What
is a Commons?
A
commons in everyday parlance is a common space, often a
parcel of open land owned and operated by and for a community
of people. We use the term Commons with a big 'C' to denote
a class of organizational form that can serve communities
of constructive collaboration operating through the medium
of Cyberspace.
The
Purpose of a Commons
Our
conception of a Commons is not simply about the sale of
products or services, which is handled well by traditional
marketplaces, nor is it a community of interest, which is
the domain of clubs or political organizations. When an
exchange of value is meant to accomplish a more complex
shared goal, this implies there will be a relationship entered
into for some period of time. Building relationships through
constructive collaborative works is the real purpose of
a Commons.
Why
do we need to create an organizational paradigm like the
Commons?
Our
organizations are failing at an increasing rate
Many
indications lead us to believe that human society is in
the midst of an period of accelerating organizational failure.
Companies which have existed for decades or centuries are
failing or losing their core expertise. Equity and other
financial markets are failing to deliver value to the economy
or investment security to individuals. Governments are pulled
away from their mandate for democratic representation by
powerful special interests. Individuals and families are
experiencing job loss and economic disruption at an increasing
rate. New ventures are failing in shorter time frames. Conflict
and disruptive violence occur with seemingly no ability
to ameliorate their root causes.
Our
current institutions are not up to the challenges ahead
At
the same time, the planet's carrying capacity must sustain
an ever more demanding human population and is showing signs
of weakening. We believe it is very clear that current organizational
structures and processes, whether they be in government,
in the business world, or in religious or public organizations,
will be unable to respond adequately to a great planetwide
crisis. We feel that years at attempted reform of existing
institutions illustrates the futility of changing the existing
beliefs and practices that are causing them to fail. As
economic, climactic, food supply, and disease pressures
increase in magnitude, the failure resulting from our current
ways of doing things will carry a higher and higer price.
An increasingly dynamic planetary system will quite possibly
break current institutions before they have a chance to
adapt.
Humans
can be great organizational toolmakers
Humans
are great toolmakers and we can apply this ingenuity to
the social tools of organization. New organizational structures
are rare and difficult to create, but once established,
can have more profound effects on the world and on the lives
of individuals than any innovation of technology. We have
set out to combine some of the most effective elements of
several organizational forms to create a new variant we
are calling a Commons. It is our hope that the adoption
of a Commons organizational form in many walks of life will
enhance the chance that our civilization will survive the
coming challenges and emerge in a sustainable balance with
our world.
Conceive
of what Ought to Be
Conceive
of an organization you could really call home, where you
could build a good life and become the best at what you
do, always experiencing constructive energy and clear communication
with everyone you are working with. Many people feel that
such an organization is impossible or merely a dream, while
some have actually experienced something like this for a
short period of time. We believe that this kind of organization
can and ought to be common. Indeed such organizations must
become the norm to permit us to survive the challenges coming
in the very near future.
Design
Documents for a Commons
We are now developing
design documents which would allow a wide variety of groups
to create a Commons or reorganize as a Commons. These include:
