279 - Ted Rau, Part 1 - Leading Therapy Practices to a New Future Through Collective Governance
“The cool thing about sociocracy is that you can do it now, and at the same time, it is the future.” - Ted Rau
Change may be inevitable, but it’s far from easy. That’s especially true in the therapy field. Our clients and the profession are undergoing a sweeping evolution, to say nothing of our personal lives or the cultural landscape. Part of my own shift is a greater focus (on this podcast and IRL) on system-wide transformation, especially in the group practice realm. How do we bridge the gap between employees and owners when both feel overworked and underpaid?
Sociocracy could be the answer. But first, what the heck is sociocracy?
Ted Rau, PhD., co-founded Sociocracy For All (SoFA), a nonprofit that makes decentralized, consent-based governance accessible to workplaces, organizations, and communities. He knows a lot about how sociocracy works in principle and practice, having become a practitioner of the governance style as a member of an intentional living community. Adopting this structure, however, requires a significant mindset shift. “The one thing holding us back,” admits Ted, “is how ownership is organized. The legal systems are really a little bit of a constraint on sociocracy because [they] assume that there's a board or somebody that you can sue.”
Sociocracy works best when responsibility is segmented and shared rather than the buck stopping with an owner or board. “We make fundamental decisions in teams or circles, and every circle has their decision-making authority, which we call ‘domain,’” Ted explains. In a practice structure, we might identify domains such as hiring, marketing, administrative systems, etc. Sociocracy allows circles to recalibrate their decisions based on consent versus consensus. In other words, each circle is safe to try things out because there’s room to revisit and improve.
The question is: Are there practice owners out here willing to give up power and profit?
Equally important: Are there staffers ready to take on more significant decision-making duties?
That’s the balance we need to achieve if we want sociocracy to work in our practice-centric environment.
Y’all, I’ll be honest: I cannot fathom how our profession gets from here to there, but I’m committed to the path. I’m also committed to having more of these system-focused, heart-centered conversations. I hope you are, too.
Join Ted and me for part two.
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Ted Rau is an advocate, trainer, and consultant for self-governance with a focus on sociocracy. After earning a PhD in linguistics and working in academia, he co-founded Sociocracy For All in 2016, a now global organization with 250 members. Ted consults with mission-driven organizations, teaches, and actively participates in Sociocracy For All’s work. A transgender man and father of five, Ted has lived in Massachusetts since 2010. He is the co-author of three books on self-governance, including Many Voices One Song (2018) and Collective Power (2023), and is currently writing on governance and wisdom.
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