Delegation

In discussion and decision-making involving many people, rough consensus becomes unwieldy; delegation is one method that can be used to make it more manageable. A delegate can be seen as someone who faciltates a consensus between two or more groups. Delegates are always chosen temporarily, usually just to participate in a single meeting or a series of meetings on a particular issue. The purpose of such meetings is typically to craft proposals that can be submitted to the groups represented. Each group can give its delegate a specific mandate, allowing the delegate to make certain proposals, to accept proposals that meet certain criteria, and to reject proposals that meet other critera. For maximum accountability, if the meeting produces a proposal that falls outside the delegate's mandate, the delegate must consult with his or her group before proceeding. If a group is dissatisfied with its delegate, it can replace the delegate at any time.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence. To contact us, please use the openorg-dev mailing list.