280 - Ted Rau, Part 2 - Snap Out of Cynicism and Ignite a Glimmer of Hope!
“Ideally, there needs to be more conversation about what's good for the whole. And that's, of course, as far away from where we are, especially in this country, as it can be right now.” - Ted Rau
If you missed Part One of my conversation with sociocracy expert Ted Rau, PhD., hit play on that episode now. You won’t be disappointed, nor will you want to miss our introduction to sociocracy, the decentralized way for organizations, workplaces, and communities to make decisions.
In Part Two, Ted and I expand on how sociocracy might work in the group practice environment and how the fundamental issues of trust, personal power, and organizational accountability inform its success.
Sociocracy is an invitation to evolution. It offers a framework for equity, efficiency, and transparency. But, as was established in Part One, change isn’t always that easy. For this peer system to work inside a group practice, the practice owner must give up their ultimate authority. In contrast, practice members must become newly or more engaged in aspects of the business (i.e., marketing, administrative systems, hiring, etc).
“I'm betting that at least a third of the audience is like, yeah, that sounds kind of nice, but it's probably too good to be true,” Ted ventures. “But, this is not a theory. There are organizations running like this now.”
Still, Ted acknowledges the challenges. Our society has limited capacity for experiential learning or alternative methods of “earning a living.” Unfortunately, pesky questions of profitability (as traditionally defined) will remain in place for the foreseeable future. “We live in a democratic world, and that's how we all show up,” says Ted. “We also live in a capitalist world, and it's all the same competitive system.” But that doesn’t mean we can’t push those boundaries.
Sociocracy provides group practices with a practical guide to becoming non-hierarchical workplaces. “There's something about growing up, both as individuals and as organizations, that this is all about for me,” says Ted, adding that sociology “just seems to be in the air of something that needs to shift because we've all been in this collective holding pattern for millennia.”
Our established methods of doing business, school, government, etc, are rapidly failing. Group practices are microcosms of that experience and vanguards of what comes next. Maybe it’s time for us to move bravely towards sociocracy.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
NARM - The NeuroAffective Relational Model
RECOMMENDED EPISODES
GUEST CONTACT & BIO
SUPPORT THE SHOW
Conversations With a Wounded Healer Merch
Join our Patreon for gifts & perks
Shop our Bookshop.org store and support local booksellers
Share a rating & review on Apple Podcasts
***
Let’s be friends! You can find me in the following places…