ROLES IN AND FOR WISE DEMOCRACY
Let us know (a) how you might change or add to this list and (b) if you think we should add this to the site and, if so, where. Write to cii@igc.org with "WD-PL ROLES" in the subject line.
If you want to know what to do to further wise democracy, pick roles listed here that appeal to you and explore patterns associated with them, several of which are listed after each role. If you are already active in some of these roles, explore their related patterns for guidance on how to contribute even more to the development of wise democracy. (Note: Although each one of these is articulated in its individual manifestation, it also has - at least potentially - group, systemic, and cultural manifestations/applications.)
1. FACILITATOR / CONVENER - Make needed conversations happen among diverse people and perspectives, in ways that generate insight into a bigger picture of what’s going on and what to do about it and more energy to get that done by all involved. 56 – Spaces for Dialogue and Collaboration, 29 – Generative Interactions, 20 – Diversity, 18 – Deliberation, 64 – Using Diversity and Disturbance Creatively, 1 – All Concerns Addressed, 22 – Enough Time, 25 – Feeling Heard, 5 – Capacitance, 68 – Whole System in the Conversation, 33 – Iteration, 36 – Microcosms, 55 – Sortition (random selection, 37 – Multi-Modal Intelligence), 70 – Working Through Feelings, 39 – Multiple Perspective View, 31 – Healthy Polarity Dynamics, 44 – Power of Listening, 45 – Powerful Questions, 53 – Safety First, Then Challenge, 54 – Self-Organization, 57 – Story Sharing, 63 – Universal Participation
2. THEORETICIAN / RESEARCHER - Develop theory, patterns, practices, and possibilities that help people understand and develop wise democracy, and review their applications for deeper understanding. 43 – Possibility Thinking, 2 – Appreciative Thinking, 3 – Appropriate Innovation, 23 – Expertise on Tap (Not on Top), 5 – Capacitance, 60 – Systems Thinking, 16 – Crowdsourcing, 6 – Caring into Quality, 5 – Capacitance, 6 – Caring into Quality, 14 – Context Awareness, 15 – Critical Thinking, 20 – Diversity, 64 – Using Diversity and Disturbance Creatively, 27 – Full Spectrum Information, 29 – Generative Interactions, 33 – Iteration, 31 – Healthy Polarity Dynamics, 37 – Multi-Modal Intelligence, 42 – Partnership Culture, 45 – Powerful Questions, 47 – Proposals Emergent, 52 – Rich Feedback Dynamics
3. PRACTITIONER / DOER - Apply the theory and patterns of wise democracy to your group, field, community, sector, etc., and share your stories, knowledge, and experience with others. 1 – All Concerns Addressed, 4 – Big Empathy, 5 – Capacitance, 60 – Systems Thinking, 68 – Whole System in the Conversation, 32 – Integrity and Authenticity, 11 – Communal Intelligence, 38 – Multi-Modal Power, 14 – Context Awareness, 20 – Diversity, 64 – Using Diversity and Disturbance Creatively, 52 – Rich Feedback Dynamics, 54 – Self-Organization, 52 – Rich Feedback Dynamics, 56 – Spaces for Dialogue and Collaboration
4. PROMOTER / ADVOCATE - Make the wise democracy worldview and its associated ideas, methods and applications known, wanted, and adopted. 14 – Context Awareness, 30 – Grounding in Fundamental Needs, 1 – All Concerns Addressed, 25 – Feeling Heard, 32 – Integrity and Authenticity, 24 – Exuberance, 27 – Full Spectrum Information, 28 – Generating Shared Orientation, 29 – Generative Interactions, 56 – Spaces for Dialogue and Collaboration, 57 – Story Sharing, 64 – Using Diversity and Disturbance Creatively, 65 – Visionary Attractors. 66 – Well-Utilized Life Energy, 69 – Wise Use of Uncertainty
5. CHANGE AGENT / ACTIVIST - Drive or catalyze changes in systems and cultures that make them - or prepare them for becoming - both more democratic and more wisely powerful. If you are an issue activist, consider making your group culture and campaign strategy more democratically wise AND shifting 10-20% of your time and energy into transforming the systems that decide on your issue (and all other issues), to make THEM more democratically wise. 65 – Visionary Attractors, 66 – Well-Utilized Life Energy, 30 – Grounding in Fundamental Needs, 1 – All Concerns Addressed, 4 – Big Empathy, 60 – Systems Thinking, 68 – Whole System in the Conversation, 38 – Multi-Modal Power, 14 – Context Awareness, 31 – Healthy Polarity Dynamics, 70 – Working Through Feelings, 69 – Wise Use of Uncertainty, 53 – Safety First, Then Challenge, 69 – Wise Use of Uncertainty
6. FUNDER / RESOURCE PROVIDER - Make available funds, people, space, organization, infrastructure, equipment, and/or other resources needed for success by people in other roles listed here. 30 – Grounding in Fundamental Needs, 1 – All Concerns Addressed, 2 – Appreciative Thinking, 4 – Big Empathy, 60 – Systems Thinking, 68 – Whole System in the Conversation, 42 – Partnership Culture, 41 – Nurturing Social Capital, 34 – Life-Enhancing Enoughness, 7 – Checks on Extreme Inequality, 16 – Crowdsourcing, 33 – Iteration, 43 – Possibility Thinking, 47 – Proposals Emergent, 54 – Self-Organization, 52 – Rich Feedback Dynamics, 56 – Spaces for Dialogue and Collaboration, 64 – Using Diversity and Disturbance Creatively, 65 – Visionary Attractors, 66 – Well-Utilized Life Energy, 69 – Wise Use of Uncertainty
7. JOURNALIST / CURATOR - Gather, record, digest and/or make accessible information produced by, needed by, and/or about people who are (or could be) developing or operating in wisely democratic ways or situations. 27 – Full Spectrum Information, 39 – Multiple Perspective View, 15 – Critical Thinking, 44 – Power of Listening, 45 – Powerful Questions, 43 – Possibility Thinking, 2 – Appreciative Thinking, 4 – Big Empathy, 25 – Feeling Heard, 5 – Capacitance, 41 – Nurturing Social Capital, 32 – Integrity and Authenticity, 11 – Communal Intelligence, 30 – Grounding in Fundamental Needs, 13 – Constraints on Concentrated Power, 7 – Checks on Extreme Inequality
8. LEARNER / EDUCATOR - Explore, learn, question, and/or pass on understandings and capacities relevant to developing wise democracies, both in general and in specific situations. 2 – Appreciative Thinking, 15 – Critical Thinking, 14 – Context Awareness, 29 – Generative Interactions, 33 – Iteration, 37 – Multi-Modal Intelligence, 4 – Big Empathy, 25 – Feeling Heard, 5 – Capacitance, 67 – Wholesome Life Learning, 30 – Grounding in Fundamental Needs, 43 – Possibility Thinking, 44 – Power of Listening, 45 – Powerful Questions, 56 – Spaces for Dialogue and Collaboration, 57 – Story Sharing, 60 – Systems Thinking, 64 – Using Diversity and Disturbance Creatively, 66 – Well-Utilized Life Energy, 69 – Wise Use of Uncertainty
9. OFFICIAL / POWER HOLDER - Use the power, perspective, resources and connections of your position to function - and get others to function - in wisely democratic ways. 66 – Well-Utilized Life Energy, 54 – Self-Organization, 1 – All Concerns Addressed, 4 – Big Empathy, 23 – Expertise on Tap (Not on Top), 25 – Feeling Heard, 60 – Systems Thinking, 68 – Whole System in the Conversation, 58 – Subsidiarity, 59 – Synergy Between Part and Whole, 64 – Using Diversity and Disturbance Creatively, 48 – Prudent Use of Power Over, 41 – Nurturing Social Capital, 32 – Integrity and Authenticity, 43 – Possibility Thinking, 10 – Commons, 40 – Nature First, 21 – E Pluribus Unum, 28 – Generating Shared Orientation, 38 – Multi-Modal Power, 30 – Grounding in Fundamental Needs
10. STEWARD / GUARDIAN - Ensure that the essence, knowledge, materials and activities of the movement for a wise democracy - and the world it functions in and is dependent on - are safe and sustained with integrity for the future. 2 – Appreciative Thinking, 60 – Systems Thinking, 32 – Integrity and Authenticity, 10 – Commons, 6 – Caring into Quality, 69 – Wise Use of Uncertainty, 66 – Well-Utilized Life Energy, 67 – Wholesome Life Learning, 68 – Whole System in the Conversation, 57 – Story Sharing, 54 – Self-Organization, 45 – Powerful Questions, 42 – Partnership Culture, 56 – Spaces for Dialogue and Collaboration, 29 – Generative Interactions, 33 – Iteration, 28 – Generating Shared Orientation
11. STORYTELLER / VISIONARY - Gather, create, and share stories that energize, deepen, and inspire people and that enable them to take action and to live into increasingly wise democracies. 24 – Exuberance, 2 – Appreciative Thinking, 43 – Possibility Thinking, 57 – Story Sharing, 65 – Visionary Attractors, 4 – Big Empathy, 25 – Feeling Heard, 68 – Whole System in the Conversation, 30 – Grounding in Fundamental Needs, 70 – Working Through Feelings, 42 – Partnership Culture, 69 – Wise Use of Uncertainty, 54 – Self-Organization, 45 – Powerful Questions, 33 – Iteration
12. ORGANIZER / LEADER - Strategize, inspire, inform and/or connect people into activities - especially inquiries, communities, networks and collaborations - that have meaning for them and move us all towards more wise democracy. 43 – Possibility Thinking, 2 – Appreciative Thinking, 66 – Well-Utilized Life Energy, 54 – Self-Organization, 1 – All Concerns Addressed, 4 – Big Empathy, 25 – Feeling Heard, 60 – Systems Thinking, 68 – Whole System in the Conversation, 30 – Grounding in Fundamental Needs, 24 – Exuberance, 38 – Multi-Modal Power
13. COMPANION / SUPPORTER - Appreciate, join, and empower the aliveness of others who are or could be playing some of these roles with greater wisdom, effectiveness, persistence resilience, and/or joy. 2 – Appreciative Thinking,, 4 – Big Empathy, 66 – Well-Utilized Life Energy, 54 – Self-Organization, 24 – Exuberance, 25 – Feeling Heard, 5 – Capacitance, 34 – Life-Enhancing Enoughness, 43 – Possibility Thinking, 30 – Grounding in Fundamental Needs, 70 – Working Through Feelings, 53 – Safety First, Then Challenge, 38 – Multi-Modal Power
14. PARTISAN / STAKEHOLDER - Realize and play your systemic role in your area of concern in wisely democratic ways and encourage your fellow and opposing partisans and stakeholders to play their roles likewise, soliciting support to help you do that. 61 – Transpartisan Inquiry, 64 – Using Diversity and Disturbance Creatively, 25 – Feeling Heard, 68 – Whole System in the Conversation, 44 – Power of Listening, 35 – Metabolize Polarization, 8 – Citizen/Stakeholder Balance, 38 – Multi-Modal Power, 30 – Grounding in Fundamental Needs, 31 – Healthy Polarity Dynamics, 53 – Safety First, Then Challenge
15. WISDOM KEEPER / ADVISER - Realize, support, and promote the accessibility and use of multiple sources of insight and wisdom wherever they exist and could be applied, whether they are centered in ourselves, in others, or in the larger life around us. 39 – Multiple Perspective View, 40 – Nature First, 37 – Multi-Modal Intelligence, 4 – Big Empathy, 23 – Expertise on Tap (Not on Top), 5 – Capacitance, 15 – Critical Thinking, 17 – Deep Time Stewardship, 26 – Full Cost Accounting, 27 – Full Spectrum Information, 60 – Systems Thinking, 62 – Universal Intelligence, 64 – Using Diversity and Disturbance Creatively, 69 – Wise Use of Uncertainty, 30 – Grounding in Fundamental Needs
16. CITIZEN / RESPONSIBLE COMMUNITY MEMBER - Individually and with others, take responsibility for your own life, the lives connected to it, and the health and vitality of the community and living systems in which all these are embedded. 29 – Generative Interactions, 1 – All Concerns Addressed, 2 – Appreciative Thinking, 4 – Big Empathy, 59 – Synergy Between Part and Whole, 68 – Whole System in the Conversation, 32 – Integrity and Authenticity, 34 – Life-Enhancing Enoughness, 10 – Commons, 40 – Nature First, 21 – E Pluribus Unum, 28 – Generating Shared Orientation, 38 – Multi-Modal Power, 30 – Grounding in Fundamental Needs, 49 – Quality of Life Indicators
17. ARTIST / ENTERTAINER - Provide those working toward wise democracy with relief, vitality, solidarity, creative challenge, greater meaning, and helpful insight - and attract others to this worldview and movement that is so important to their survival and thriving. 4 – Big Empathy, 24 – Exuberance, 6 – Caring into Quality, 25 – Feeling Heard, 57 – Story Sharing, 64 – Using Diversity and Disturbance Creatively, 39 – Multiple Perspective View, 37 – Multi-Modal Intelligence, 40 – Nature First, 41 – Nurturing Social Capital, 42 – Partnership Culture, 43 – Possibility Thinking, 70 – Working Through Feelings, 28 – Generating Shared Orientation, 29 – Generative Interactions
18. OPPONENT / CYNIC / BYSTANDER / DISRUPTER - Co-create the conditions that make wise democracy ever more urgent and that invoke creatively responsive initiatives to bring it into existence, deepening the understanding of its practitioners in the process. 69 – Wise Use of Uncertainty, 64 – Using Diversity and Disturbance Creatively, 66 – Well-Utilized Life Energy, 5 – Capacitance, 44 – Power of Listening, 51 – Restrained Liberty, 25 – Feeling Heard, 63 – Universal Participation, 31 – Healthy Polarity Dynamics, 70 – Working Through Feelings
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