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How citizens' groups destroy
themselves
One largely overlooked cause of low levels of citizen involvement is
the internal dynamics of all-volunteer groups. Lack of attention to what can go
wrong inside a group means countless grassroots initiatives wither and die
without achieving anything. The problem is quite simply that many citizens
groups drive away their most able members. In a typical arc, a new member will
step forth to work with others on some public issue, last for a relatively short
time, then disappear back into private life, never to be heard from again. A
glimmer of green then nothing. What causes this kind of grassroots rot?
Too little
fun.
Long-term activists have fun when they get together. Many enjoy making fun of
people in power. People who take themselves too seriously can turn any task into
a chore. Getting together should feel more like recreation than work, no matter
how serious the issue. Those who understand citizen involvement stress the
importance of having fun over all other considerations.
An inward focus,
in particular:
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Too much emphasis on organization and too little on mission.
Hoping to become more organized, many small groups create little
bureaucracies that drain everyone's energy. Often so much effort goes into
maintaining the organization there is little left to pursue the reason for
creating an organization in the first place. Planning and presentation are
essential, bureaucracy is not. Beware of boards, forming a
non-profit society, writing grant applications, fundraising, annual reports,
Roberts Rules of Order and the other components of organizational quicksand.
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Too many meetings and too little action.
Most people would prefer to act on something concrete rather than sit at a
meeting wrangling or trying to "reach consensus". Some meetings
are usually necessary, but try to keep the frequency down, the time short,
and the number of participants small.
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Too much deciding and too little creating.
Every advocacy group needs to generate options for action. To do this well,
participants need to switch off their Voice of Judgment and brainstorm.
Unfortunately, when people get together for a meeting they usually switch on
their Voice of Judgment in preparation for decision making. If they remain
in this critical frame of mind, they will generate few options for action;
nothing will get done, and no one will have any fun.
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Too many
people.
Because of the emphasis on getting more people involved, many people feel
that large groups are better than small groups. This is a mistake. A working
group should not exceed nine people. This is the upper limit of what
sociologists call a primary group. A small group does not preclude working
with others under the umbrella of a larger group; nor does it prelude
communicating with larger numbers of people through email networks, special
events and annual conventions.
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The wrong
people.
Because building democracy and community involves working with others,
most people assume they should welcome anyone interested in joining. But
this wholesome impulse can lead to rapid decline. Few are willing to admit
what is obvious in any grassroots group: some people are assets and others
are liabilities. While every group can handle a small portion of people who
are very angry, or very combative, or very controlling, or very lonely, or
very long-winded, or really out-to-lunch, as the ratio of these people
increases, level-headed, friendly, competent people begin to leave. As the
imbalance increases, even more leave until the group is reduced to a grim
residue. Those interested in growing the grassroots need to address this all
too common phenomenon.
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Too little contact
It is hard for people to maintain a working relationship when they see one
another once a month. Once a week is best, not only because it is more frequent
but because it fits into the way people schedule other activities. If regular
face-to-face contact is difficult, regular phone calls or email may work as a
substitute. More attention needs to be paid to unplanned getting together one of
the traditional sources of community. Much of it used to occur on the street
before cars took over. Today it occurs in the workplace, in places designed to
enhance community such as co-housing, and in pubs and clubs.
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Objectives
out-match resources
Groups of nine or less can often manage on personal resources. But as group size
increases, a shortage of money and time usually leads to spiraling decline.
Without paid staff there is no one to look after organizational housekeeping,
and no one to train, manage and reward volunteers. As people disappear, many
potential grassroots leaders burn out trying to do more and more themselves. A
lack of resources does not mean giving up. It does mean inventing clever ways to
effectively use time, connections and skills.
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In summary: limit group size to nine, make sure members enjoy one another's
company, have fun, and avoid stretching resources.
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