The Wisdom Council:
A Strategy for We the People to Create True Democracy
by Jim Rough
(Printed in the journal "Improving the Practice" of the International Association of Public Participation. It's adapted from:
Society’s Breakthrough:Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People
Introducing the Wisdom Council -- This is a new, simple strategy to generate whole-system democracy in a wide range of applications, for instance ...
o You want to establish a level of democracy in your local city or county, where all citizens are involved and interested, and where they create a shared vision of what everyone wants.
o You are a school administrator, police chief, hospital director, or agency head and want citizen support and understanding for your levy, agency or department.
o You are in a divided city (race, issue, class, etc.) and want to help heal the divide.
o You are concerned about a large sub-population of natives, youth, handicapped, or welfare recipients in your area and want their participation in the democratic process.
o You are legislator and want to really serve the people rather than engaging in special interest battles over short term, narrow-minded solutions.
o You are concerned about the poor quality of citizen initiatives, levy votes, or government actions and want wiser, more responsible collective decision-making.
The problems and challenges
In a city, county or state there are four primary problems with our current form of democracy.
1) Citizens are seemingly apathetic and feel un-empowered. Instead of being involved, they oscillate from apathy to frustration, while organized special interests take control. The people have become marginalized. … How do we involve everyone in the important decisions?
2) Local politics is a divisive argument. Rather than a dialogue about what is best for everyone our system is polarized into camps obsessing over minor differences in legislation. While the most important issues – like the weakening of human values, the obscene distribution of wealth, and the destruction of the environment – go almost ignored, we engage in an ongoing argument that alienates citizens from candidates, from government, and from each other. … How do we address the important issues with dialogue instead of debate?
3) People don't trust government … or one another as citizens. People see government as "them," not "us." Government employees and elected officials become bureaucratized and feel criticized no matter what they do. Citizens think their fellows are greedy, apathetic, unintelligent, incapable or irresponsible…. How do we create a capable, respectful We the People?
4) Poor decisions get made. Rather than making creative decisions that are best for everyone, legislators address symptoms with partial answers. Citizen initiatives don't work either. They are mostly shortsighted, and reactionary. Almost always, a majority imposes its will on a frustrated minority. … How do we facilitate, both individually and collectively, wise and responsible decisions?
The Innovation
The Wisdom Council is a new approach to meeting these challenges simply and easily. Basically what is needed is for the citizens of your city, county or state to pass the following resolution.
We, the People of "–––––––," resolve that:
Section 1: Every six months a group of sixteen registered voters shall be randomly selected and assembled to meet for one and a half days. Those who attend both days shall form a Citizens’ Wisdom Council whose unanimous views are termed "Statements of the People."
Section 2: The Citizens’ Wisdom Council will present these Statements and how they were developed back to the people in a new ceremony. If possible the ceremony and even the meetings, will be televised.
Section 3: Meeting facilitators shall assure that the conversation in the Citizens’ Wisdom Council is collaborative, open-minded and creative. They will assure that the views of each member are respected and help the group reach consensus. Facilitators shall not determine topics nor shall their personal views influence decisions.
Section 4: After the presentation, the (City, County, State) will support and encourage informal dialogues so that all citizens have an opportunity to meet with others and to consider and respond to the Statements. The Statements will be widely disseminated until the next Wisdom Council.
Section 5: A Wisdom Council Oversight Committee will assure the integrity of the process, hire facilitators, and provide expert information when requested.
Section 6: For deciding procedural issues within the Citizens’ Wisdom Council, like meeting times and agendas, a majority vote may be used.
Essentially, a Wisdom Council provides that ...
… every six months, a lottery is held and 16 registered voters are randomly selected to form a Citizens Wisdom Council. They meet for a day and a half with a facilitator who helps them dialogue and develop Statements that capture what everyone feels or thinks. The Statements are then presented back to the people in a new ceremony, like a "State of the 'union'" presentation. Then all citizens are encouraged to gather informally in homes and public places to hear and dialogue about the Statements. Over time this process establishes a conversation among the whole population that builds community and generates real consensus viewpoints.
How the Wisdom Council meets the challenges
1) The Wisdom Council involves everyone in making the important decisions.
o Each person is involved in a number of ways: Everyone regularly participates in the Wisdom Council lottery; everyone is symbolized by the Wisdom Council; everyone is invited to participate in small group dialogues; and after the ceremonies, everyone can talk and sway others before the next Wisdom Council.
o The Wisdom Council is a symbol. Many people wonder how such a small group can generate a feeling of involvement for everyone in a large system. Key to understanding this is to realize that this group is a symbol of the people. This is not a poll where we apply statistical concepts like "sample size" and "confidence limits." This is a symbolic process where people identify with this group. Over time, all factions and demographics are proportionately incorporated into the Wisdom Council.
o The Wisdom Council builds the spirit of community and empowers individuals. This is a way the real issues to be considered and for the views of all citizens to be heard. It builds trust, shared values, and community.
2) The Wisdom Council changes the quality of the political conversation … more toward respectful dialogue than debate.
o The Wisdom Council is free to define the agenda in its own terms. This is not like a jury where members are given a specific issue and a limited range of decision possibilities. Here, the Wisdom Council chooses the issue, and frames it for consideration.
o The Wisdom Council is structured to engage in "choice-creating" rather than "decision-making." The facilitator is key in establishing a high quality dialogue. It is not the normal agree/disagree influencing process we are accustomed to in politics (decision-making), but where people speak from heart about what they want, and where they are creative about how best to achieve it (choice-creating).
o The Wisdom Council is about involvement, not input. Because Wisdom Council members are picked randomly, each person speaks only for him or her self. No one represents a constituency and each person is free to change his or her mind. The quality of this type of conversation unites rather than divides people.
o With consensus in the Wisdom Council is not difficult. Consensus is almost impossible to reach in a yes/no decision-making conversation about issues that have been predefined, especially among representatives. But because the Wisdom Council frames the issue, because the facilitator assures a creative conversation and because each person speaks for him/her self, reaching unanimous Statements is natural. It’s merely a matter of stating the "sense of the meeting."
3) With a Wisdom Council, the people develop trust and provides leadership.
o The Wisdom Council provides democratic, visionary leadership. Our current leadership is reactive, focusing on fixing what is wrong through laws and programs. But a Wisdom Council builds a shared vision, directs attention toward where we want to go, and then helps us celebrate progress in accomplishing those goals.
o The Wisdom Council creates a "We the People." Currently, there is no voice of the people – just individuals fragmented into special interests. But, because the Wisdom Council is a symbol of We the People it articulates Statements that eventually become a consensus of everyone.
o As trust builds in this process, We the People become the ultimate authority. If we reach consensus on a shared vision and act together, we can overcome special interest powers, enact legislation, provide quality leadership to government employees and remake the system. It is a way for the people to begin true democracy.
o There are no losers. With this change, officeholders do not lose power but gain in effectiveness and citizen appreciation. Elected officials retain all existing powers, enhance their informal power and are better appreciated for what they do.
4) With a Wisdom Council, the people make wise and responsible decisions that work for everyone.
o The Wisdom Council generates understanding of the issues. Because it involves everyone in a joint problem-solving and learning process people grow in their understanding of complex issues.
o With a Wisdom Council, we orient our decision-making toward what is best for all. Our current system promotes competition and an orientation to self-interest. With a Wisdom Council the people can build the political will to seek out the "general interest."
o The Wisdom Council frames the agenda for creativity. In the current system, most issues are framed as yes/no decisions, e.g., "Do you support this regulation or not?" Because the Wisdom Council seeks consensus, it frames issues more holistically – even as questions, e.g., "how can we assure that the children in this community realize their full potential?" This approach elicits creative thinking.
o It’s about pro-action vs. reaction. Currently our system is oriented to stopping bad things from happening rather than encouraging good things to happen. With the Wisdom Council we figure out what we all want ... and go for it.
Are there Risks?
Not really.
o Adopting this proposal does not change the existing structure in any way. All governing bodies work as before. Each Wisdom Council exists for only a weekend every six months, makes a speech and then disappears.
o The statements do not have any coercive power. Their only power is the extent that citizens or members of government resonate with them and act differently.
o It is low cost, involving just a few people who receive a stipend. By coordinating independent citizen action and providing clear leadership to government, it promises to save far more money than it costs.
The Wisdom Council is Different
Although the Wisdom Council may seem like just one of many different ways to involve and educate citizens, it goes beyond that. This process is aimed at transforming the system. Because of it affects the system, it makes all the other methods more effective. Some of these other approaches are:
1) Ways to understand what people want – The Wisdom Council is not a focus group, survey or an advisory panel. Like them, it generates an understanding of what people are thinking, but unlike them it is not a tool of management. Rather it is a way for the people to become self-managing.
2) Ways to improve governmental leadership – Currently, the main way that people exercise democracy is through voting. This is input, not involvement, and doesn't necessarily generate good decisions. The Wisdom Council offers true involvement in the process and provides wise leadership to government.
3) Ways to educate citizens – It is often thought that, if people are knowledgeable about issues and about how democracy works, if they dialogue among themselves and if they have problem-solving skills, then true democracy can be realized. This approach is valuable, of course, but the more pressing problem is to provide a way to make this knowledge useful.
4) Ways to involve citizens – Citizen panels, citizen dialogues, and computer-based "group-ware" networking are powerful inclusion processes. They can be combined with technologies like the mass media, local access television, web sites, computer group-ware, etc., to educate people. But without the Wisdom Council which gives ultimate authority to the citizens, the power of these approaches is muted.
5) Ways in which the people can take charge – Citizen initiatives, town hall meetings and citizen election of judges are some current attempts to restore "the people" to their rightful position of power. But, without a Wisdom Council, citizens do not have a way to responsibly exercise these powers. Decisions get made on the basis of media sound-bites more than thoughtful dialogue and often poor, uninformed, and even destructive decisions result. With a Wisdom Council, for example, citizen initiatives can be responsibly proposed or evaluated.
Twelve aspects to a Wisdom Council
The term "Wisdom Council" should only be used when all, or most all, of twelve features are present. Unfortunately there is a tendency, when hearing about this concept, to name practically any gathering a "Wisdom Council." But this term, like its Native American roots, should be reserved for when the whole system is involved and wisdom is sought. The transformational potential of this process is present when the following features are brought together:
1. The people charter the Wisdom Council —Those who make up a system, whether it is a city, county or state must officially approve using the Wisdom Council. It shouldn’t come into being through a decision of leaders or some committee. It requires whole-system approval -- in the case of the nation, for example, it should be a Constitutional amendment.
2. It is a microcosm of randomly selected people—The people of the Wisdom Council are not self-selected, appointed by some authority, or elected. Nor is there a need for a stratified random selecting process, like being sure to have equal numbers of men and women, or Democrats and Republicans.
It should be a lottery, completely random, if it is to be a true microcosm of the system. Those selected have no responsibility to speak for any subgroup -- like women, Democrats, union members, or for any geographical region. Each person just speaks for him or herself. This makes it easier for her to speak her mind and for others to identify with her.
3. It is empowered to select and frame the issues it addresses—Because the Wisdom Council symbolizes all people, it is the ultimate authority. This group is We the People, boss of the system. So, it chooses the issues to discuss and frames how they will be considered.
4. The members are chosen in a ceremony —In a semi-annual lottery, each voter receives a number and has a chance to be selected to participate. This is actual as well as vicarious participation. For instance, if one of the selected people had a lottery number close to yours or lives near you or has a similar job, then you have a basis for identifying with that person.
5. It is non-coercive—No one is forced to serve on a Wisdom Council and the results have no official power. In fact, the Wisdom Council just presents its conclusions and then disbands. This group wields real power only to the extent that everyone in the system resonates with its conclusions.
6. It operates in a fishbowl—Once Wisdom Council members have been selected, they are isolated. But at times, everyone can watch the deliberations. This develops trust in the process and builds more vicarious involvement.
Consider, for example, a stage performer inviting someone from the audience to come on stage for a moment in the act. Even though only one person is actually involved, the audience identifies with that person. In the same way, people will identify with this small group.
7. It is facilitated dynamically—The quality of the conversation within the Wisdom Council is crucial. It must be dialogue not agree/disagree discussion. This means that participants must feel safe and respected, must speak from the heart and participate creatively.
8. It generates unanimous Statements of the People—The Wisdom Council strives to reach conclusions that everyone, not just those on the Council, can fully endorse. Unlike our current system, it is not a way for the majority to impose something on the minority. Instead, this is a process of listening to minority views and learning from those perspectives.
After Wisdom Council conclusions are presented and posted, everyone has many opportunities to comment. If someone disagrees they will be motivated to speak out and others will be interested to hear. So, this process involves and respects those who disagree.
The conclusions of the Wisdom Council are articulated into specific sentences that are presented and prominently displayed. These are not likely to be action items, as much as they will be visions, values, and shared perspectives. The statements themselves should engage and inspire others.
9. The Statements of the People are presented in a ceremony—At the beginning and end of each Wisdom Council are public events intended to involve everyone. First, a lottery ceremony is held where everyone gets a number. Then immediately after the Wisdom Council concludes its work, there is a presentation of the final results back to the people.
At this final presentation Wisdom Council members tell the story of their group, process where they started, how they evolved in their thinking, what insights they had and how they ended up. The final ceremony is an engaging moment for Wisdom Council members, more heartfelt than just reporting a conclusion and engaging to those who watch.
10. Small group dialogues are convened—After the final presentation everyone is invited to participate in small group dialogues. After the Wisdom Council presents its views, for instance, formal and informal group conversations will be convened by churches, government agencies and individuals. It’s one more way to involve everyone.
11. The process is ongoing—The Wisdom Council is not a one-time event. The conversation continues beyond the official meetings of the Wisdom Council. So, the Wisdom Council is really a way of articulating interim conclusions from this larger conversation.
Over time Wisdom Council Statements provide a history of how ideas have evolved and a way to track that history.
12. The process operates in parallel with normal governance—The Wisdom Council does not directly change anything in the current structure. It merely exists for a few days, gives a speech and then disbands. Action happens through the existing structure and informally.
Experiences with the Wisdom Council
At this writing, there have been only a few experiments with the Wisdom Council. Three of them are described briefly below. Only one, the experience with the bank, is a real Wisdom Council. But each helps show that the Wisdom Council will work, and prepares the way for this new approach to be used in the public arena.
Televised city experiment
Eight citizens were randomly selected to appear for a two hour special on local access television. The City Council asked the group to address the hottest issue in town ... whether or not chain stores should be allowed. The point of the demonstration was to show: 1) that randomly selected people would participate; 2) that they are generally knowledgeable; 3) that a high quality of conversation (choice-creating) can be assured; 4) that some form of consensus can be reached in that short time; and 5) that the consensus would be "wise."
It worked. Those selected did show up and they picked the topic proposed by the city council. In just two hours, both polarities were expressed and they reached wise points of consensus. What was unforeseen was that after this unexpected success, the city council backed away from the experiment. Short segments of this video will be viewed in the seminar.
A corporate example
The employees of farm credit bank voted to try a Wisdom Council for four cycles, one meeting per semester. They have now completed two cycles of the Wisdom Council and all employees of the bank are recognizing its growing impact. This example will be discussed in the seminar and if possible, portions of the one Wisdom Council's video presentation will be seen by seminar participants.
Low income people’s Wisdom Council
Here a pool of welfare recipients in Lane County, OR, was created and a number of people were randomly selected to gather for a weekend meeting. These citizens created unanimous statements to present to other welfare recipients and to the mainstream of people in the county.
The seventeen people who were selected were diverse and didn’t know each other, except for one married couple. It was pointed out to me that most all were suffering from post traumatic stress disorder from some previous abuse. Many showed signs of hypersensitive or numb behavior.
Yet even with this difficult group, the process worked. The consensus they reached was clear and powerful. Essentially, they all want to be self-sufficient. And they also said to mainstream America, "We are different than you. We are damaged in some way that you find hard to understand and accept. The welfare system you’ve designed is well suited to helping mainstream people get back on their feet ... but it does not serve us. In fact, it does the opposite by holding us down. We need a different kind of help that is provided by people who understand this." In the remaining time, these people worked on organizing to try and provide that help to themselves. There are also short video segments of this event which can be shown.
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