meets those who voted against and changes the proposal, then it returns to 02.↺ Back to 02
Round 1Passes only with no dissent.
Round 2Passes only with no dissent.
Round 3If a single member still dissents, passes by consensus minus one.
Diagram · Four ways of voting, and proxies
ApprovalFull SupportComplete support for the proposal.
Approval · recordedReservationsMostly in support; sees room for improvement. Reservations go in the minutes.
Approval · recordedStand AsideSerious concerns or a conflict of interest, without stopping others. Reasons go in the minutes.
Not an approvalDissentPassing would be detrimental to the organization. One dissent stops the proposal; reasons go in the minutes.
ProxyA written vote from a member who is not present. Counted only for Board of Directors elections; otherwise read aloud during discussion, non-binding, and not part of quorum.
Consensus is reached face to face or digitally, depending on the proposal. Face-to-face works best when a proposal needs deeper engagement from several members or circles; digital consensus, with its review, synthesis, and voting windows, is used for long-form written documents. The full procedure, including how to format suggested changes and how to conduct yourself during a voting window, is in How We Vote.
03When to vote formally
Diagram · Scoping a decision
Everyday workCheck in with your circle: a question in the group chat or a message-board post.
Project decisionsProduction meetings: schedules, deadlines, and guide rotations.
Org-defining questionsA formal consensus vote: review window, quorum, and rounds.
Diagram · Three democratic voting models
ConsentConsensusMajorityYes meansNo one has a reasoned objection. Good enough for now, safe enough to try.No member present votes against. Reservations and stand-asides are recorded.More than half of those voting.Who can stop itAnyone with an objection, until it is resolved.A single dissent, until the third round.No one; the minority is outvoted.At 400MInformal check-ins inside circles.Formal proposals.Sets quorum only: a majority of members.
Not every decision needs a formal vote. Members make a habit of checking in with their circle for consent and consensus on everyday things; the formal procedure is for big, org-defining questions. The models behind this are collected in How We Vote.
The more people a choice affects, and the harder it is to reverse, the more collectively it should be decided. This diagram comes from post-office, who aligns with us in terms of how we scope decisions.
Diagram · Continuous democracy
CommunityWho it impactsIndividual
Do your thingi.e. going to the toilet
Decide out loudi.e. playing music on loud speakers
Short consenti.e. hosting a one-off event
Long consenti.e. having new members join
Consensusi.e. changing rules
PermanentReversibility of choiceTemporary
With autonomyHow to decideWith collectivity
Do your thingi.e. going to the toiletDecide out loudi.e. playing music on loud speakersShort consenti.e. hosting a one-off eventLong consenti.e. having new members joinConsensusi.e. changing rules
Vertical axis: who a decision impacts, and how reversible it is. Horizontal axis: how it gets decided. The further up and right, the more people it should involve.
Always on / available
∞
Continual dialogueAt any point, anything and everything is open to discussion for everyone. Even after voting, or after initial consent or consensus was reached, opinions may be expressed. Minds may be changed, new ideas surfaced, new unity needed, as long as it is done in good faith.
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Do-ocratic spiritDo-ocracy is “do-ers decide, non-doers stand aside.” While this is too absolute, and everyone, non-doers too, reserves their democratic right, we ask that we all consider the spirit of this before giving our opinion on the initiative and efforts of others.
+
Majority preferenceDeciding through majority rule can always be invoked. If done for a consent-requiring decision, the use of majority would require consent; the same goes for consensus. Majority votes generally help with either/or choices or when facing indecision.
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Liquid democracyEvery individual can either vote for themselves or put their trust in a fellow member to vote for them. This extension of trust can be revoked and changed at any time. Relevant to consensus voting only.
Diagram after post-office, “Continuous Democracy.” Reproduced with the wording of the original.p-o.space/principles ↗︎
04Becoming a member
Diagram · From Creative-Member to Worker-Member
01 · At least 3 monthsCreative-MemberAfter the New Member Trial Period; shows commitment and knows the baseline processes of production.
02 · 3 monthsAspiring Worker-Member TrialAt least 40 hours of consistent labor, and 6 hours of trust-building time with at least two Worker-Members. Weekly or biweekly check-ins, exercises, and trainings.
03 · At least 1 weekDeliberationAmong Worker-Members, then a meeting to decide.
04 · VoteWorker-MemberJoins the circle carrying the labor and final decisions outside the production spheres.
Throughout: alignment with the Federation Manifesto, the Code of Conduct, and the Worker-Members’ Statements of Purpose. The trial goes both ways; some who meet the requirements choose to postpone their change of circle.
Everyone starts with the same application and a three-month trial as a Creative-Member. The circles, their requirements, and the path from Aspiring Worker-Member to Worker-Member are described in Circles and Requirements and the guide for Aspiring Worker-Members.
