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THE
PRINCIPLE OF THE CIRCLE
One
principle which is common to all three approaches we use is the
priniciple of the circle. The circle is a universal archetype that
since the first campfire has helped people hear others' stories,
catalyse collective wisdom, and make decisions together to organise
human structures and activities. In the modern era the circle has
gradually been replaced by hierachy and the meaning of circle's
power almost lost. Recently, however, people are re-discovering
the power of circle, whether in quality circles, learning circles
and governance circles.
We
find circles in:
- Lean-flow
operations and management: QC Circles, Kaizen Circles, Hansei
Circles, Hazard Sensitivity Circles and the circular motion of
the Kanban (in its origianl lean context, not in its current agile
meaning).
- Sociocracy
where the circle is one of the 4 main principles, where an organisation
is structured in linking circles. The circle is applied in circle
organisation as well as in the rounds in governance meetings.
- Open
space is fundamentally arranged around the opening and closing
circle, breakout sessions naturally form circles.
The
circle has been use since times immemorial as a way to unify a tribe,
a team or a group to enable full inclusivity of participants. The
circle is therapeutic. The way we arrange our seats determines how
we relate to each other, how society functions. By changing the
way we sit we can change the world. The circle is at the core of
community, collaboration, engagement, equivalence and empathy.
We
are particularly interested in the Circle and children's fire, a
practice found in certain Indian tribes in America: Whenever a decision
has to be taken, all members sit around a fire in circle formation
and express their point of view in turns, until a consensual perspective
emerges. Then the fire in the centre itself is asked - the fire
represents the next 5 generations of children, so almost 200 years
into the future - the decision is evaluated against the commonly
emerging sense of the long term futre represented by the central
fire - hence the fire is called the children's fire. If only we
also considered the children's fire in all major decisions we take.
The
circle is fundamental to the way groups and organisations can function
in harmony. In everything we do at Open to flow, the circle principle
pervades.
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