The fastest-growing series of linked posts on this
blog is probably the Improving Business
series. This is a set of pieces of deliberate writing that set out my
thoughts and ideas, based on experience, of how we can improve our
decision-making practices.
Improving
Business: Threshing talks
about this tool, currently underused but gaining in popularity.
There's a great leaflet about it from Friends House, but this is my
take on it from my own understanding and experience.
Improving
Business: Small Group Discernment
looks at how discernment works differently when it's going on among a
small group, the reasons that the conventions of Quaker Business
Method in larger groups don't work so well, and some practical advice
on things to try to make small group discernment fluid and effective
– not by being less disciplined, but by applying discipline
differently. Indeed, some strategies require more discipline, in my
experience!
Improving
Business: Looking Beyond Quaker Methods
looks at what techniques not specifically associated with Quaker
disciplines can be adapted and applied to Quaker organisations making
decisions. None of this substitutes, replaces or supplants
traditional Quaker discernment, but it can take some burden off it to
allow it to work more effectively.
Improving Business: Small Changes for Big Impacts describes some little changes that can be made to how
we plan and run business sessions. While they are small (at least compared to the rest of the Improving Business series),
they can make a big difference to the effectiveness of Quaker discernment.
Look out for me
expanding this series as time goes by; it hasn't been the most
popular set of posts, but I understand some people are finding it
helpful, so I intend to go on working on it. Let me know if there are
ideas you'd like to see it cover.
