Want to bring LTT to your community? The recommended route is outlined below. Remember, various aspects of this methodology may look like things you've seen and done before. However you may be surprised at how this process challenges and broadens your perspective.
Here we assemble the necessary Actors to sign an agreement that initiates the LTT process.
To initiate the LTT process, we start with an agreement between KuneLab and three (3) differentiated community Actors that make up the Local Startup Team. Actors can be leaders/ members of formal institutions, organizations, businesses, or informal community groups. It is recommended that at least one (1) Actor from the municipality/ local government be included in the agreement.
The Local Startup Team will sign a contract with KuneLab in which they agree to implement the LTT in their locality for a period of one year (negotiable). Once this is done, the Local Startup Team's primary role is to complete the creation of a Local Implementation Team (LIT), i.e. the group officially responsible for commandeering the LTT process.
KuneLab will assist the Local Implementation Team by providing a Tutor who will facilitate activities and train the team to use the LTT tools, processes, and dedicated web platform that support the work. And yes, there is a cost ... see here.
Here we establish a decision-making apparatus with the maximum level of local diversity and commitment
Systems change requires "mixing up" how we work together. In other words, need to change the rules of how we playo change the outcome of the game. On of the LTT's basic parameters is to ensure the highest level of diversity: we want local decision making to exhibit the broadest set of perspectives possible within the community.
The Local Startup Team works to collect diversity The Local Startup Team (LST) will work to form a larger group by looking for its components, favouring the diversity within the community's leadership. This important work is also the very reason for the existence of a startup team as a first step. A group formed solely of friends, or of all architects, of members of the same political party or same social class, etc. is not what we aim for, as this type of group will have more blindspots .
Change doesn't come without commitment (sorry!) The final group (LIT) will meet [ideally] at least once a week for the first 6 months of the activity, therefore availability of the components is very important.
How many people we need Ten people coming from different context will be enough, the use of the S3 methodology governance (here is another game changing rule) will complete the goal to bring in many other positions and points of view of the community Actors.
A way to learn the new rules of the game and warm up your muscles before the actual work
Once the Local Implementation Team is formed you enter the group preparation phase. This is normally divided into 2 or 3 moments depending on the time available and the availability of the participants.
Local Transformation Toolkit overview A half day of training in which the architecture of the LTT framework is presented along with the expected path for the first year of activity.
Sociocracy 3.0 overview Two 3 hours sessions to start learning this decision making methodology. The first will focus on the theory and the second will be a first laboratory to see how it works.
We consider these first two moments of training essential but, if possible, we try to immediately introduce a moment of training on Non Violent Communication (NVC) as well.
This is where the real work begins and first we want to create a portrait of our community
You'll start mapping Actions happening in the community that the LIT understands as actions towards sustainability, justice... say just transition actions. Ideally you'll focus on about 30 Actions and start the process to analyze all of them using the LTT Grid and the web dedicated platform.
An indispensable map to continue the journey You'll end up with the analysis of every single Action and the web platform will calculate a report based on the sum of every action. We call this collection of informations the Baseline of your community. It provides a number o interesting informations about the way your community works, the strong and the weak points, the areas that are producing benefits, those creating problems (and some times problems are were you don't expect them to be).
Attention to sensitive data What emerges form the baseline can be sensitive and delicate, the LIT will therefore develop an internal policy about the use of the informations and the results of the baseline work. This aspect can vary a lot depending on the local context With this detailed portrait in our hands the most interesting part of the game can begin.
In your baseline you have now a lot of information to choose carefully the actions you want support and start changing the reality around you
Community's resources are limited by definition. It is therefore very important to make the best use of them by investing where little can in any case do a lot. The Actions analysis provides key information to make conscious choices in this regard.
Thanks to the baseline theLIT can now suggest ways to improve the quality of some actions focussing on the most promising and with the highest transformation potential. They can seek funds, call in experts to support, link multiple actions to amplify their effectiveness, draw the attention of politicians, the media, citizens, etc.
The co-design aspect One of the interesting aspects of using the Sociocracy 3.0 is that it offers a very solid methodology to co-design within a context where diversity become an element of guarantee of quality and safety of the project. This will be a strength when the LIT will connect to those who carry out a certain Action to design with them improvement or ways to support. The evaluation aspect At the same time, the LTT system provides the tools to carry out a periodic re-evaluation of any action and to measure the actual improvement or in any case any variation with respect to what was recorded in the baseline.
Thanks the baseline you can now identify areas where would be important to introduce new actions
And this is probably the most exciting part of the LIT activity. Having a clear vision of the community you can think and promote Actions responding to existing or emerging needs, react to problems, seize opportunities.
During the baseline work a different cultural framework was created by the teem and now they will be able to plan in a more knowledgeable and competent way. They can more easily design short, medium and long term new Actions, connect with other Actors within and outside the community and so on.
This is particularly beneficial for the local government that can count on a sort transformation engine and a space where each topic can be addressed outside the dynamic of majority and minority.
