Syntrociety
How can a group hold difference without losing information?
Syntrociety is a group of places that is still taking shape. At each place, people live, work and learn on the land. We call such a place a Syntropic Living Lab. The first Lab is Sulitânia in Castro Marim, Portugal.
Each place stays itself. Still, the places can learn from and help each other. That needs clear roles, accessible information, boundaries and workable decisions.
In my own company I saw how quickly room for independent decisions shrinks when ownership and responsibility come together in one person. In Syntrociety, I work on a form that stays in the hands of the Labs. A Lab chooses for itself where it can. What all Labs need, we share.
How a group organises ownership, conflict and responsibility also reveals what it assumes about trust, power and dependence. For me, Syntrociety applies the same Lens: what helps a group keep more reality in view?
Why I work on this
Collective intelligence does not appear by itself.
Each Lab decides how it lives and works. Syntrociety does not take that over. Yet independence without overview can also fragment learning, risk and responsibility.
The Labs therefore share a Charter, a Practice and the SYFERS framework. They use these to make agreements, keep track of their work and learn from each other without one centre taking over their choices.
I help build the collaboration and develop SYFERS' digital tools. This brings together my experience with organizing and technology.
The question
Consent keeps an objection in the conversation.
Consent is not consensus, nor is it keeping everybody happy. A proposal can proceed when it is good enough for now and safe enough to try. A valid objection points to harm, an essential risk or information the group would otherwise miss.
How it works together
Autonomy needs clear boundaries and shared memory.
Each Lab decides about its own land, people, money and data. The collaboration only provides things that Labs want to use together. Domains and roles make clear who can act on what and who can be held accountable for it.
The Ring is still taking shape. It helps Labs work with the outside world, for example with researchers, municipalities and funders.
Syntrociety does not choose a religion or political direction for the Labs. Each Lab is free to make its own choices.
The framework
A shared way to look, remember and learn.
SYFERS is Syntrociety's framework. Think of it as a shared workbook. A Lab can use it to see what is happening, write down what it learns and share that when it can.
Syntrociety offers three things that belong together. The Charter is five promises. The Practice is how those promises are practised every day. SYFERS helps a Lab follow that work and learn from it.
SYFERS looks at sixteen subjects, divided into four parts:
- EcologyThe land, plants, animals and water.
- SocialPeople and how they treat each other.
- EconomyWork, money and things.
- CrossHow these three things affect each other.
The instruments
Five tools that make the framework useful.
I help develop five tools. Together, they help a Lab keep track of people, documents, decisions, learning and money with care.
People
The address book and front door. People only get access when they have permission.
Lens
The place for documents. Lens helps put documents in order and understand them. A computer can make a suggestion. A person decides.
Chart
The logbook. A Lab writes down what happened and what it decided together. A decision counts when nobody has a strong, well-explained objection.
Compass
The mirror. Technology analyses the data in SYFERS and gives questions back. It gives no score and does not compare Labs.
Ledger
The tool for grants. Ledger is still being developed. It shows available grants that fit the work. It helps with proposals and reporting afterwards. This makes applying for a grant less complicated.
The Charter
Five promises every Lab signs.
The Charter does not decide everything. It only says what all Labs agree on. Each Lab can decide the rest for itself.
- I
Truth
We work with things we can check. And we say “we do not know” when we do not know.
- II
Freedom
A Lab chooses to join or leave. Its land, data and decisions stay with the Lab.
- III
Responsibility
Each Lab is responsible for its own work. The collaboration is responsible for what it does together. When decisions are made, it is clear who took part.
- IV
Openness
Labs show how they work whenever they can. That lets others see what really happens.
- V
Consent
An objection can carry information a proposal still misses. A proposal proceeds when no valid objection shows that it causes harm, ignores an essential risk or obstructs the group’s purpose.
Build or follow
Syntrociety lives on syntrociety.org.
The Charter, the first Lab, the Practice and the tools are there. This page shows what I help build.