Keep calm, Carry on, and Help us build the Democratic Infrastructure of tomorrow’s workplaces!
Keep calm, Carry on, and Help us build the Democratic Infrastructure of tomorrow’s workplaces!
Hello folks,
I posted about a month ago introducing the idea of a “Strategic Union”, a cooperative management model that separates administrative oversight from operational management, hopefully leading to healthier and more productive workplaces for everyone involved. To implement this, I’ve started developing Enterprise Resource Planning software specifically for this type of company, and a small team is forming, but we need more contributors.
The model and software are intended to enable the growth of these cooperatives into large, problem-solving organizations interested in complex, integrated projects such as major bridges, sustainable residential skyscrapers, or high-volume manufacturing lines, to name a few. It should also work for a variety of other applications such as large retail chains and restaurants.
The idea is anchored in the philosophy of Hierarchy by Consent, which examines the role of hierarchies in society and whether we really want to get rid of them or instead bring them under democratic control to the benefit of all.
- Hierarchy by Consent argues that hierarchies are necessary for complex projects involving large teams, but they must be constrained by a democratically elected body which prevents the hierarchy from reinforcing its own control structures (anacyclosis).
- The paper explains the Strategic Union management model and how it maintains stability and social equity without sacrificing productivity.
- The paper concludes by calling for the creation of an alliance of these companies to build counterpower.
We’ve all had a bad boss, I get it. But I’ve also had good bosses, who take the stress of the job in stride to help the team coordinate their efforts. In this model, the entire team participates in mutual performance reviews designed to provide constructive peer-feedback and, if desired, can be used to adjust hourly rates within an agreed upon pay band. Mediation will also be available, with escalation to an anonymous vote if needed.
Read Hierarchy by Consent.
Apoidea Cooperative Management Suite: I started a repository on Codeberg for Enterprise Resource Planning software to manage these organizations, and we’re looking for contributors. So far I have had a small contribution from a part-timer, and I’m hoping some of you might take interest as well. I’m particularly hopeful to find someone else to realize their own vision on the front-end. Of course, the more folks looking at this, the better.
Tech stack: Docker (soon Podman), postgres, nginx, SQLAlchemy, gunicorn, jinja2, Flask, Alembic, and Redis. Frappe Gantt will be necesarry for the project planning system on the front-end.
The eventual goal is to host it on a server and run a test case with “points” instead of money.
Programmer or not, we still need your help! Our Community on Matrix is small but growing, and we’d love to have you. Send me a PM if you’re new to Matrix.
I’ll be around to answer your questions and consider your critiques, as that is what is really needed to get this project off the ground. I’m going to include some of my own questions and FAQs as comments, so please forgive the clutter.
Thank you.