Governance and collective decision-making

Governance

There are several models of governance, which we can summarize as vertical governance, shared governance and horizontal governance. Shared governance is a model in line with collaborative change projects..

  • A diagram designed by Instant Z that gives an overview of 5 major decision-making modes , classified according to their speed of execution (vertical axis) and the commitment they generate in the team concerned (horizontal axis): Decision-making modes

  • A sheet developed by Instant Z on consensus decision-making, which means that everyone agrees with the decision taken. Decision by consensus

  • A 19-minute 15-second video on decision by consent, which means that no one is actively against the decision being made. Video Decision by consent

  • Seeking advice is useful when a person or group is responsible for deciding on an object and is unsure about the choice to be made. They can then seek the advice of experts and/or colleagues to help them see things more clearly before making a decision. Réseau coop has developed a fact sheet on seeking advice

  • A fact sheet developed by the Tamarack Institute , reminding us of the fundamental roles of governance and inviting us to assess the strengths and weaknesses of these roles within a collective. Developing your support structure

  • A guide, developed by Dynamo, that distinguishes between the vertical, shared and horizontal models to highlight the key elements of shared governance and the questions we need to ask ourselves to bring a little more collaboration into our operating modes. Support guide: Shared governance

  • The postures are summarized in this poster, developed by Instant Z, in connection with the 3 fundamental values of shared governance: freedom and responsibility, trust and collaboration. Collaborative postures in shared governance

Collective decision-making

There are a multitude of ways of making decisions together. Some give priority to a space for discussion, to facilitate everyone's buy-in to the collective choice. This is particularly true of consensus and consent methods.