
- Date
- Time
- Location
- Schedule
This workshop is structured as having three structured, required sessions (Tuesdays at 10am-1pm) and two practice sessions for facilitated group discussion on the content presented in the structured sessions. The discussion sessions are optional although highly recommended!
- Tuesday, Oct. 7 (10am-1pm): Full session (Required)
- Friday, Oct. 10 (11:30am-12:30pm): Discussion (Optional)
- Tuesday, Oct. 14 (10am-1pm): Full session (Required)
- Friday, Oct. 17 (11:30am-12:30pm): Discussion (Optional)
- Tuesday, Oct. 21 (10am-1pm): Full session (Required)
- Fee
Join the Good Work Institute as we explore the tools, policies, practices, culture, frameworks, and models of shared leadership and democratic decision making.
About this course:
In this workshop series, we get into the nuts and bolts of tools, policies and practices that support democratic decision making, and discuss the kinds of relational shifts that facilitate a culture of shared leadership. We explore the broader context of shared leadership, including motivations, frameworks and models applicable to different types of organizations, both businesses and nonprofits.
In 2019, the Good Work Institute team made the collective decision to move from a hierarchical organization to a Worker Self-Directed Nonprofit. Together, we built a system of shared governance that serves the needs of our organization while honoring our unique individual contributions. This series draws our direct experience coaching, facilitating and supporting workers in a wide variety of contexts to navigate the challenges and experience the benefits of bringing democratic values into the way they work and building deeper connections to impact, purpose, and each other.
Here’s what a couple of participants from our most recent series had to say about the workshops:
These workshops have been a wonderful team-learning experience and a very timely response to our ongoing questions/inquiries into moving into a worker-directed collective. The resources, technical tools, frameworks, and approaches are truly invaluable and an incredible value-add. Through these workshops, our team has been introduced to and challenged to build shared language around power, leadership, structure, and decision-making. SOOOOOO good! – Shawn W.
I came into this process totally green to the idea of democratized work, but now feel I have a good grasp of the potential for our company, as well as great practical tools and resources, and clear next steps for how to approach these changes. – Lauren M.
Rather than provide a specific template approach, this series is designed to support participating organizations to see opportunities to evolve their own structure and processes. Together, we explore:
- Frameworks and Models of Shared Leadership
- GWI Case Study: Policies, Practices and Culture of a Worker Self-Directed Nonprofit
- Tools that Support Democratic Ways of Working and Making Decisions Together
We request that participating organizations send a minimum of two workers, and that participants attend all three workshops. Shared leadership is a collaborative practice, and we believe that the more workers present, the easier it will be for an organization to engage with this work. Our recommended best practice is to send a delegation of workers that represent different professional backgrounds and different levels of authority within the organization.
In addition to the workshop sessions, (Tuesdays at 10am-1pm) we are offering and two practice sessions for facilitated group discussion on the content presented in the structured sessions. The discussion sessions are optional although highly recommended! We will be inviting experts and co-op developers to join us for these discussions so you can get another perspective on real-life examples. Our guests come from regional co-op and social impact business development organizations: Angela DeFelice and DeeArah Wright of Coop HV, LIFT Economy, and Democracy at Work Institute.
This workshop was developed in partnership with Coop HV and in past years was co-facilitated by Micah (GWI), and Angela DeFelice and DeeArah Wright of Coop HV. This year, the workshop will be co-led by Micah and Hélène, GWI Worker Trustees, collaborating to bring their combined experiences in shared leadership, facilitation, program design, organizational development, and cooperatives to the table. To read more about our team, please visit: https://goodworkinstitute.org/team/
Process: Ticket prices (see "Fee" below) are per organization, and you are able to register up to five workers for each ticket. We request that each participating organization register at least two workers, and that participating workers come from diverse professional backgrounds and levels of authority within the organization. This is a multi-session workshop and we expect all participants to attend all three sessions. Once you provide basic registration information for your organization’s workers, they will each receive a form to complete their registration details.
Fee: This scale is a recommendation based on your organization’s budget. We prioritize collaborative participation and do not want any adherence to the scale to deter your involvement. Feel free to adjust based on the financial reality of your present circumstances. You may choose lower or higher than your budget line.
- $200 For up to 5 people if your organization’s annual budget is less than $250,000
- $400 For up to 5 people if your organization’s annual budget is $250,000 to $500,000
- $600 For up to 5 people if your organization’s annual budget is $500,000 to $750,000
- $800 For up to 5 people if your organization’s annual budget is greater than $750,000
- $1000 > $1M budget / Solidarity Price - help us sustain the program