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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@bellsouth.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] hierarchies and networks
  • Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2010 21:25:26 -0400

On 10/31/2010 5:54 PM, Toby Hemenway wrote:
One subject we touched on in the recent certification thread was new and old
tools for change, and the difference
between hierarchical and decentralized organizations and tools. I'd said that
I once had high hopes for decentralized
leadership tools, like consensus, but was disappointed by how rarely they
live up to their promise. I've been
skeptical of the value of these and similar methods to actually produce
change, and have found the older
tools--strong leadership, old-style voting--at least as effective (though I
still prefer inclusive versions of these
tools to exclusive).

They say that the world is run by those who show up.
And, freedom of the press belong to those who own one.

However, these thoughts have been circulating lately: a permaculture
heirarchical oversight organization
that offers, like a governmental agencies that have no teeth and only can
offer recommendations at best to
those who do have the power to put laws, rule and regulations in place.

You vote with your feet. Permaculture teachers, organizations, consultants and designers and anyone who would hire a permaculture professional simply could require that they have proven expertise, knowledge and a certificate(s) of having completed training and fieldwork before being hired. This phoo could help those professionals in training by offering a set of permaculture standards, similar to the Organic Rule for USDA certified organic farms and an outline and description of standard coursework that should be required of anyone seeking status as a certified permaculture professional. This process could be elevated to community college and university level coursework.

Do read my suggestion about the need to recognize and help those who cannot afford any training but want to play a significant role in their communities as permaculture mentors, teachers, activists (political too, if necessary),
consultants, designers and local practitioners within a growing community of like-minded individuals (this would be so important to so many, just think about that if you're thinking about ways to make waves for forge the future).

I was catching up on a stack of New Yorker magazines this morning, and in the
Oct 4 issue there's an article that
fits right in to this conversation, "Small Change" by Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell
is known for his book "The Tipping
Point" and in general being a whole systems thinker. He's made the points I
would have liked to have made. I was
intrigued that he feels network tools aren't good for doing design, and that
they are better at preserving the status
quo than changing it. So here's a quote from the article.

"Unlike hierarchies, with their rules and procedures, networks aren’t
controlled by a single central authority.
Decisions are made through consensus, and the ties that bind people to the
group are loose. This structure makes
networks enormously resilient and adaptable in low-risk situations. Wikipedia
is a perfect example. . . .


"The drawbacks of networks scarcely matter if the network isn’t interested in
systemic change—if it just wants to
frighten or humiliate or make a splash—or if it doesn’t need to think
strategically. But if you’re taking on a
powerful and organized establishment you have to be a hierarchy . . . .

Wonderful thinking!

LL




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