October 27, 2022 Governance Discussion - Generative Local Community Initiative + Lionsberg / Meta Project

Agenda

  • Share Generative local community model and governance needs – Jason and Ted
  • Review Mondragon and other researched governance models
  • Lionsberg model - Jordan and Bill
  • Questions/feedback/ next steps - All

People attending and why

  • Ted
    • works with large health systems
    • redesigns to achieve population health
    • been working with Generative Local Communities Institution
  • Jane Lorand
    • Catalytic Thinking Labs
      • Green MBA
    • Wind Tunneling
  • Tracey Huston
  • Michael Grossman
    • Factr
  • Bill Larson
    • Extensive history with Jordan re governance
  • Jason Schulist
    • Generative Local Community Institute
    • Imiagine Fox Cities
  • Jordan Sukut
    • Lionsberg and meta project
    • Mondregon
  • John Brogan
    • CEO of Bank of Kaukauna
    • Access to capital at early stages of environments...
    • how banks serve as catalist in early stages for early stages...
    • Co-Founder of Fork Farms? growing healthy greens - using aquaponic aquaculture
  • Rick
    • Governance interests strong
    • Supporting Parklawn Village - generative local community model

Ted

  • President of Miller electric - source

  • been working 1.5 years through this model... share, and discuss problem relating to governance

  • Every individual born wtih a unique potential - acorn to oak tree

    • genertically coded... that we can achieve
  • The introduction of elements and condtiions determine whether it can flourish, or not...

  • WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS... rain, relationships, embodied learning, higher calling...

  • what are the conditions that need to be in palce for an individual to floruish

  • Generativity - group of people or community flourishing together... not single acord ot oak but whole forest

  • environmental conditions so people can flourish together.

  • idea of experiment to run around how we might build a generative local community in reality...

  • 5 things we know the world already knows how to do

  • local organisations supporting local business

    • convert money into flourishing

      • organisations that do this already
      • take money and deliver conditions for a population
      • Intellectual, spiritual, adn physical flourishing
    • local anchoring orgs supporting local business
      • Key instutions thgat are. local, local health, education, utilites, government, private business
        • each with own supply chain needs
        • can have big impact on economy by keeping those supply chain needs local...
        • Vs. outsourcing to larger multinational corporation
    • creating local business network
      • idea of multiple - the sum being greater than the parts
      • synergies
      • By pulling local busiensses together under single banner, they can work together...
      • GLC prototype - in Miluakee
    • govern a network of businesses
      • If you are pulling together a network, how would they potentially be governeed
      • Mondragon
      • DAO.
      • we know it is possible
      • Governance becomes the really focus when we have pitched... it is at heart of how the whole thing fworks...
      • Mondragon as a story / prophesy / proof it is possible...
    • social impact investors focus investment on root cause issues.
      • working on root causes of issues
      • available capital to be investted in social and community development work
      • Complexity mindset and intercoonnected mindset on how we invest those dollars...
  • We are not focused on Issue 4

  • What if we could connect these 5 things in a neighborhood system... if we did that... would that allow us to achieve or move towards GRC concept...

    • Can you cash flow positive this network of businesses
    • incubator kitchen
    • laundromat
      • by day retail
      • evening commercial / industrial
    • fork to farms
    • restraurant
    • yoga center...
    • primary reason is to create flourishing... but need cash flow... and nice to have community anchor organizations create more cash flow
  • Expect cash flow positive ina way there is profit at the end - not for short term... but for long term... discerning how they convert extra resources into various forms of flourishing...

    • Assume network is run like agenerative business
    • set of principles... that is not optimizing wages at the top, but distributes it so that everyone has a living wage...
    • can we do money conversion to flourishing, and can we manage a network of businesses effectively
  • Jane

    • are you assuming one model of governance is appropriate for all
      • economic (ecosystem of businesses)
      • social cultural
      • rights
      • each have unique nuances.
  • It is all hypothesis - so whatever we do is a test of that hypothesis...

  • Any business... shaped by economic and social realities it serves...

    • In short term old world... businesses have to profit to survive (potential problem)
  • not about short term thinking with domapine

  • Investors who understand the long term

    • short term is ROI...
    • but also impacting continued legacy...
    • so that after 10 years - willing to step aside from ownership so that neighborhood can flourish...
    • After 8 years - 30k / month going back into the hands of hte community - to invest in microloans to help with home ownership...
      • homes increasingly owned outside community and outside country...
      • to local community land trusts...
  • Forrist

    • building thriving regional food ecosystems...
    • the relationship of all regional ecosystemtic elements to one another...
    • nature of governance - networks plural not network
    • how do you put together governance for networks, where members are alliance or coalition of networks, which is different than governance of specific organization or network...
      • an allinace of multiple networks, or single business networks...
    • concept of marketplaces - how critical marketplaces are to be able to really generate revenue flow necessary to regenerate and rebuild a particular community based on what community itself articulates through faciliated process over a period of months...
    • - revenue flow
      - rebuild what the community wants
      
  • Black assembly of God / church of God network - so could be scalable and deployed in many places using faith based communities...

  • learn from this project and then scale

  • Discrete autonomous identites stepping out of identiteis to participate in something different - that leads to conflicting interests...

    • vs. netowrk of people who are contributing to different uses
    • generative business contrives many different uses, revenue streams, times of day, etc...
    • federated co-op model - taking into the DAO realm...
    • Functioanl and identity limitations keep showing up - I wonder why?
    • by naming a netowrk of businesses - honoring difference as well as wholeness...
    • Network of to happen to us as individuals... give we are trained to see mine, network, territory, identity...
    • so that we can work in wholeness...
    • Individual entrepreneurs in a network?
    • or a conglomerate managed by one governance structure?
    • what is the set of principles to be part?
    • do we use what exists in the place?
      • take what exists and exapt
    • Some type of governance, across a bunch of businesses, connected together as a unit...
    • if we have money coming out... how do we govern how it does...
  • B Corp certifications...

  • DAOs...

  • Sub model of certification for generative business, that is a form of B Corp...

  • Co-Ops,

  • Trusts...

  • Solve the underlying problem... of is your goal of a board member to maximize shareholder revenue... or other obligations

  • Jordan

    • long history with dense interaction with Mondragon
      • where this model works and where it does not
      • interview with the keeper of Mondragon - Jose
    • synthesis into a system of system
      • in any community
      • customised
      • allow interoperability
  • go to this part of recording for details

  • figure it out for one generative community and all of them are different

    • figure out the complexity as we go

Bill Larson

  • lifetime and record that
  • expressing it simply is challenge
  • pull people towards expressing their problems by induction
  • series of classes or sessions to discuss each of the elements
  • BCorp LC3 - moderating structures
  • Solve a different problem -
  • intergenerational cutoff of equity value...
  • dysfunction seeps in value that was grow over long time - could value been used all along the way - more real time - now non-profit is there to serve rather than solve problem
  • non-profits incentivised seek money and always stay in business
  • none of the decisions are enough...
  • if a for profit is completely free to act in certain ways...
  • non profit certain benefits - what if we merge them?
  • The non profit owns the for profit -
  • C Corp is owned by non-profit
  • there is never a problem of duty to shareholder
  • at the very bottom is community of values
    • free participation of people of like mind
    • Values and purpose oriented community
    • give rise to intergenerational protection of values
    • not dissipating the equity after one generation
    • various forms of joint venture and cooperative relationship
    • considers human impact, universal elements, onboarding - training etc need to be knit into the structure

Let's Host a Series

  • Top questions
  • Top dysfunctions...
  • Proposed Solution...

General Notes

  • "You can't really design complex systems"
  • Complexity, applied thinking, learning
  • Use of metaphors to explain complexity
    • 'acorn to oak tree' and 'the whole forest'