Sphere Structured Governance

Article I: Sphere Structure

Article II: Perspective Lenses

Article III: Sphere Participants

Article IV: Governance Process

Article V: Operational Process

Article VI: Fractaling

Article VII: Adoption Matters

Glossary

Agreement

Reference

Explore

Article V: Operational Process

5.1 Responsibilities of Sphere Participants

When acting through a PL (or where specified in a CL), each Sphere Participant has the following responsibilities to their fellow Sphere Participants.

5.1.1 Responsibility of Accountability

All Sphere Participants acting through a PL (or Contacts acting through a CL where specified) have a “Responsibility of Accountability” to participate in the Sphere’s “Support Structure.”

(a) Each Sphere Participant’s Support Structure consists of 4 Members: that 24 Sphere Participant and their 3 Support Members.

(b) The 3 Support Members that make up each Sphere Participant’s Support Structure each have different roles:

(i) the “Emotional Support” is responsible for providing emotional and relational support;

(ii) the “Accountability” is responsible for being the person the Sphere Participant checks in with around the completion of specific accountabilities; and

(iii) the “Stretch” is responsible for supporting the Sphere Participant to stretch to meet their PL’s or CL’s Vision.

(d) Each Accountability Member is empowered to fire the PL of the Participating Members that they are supporting (or, where relevant, propose that a Prism Holder Fire the Lens of their Contact in accordance with the CL) if they believe that the individual’s Perspective has shifted to a degree that they are no longer able to interact with their lens in a functional way (as outlined in Section 2.6.3 above for Participating Members and 3.1.3 above for Contacts).

Contacts may participate in a Support Structure if designated by their CL, but Contacts do not have the power to fire any PL or CL. Outside of the Support Structure, Sphere Participants are encouraged to be in connection with other Sphere Participants to strengthen the relational fabric of the Sphere.

5.1.2 Responsibilities of Transparency

All Sphere Participants have a “Responsibility of Transparency” around all of the constituent elements of their PL(s) or CL(s). Upon request of any Sphere Participant, they also have a Responsibility of Transparency around how they are prioritizing their attention, how they are allocating the Sphere’s resources (or any additional spending) their decision-making, and any approximate projections of 25 project completion.

5.1.3 Responsibility of Participation

Sphere Participants have a “Responsibility of Participation” in engaging their PL or CL to steward the Sphere’s Vision in alignment this Constitution. Participating Members choose their level of participation and this will be reflected through the Meritocratic Review Process.

Sphere Participants are also responsible for responding to messages and requests for participation from their fellow Sphere Participants.

A Sphere Participant may request participation from any other Sphere Participant in progressing or taking on any action, project, or accountability on a PL or CL that they hold in the Sphere. However, there is no obligation to take on any requests at any time, regardless of whether they are deemed to be reasonable.

5.1.4 Responsibility of Meritocratic Contribution

Sphere Participants have a “Responsibility of Meritocratic Contribution” to steward the Sphere’s Vision. A Sphere Participant’s Meritocratic Contribution is the holistic contribution that arises from their unique Perspective and incorporates, among other things:

(a) Offering their unique Perspective;

(b) Expressing the Sphere’s Core Values;

(d) Participation and presence in Meetings; and

(e) Accountability.

Sphere Participants will do so with consideration to prioritizing their time, 26 attention and resources they allocate towards their Meritocratic Contribution in order to responsibly steward the Vision, oversee the Territories, and enact the Duties of their PL in support of the Sphere’s Vision.

5.2 Meritocratic Review Process Through The Mastermind App

In accordance with the Sphere’s “Meritocratic Review Process,” each Participating Member in a Sphere or Sub-Sphere (and any Contacts if specified by their CL) shall rate all other Participating Members’ and Contacts’ Meritocratic Contribution through the “Mastermind App”. These ratings take place every week and all Sphere Participants who are meritocratically rating are notified through the Mastermind App to submit their ratings and have 72 hours in which to submit them.

If a Sphere Participant who is meritocratically rating does not submit their ratings before the tension period closes, they will receive a zero rating for that week which may impact their pay for that week in accordance with the terms of the Sphere Financial Policy or with their Contact Lens.

The overall aggregate results of the ratings will be transparent, though the individual ratings will not be shared and shall remain anonymous. The results of those Sphere Participants’ ratings will be available before the Sweat Lodge Meeting so that any resultant impact can be addressed in the Sweat Lodge Meeting.

5.3 Meritocratic Compensation System

A Sphere’s “Meritocratic Compensation System” determines how pay is allocated to Participating Members and is detailed and recorded in the Sphere’s Financial Policy during the Legal Anchoring Process, and updated accordingly when relevant. If a Participating Member becomes Non-Participating the protocol for pay and any changes in Dynamic Equity will be determined in accordance with the Sphere’s Financial Policy.

If the Non-Participating Member chooses to re-engage and become a Participating 27 Member again (as outlined in Section 2.6.1 above) the protocol for pay and any changes in Dynamic Equity will be determined in accordance with the Sphere’s Financial Policy.

5.4 Meetings

Both requested and regularly scheduled meetings outlined in this Section (and in any Sphere Meeting Policies or Guidelines) are to be prioritized by all Sphere Participants, though attendance is not obligatory. Each Meeting’s Guide will take reasonable measures to allow time to address every agenda item within the meeting and may, within their discretion, cut short any item that is taking more than its due share of the remaining meeting time.

5.4.1 Sweat Lodge Meeting

The “Sweat Lodge Meeting” provides a pressure release valve within the cultural system through transparent sharing between Participating Members (or Contacts if specified in their CL). If any Emotional / Relational Thresholds remain unresolved after an Emotional / Relational Meeting, they can be further addressed at the Sweat Lodge Meeting. The Sweat Lodge Guide is responsible for scheduling Sweat Lodge Meetings every two weeks after the closing of the fortnightly tension period to support the relational dynamics of the Sphere.

Sweat Lodge Meetings may also be called by the Support Member who Fired a Participating Member’s PL in order to support relational repair. In addition, after a Ratchet has been dissolved a Sweat Lodge Meeting will be called by the Participating Member who initiated the Ratchet to support relational repair. All Participating Members must be given at least 24 hours advance notice that a Sweat Lodge Meeting will be held, including its time and location.

There is no Sweat Lodge Meeting Scribe.

The Guide is responsible for presiding over Sweat Lodge Meetings in alignment with the following Guidelines:

5.4.1.1 Attendance

All Participating Members are recommended to participate in all Sweat Lodge Meetings of a Sphere.

5.4.1.2 Facilitation & Process

The Sweat Lodge Meeting Guide may open the meeting with a presence practice aligned with emergent cultural norms, and then ask each Sphere Participant in turn to organically share in whatever arises for them in relation to the following:

(a) Sharing: Sharing whatever feels relevant about their personal or professional experience, including their experience of their rating in the Meritocratic Review Process;

(b) Feedback: Receiving feedback or reflections from other Participating Members in an organic dialogue fashion, at their discretion;

(c) Facilitation: The Sweat Lodge Meeting Guide will facilitate the process if they perceive support is needed for resolution;

(d) Sharing: Sharing anything that feels relationally unresolved with another Participating Member or Contact, including any relational challenges arising through the Meritocratic Review Process, as well as any unresolved Emotional / Relational Thresholds;

(e) Feedback: Receiving feedback or reflections from that Participating Member and then other Participating Members in an organic dialogue fashion, at their discretion; and

(f) Facilitation: The Sweat Lodge Meeting Guide will facilitate the process if they perceive support is needed for resolution.

The Guide may close the meeting with a presence practice aligned with emergent cultural norms.

5.4.2 Emotional / Relational (ER) Meeting

If a Sphere Participant perceives an ER Threshold that they are unable to resolve themselves with the support of their Support Structure or through the Advice Process with the relevant Sphere Participants, then that Sphere Participant is recommended to call an ER Meeting to resolve it. All Sphere Participants must be given at least 24 hours advance notice that an ER Meeting will be held, including its time and location.

There is no ER Meeting Scribe.

The ER Meeting Guide is the Sweat Lodge Guide (or a volunteer if the ER Threshold involves the Sweat Lodge Guide). The Guide is responsible for facilitating ER Meetings in alignment with the following Guidelines:

5.4.2.1 Attendance

The Sphere Participant sensing the ER Threshold is to be in attendance and to invite the attendance of any Sphere Participant(s) the ER Threshold is related to and attendance is recommended.

5.4.2.2 Facilitation and Process

(a) Sharing: The ER Meeting Guide will ask the Sphere Participant with the ER Threshold to share their experience.

(b) Dialoguing: Any Sphere Participants the ER Threshold is related to will have an opportunity to dialogue with that Sphere Participant.

If the ER Threshold remains unresolved at the time the ER Meeting Guide closes the ER Meeting, Participating Members (or Contacts if specified in their PL) can address it further at a Sweat Lodge Meeting, as described in Section 5.4.1 above.

5.4.3 Appeal Meeting

An “Appeal Meeting” will take place where a Participating Member’s PL has been 30 fired by one of their Support Members, and the Participating Member believes that the firing of their PL was unwarranted or they would like to propose re-engaging through the Sphere by reclaiming their PL, modifying their PL, creating a new PL, or initiating a new Sub-Sphere. The Participating Member whose PL has been fired requests the Appeal Meeting by reaching out to their other two Support Members.

The Participating Member whose PL has been fired is responsible for scheduling the Appeal Meeting between themselves and all three Support Members, to be held within 24 hours of the Appeal Meeting request (as outlined in Section 2.6.2(c) above), in an effort to move towards a resolution that supports the Vision of the Sphere.

The Accountability Support Member will be the Appeal Meeting Scribe and take relevant Meeting notes for the Record. The Emotional Support Member will be the Appeal Meeting Guide. The Guide is responsible for presiding over Appeal Meetings in alignment with the following Guidelines:

5.4.3.1 Attendance

Only the Participating Member whose PL has been fired and their Support Members shall attend an Appeal Meeting.

5.4.3.2 Facilitation & Process

The Appeal Meeting Guide will organically facilitate an opportunity for the Support Members and the Participating Member to: express their Perspective related to the Lens Firing, share any evidence, navigate any relational impact, and ask any clarifying questions. The Participating Member whose PL was fired will be invited to speak first.

The Appeal Meeting Guide will aim to gather all relevant information and navigate any relational repair, and at the end of the meeting, invite the Participating Member whose PL was fired to share how they would like to engage moving forwards.

The Appeal Meeting Guide then closes the meeting at their discretion.

5.5 The Ratchet Process

“The Ratchet Process” is a mechanism initiated by any Participating Member (except the Visionary holding the White Perspective) to invite a centralization of power into the hands of the Visionary.

5.5.1 Ratchet Initiation

(a) At any point, any Participating Member, except the Visionary holding the White Perspective, can initiate a “Ratchet.”

(b) The Ratchet acts as a formal request, in writing, to centralize power into the hands of the Visionary.

(c) If a Participating Member initiates a Ratchet, they must notify the other Participating Members immediately that they have chosen to bypass the other Participating Members’ decision-making power.

(d) It is then up to the Visionary, who is responsible for stewarding the Sphere’s Vision, to determine if a Ratchet is warranted and whether to accept or decline it.

(e) If the Ratchet is accepted, the Visionary must notify all Sphere Participants in writing, outlining how this will affect the day-to-day operations and decision-making within the Sphere, as well as if any Sub-Sphere’s power is to be centralized.

No Individual Action or Lens Firing is to take place while a Ratchet is in effect.

5.5.2 Ratchet Dissolution

When the Visionary perceives the need for the Ratchet to have resolved, at their sole discretion, they will immediately decentralize power by notifying all the Sphere Participants in writing. At any point, any Participating Member may make a request of the Visionary to dissolve the Ratchet and decentralize power. The Visionary may reject or accept the request, or get further clarification, at their discretion.

After the Ratchet has been dissolved a Sweat Lodge Meeting will be called by the Participating Member who initiated the Ratchet to work out any impact and 32 support any relational repair.

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