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Description
The challenge of Estonian civic organizations is that their management is often hierarchical, decisions are made on top and the potential of their membership is not fully used. The project will bring to Estonia knowledge and skills of management models such as sociocracy, holacracy and self-organising organisations. Such models promote shared responsibility within organizations and better engagement of membership into decision-making thus raising the capacity of civic organizations in Estonia. In the course of a project a training on sociocracy and holacracy is carried out for members of civic organizations, a new management training program is developed in Gaia Academy and a pilot training is going to be delivered for members of civic organizations and activists.
As a result of the project, there is public information in Estonian about management methods using collective wisdom; a training program has been developed and available for civic activists and civic organizations. Approximately 80 active citizens and 25 civic organizations have gained knowledge and skills to practice leadership and management based on collective wisdom and self-organization. The project is carried out in partnership with Teeme Ära Foundation and Let''s Do It World NGO. Partners provide input in developing new management training program.
Summary of project results
Currently, most civil society organizations largely operate within more or less hierarchical management models. These are characterized by the concentration of power and initiative in the hands of a small group, while other members (staff, volunteers, etc.) of the organization are less engaged. Advocacy organizations, in particular, are very leader-centered. In 80% of organizations, Board members are solely responsible for deciding which issues, problems, priorities, goals, and activities are on the agenda. As a result, a significant part of the potential of the people within the organization remains unused, meaning the organization operates below its full capacity. Additionally, there is a risk of burnout within leadership. The leaders of CSOs themselves see a need for activating their teams more, for sharing responsibilities within the organization and engaging their team members more. The aim of the project is to address this by helping CSOs implement a more organic management model that is emerging globally. This model relies on collective wisdom, self-organization, and individual responsibility from each member, enabling more complex activities to be carried out with the same resources.
- Training on sociocracy and holacracy methods, led by international trainers, was organized. It took place in March and April 2021, with 30 participants from 19 organizations.
- Based on the training, a collective intelligence-based management training program was developed. An eight-member development team, including representatives from project partners, participated in its creation.
- Estonian-language materials for introducing collective intelligence management methods were created: 10 short videos, 4 articles, and information on the training was posted on a website. Additionally, information was disseminated through four inspirational evening events held in Tallinn, Tartu, virtually, and in Pikasilla schoolhouse in Southern Estonia. Approximately 70 people attended these events.
- Pilot training sessions were conducted to test the training program. Two full two-day programs were held. In June 2021, the team of the nonprofit Eesti Metsa Abiks participated, and in November, the Tartu Magic School community joined. Both training sessions were highly successful. Participants were very satisfied and motivated to apply the methods they learned. Approximately 28 people attended these sessions in total, with children related to the Tartu Magic School also participating to some extent. In addition to these two longer pilot trainings, four shorter introductory sessions of 1–3 hours were conducted to selected CSOs.
- Additional activities included a mapping survey of the target group. The goal was to gain a clearer understanding of the knowledge level within nonprofits regarding collective intelligence-based management and their main management challenges. This mapping was essential for planning future activities based more accurately on the needs of CSOs. The survey revealed that information on collective intelligence-based management methods is not yet widespread enough for nonprofits to know to seek it out themselves. Consequently, further outreach activities were planned.
In total, approximately 120 people directly or indirectly connected to nonprofits were introduced to the principles and methods of collective intelligence-based management. Two nonprofits received in-depth training, and three umbrella/support organizations for nonprofits were introduced to the potential of collective intelligence-based management within nonprofits.
The short videos on collective intelligence-based management have been viewed 290 times on YouTube and reached 9,300 people through Facebook.
Based on these results, the project has resulted in a group of nonprofit leaders, members, and active citizens who understand the foundations of collective intelligence-based management and, if interested, are ready to further explore and learn more, potentially testing these methods within their organizations. Nonprofits now potentially have more knowledge and some initial skills to bring greater inclusivity, openness, and flexibility into their daily activities. This all contributes to the promotion of a stronger democratic culture and increased civic awareness among civil society organizations.