Blessings y'all,
The short version...
Depending on the vision and integrity of a leader and their alignment with my own values and goals, I could fall anywhere within the 5-7 range, depending on the intention of the land and the people involved. (I'm new to the site so just getting to know my way around here.) My main concern would be when Benevolent Dictator has a bad hair day...
Appropriate land -- and (like-enough-minded?) people -- can be hard to come by and I've been talking with folks, trying to find the proper alignment for myself. I spent last summer traveling across the country looking for this, including Missoula, though I didn't know about Paul and his wonderful work here at the time.
The long version for those with time on their hands...
Some intentional communities, transition towns, and cooperative leaning organizations implementing social permaculture are adopting Sociocracy, aka Dynamic Governance or DSG (Dynamic Self Governance), guided by values like Transparency, Consent, and Equal Value (with different roles), and the practice of "Paramount Objection". I'm looking for workshops in this approach because it ties into a film project on democracy I've been planning, so if anyone has recommendations, please hit me with 'em.
As a recovering "software engineer" and refugee from the corporate "High Tech Industry" with an educational background in political thought, economics, and sociology, my sense of things was that when software developers and their managers could operate more closely approaching a cooperative model -- regardless of what someone was calling it (Scrum, Agile, Extreme Programming, Lean, Getting Real, ... blahblah) -- more work got done with higher quality; people had more fun; more creativity and innovation bubbled up; there were fewer petty squabbles, power struggles, and less back-biting... in other words, the end results included better inputs and outputs, including happier people who were more likely to take pride and ownership in their work and genuinely help others with theirs.
HOWEVER... it was rare that such a utopia was achieved with any lasting consistency in the larger corporate environments where I worked. Though I've spoken with others in smaller shops who swear they work this way. And as an independent consultant where I was working more closely and face-to-face with my clients and subcontractors, I found some of these principles in play, not that we were consciously attempting to conform to them. Everyone respected each others expertise, needs, and ideas and so came up with the best decisions by getting everything on the table (transparency) and trusting we were all working toward the same goals, iterating via feedback loops and tests, reciprocity, etc.
For me, it may have to be with a smaller group on a smaller plot of land to begin with. Then once we build something we tweak together and come up with something can be proud of and want to share, we would open it up to others to help us continue and evolve the community. After all, from my limited but growing understanding, this is how Mother Nature tends to work (species and individuals that overshoot eventually get slapped down hard)... and She's done a pretty good job so far. In the end I think I want to follow Her and the land's intention.
Of course, the downside to this approach is fewer people likely means less land to work with in the beginning and so how does one scale it up when you're ready? What's the best size land? 1/4 to 1 acre per small group? And what skillsets are a minimum? This is what I'm currently struggling with. Like software teams (Mythical Man Month), perhaps there's an optimal sized intentional community (6-7?), and it's best to grow only so large and then network and trade (goods, people, ideas, and implementations) between other communities. Get too big, like the Greek city states, and external and internal strife may become inevitable. Every empire has fallen eventually, and most emperors at the end of the run don't fare too well. Larger systems (like the honey bee and ants?) seem to require some form of tyranny and totalitarianism (overt, managed or inverted -- see Sheldon Wolin's "Democracy, INC.") but the queen will always be replaced by her workers and drones when she wears out, or new swarms will develop when things get out of hand.
Perhaps federating a larger community into smaller ones might be something to consider? I believe this is what Damanhur in Italy does. I think they call them nucleos, and they each have their own particular leanings, styles, and goals. I need to look into this further as a friend spent last summer there and has been blogging about his experience.
http://biosdesign.us/blog/damanhur-trip-may-2012-blog-posts
-Victor
p.s.
FWIW, here are a few links of Sociocracy from my notes...
http://www.communitiesconference.org/info/new-dynamic-governance-intensive/
"Is there an effective method of decision-making and organization that’s efficient enough to get things done? Can it result in greater equality than majority rule democracy? Sociocracy, also known as Dynamic Governance, is a whole-systems approach to all that; communities, businesses, and organizations around the world use it. With this method, you can spend less time in meetings and arrive at better decisions, while getting more done. You can optimize group intelligence and wisdom while retaining individual perspectives and contributions."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociocracy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociocracy#In_contemporary_practice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyw0gBsDeho
1. Transparency
2. Consent
3. Equal Value (with different roles)
Use of the practice of "paramount objection".
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1661661.We_the_People
'"We the People" describes a new method of governing that creates more inclusive and efficient organizations. Sociocracy ensures the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to everyone, and in the process, makes businesses more profitable and non-profit organizations more effective.'
Sociocracy / Dynamic Governance
http://www.veoh.com/watch/v183564122SD33Z4z?h1=Sociocracy+%2F+Dynamic+Governance
The new farm incubator that Jenny Pell is involved with is moving toward this.
http://www.communitybydesignllc.org/
More videos on the web:
https://www.google.com/search?q=sociocracy
