Getting to this a little late, but guess better late than never.
General Comment
I think it’s interesting that in working to build a decentralized governance system for a new open web world, that the default was to go to the governance mechanisms and artifacts we are generally familiar with - working groups, councils, representative governance, governing bodies, etc… In doing so, I wonder if it puts the entire initiative in a box - hindering us from really investigating and considering completely novel/new governance mechanisms to achieve similar or better outcomes that align more closely with the envisioned decentralized governance system.
It’s a philosophical thought - not arguing against using mechanisms that are tried/tested if all are in agreement that of the many, many types of governance in existence, that this particular form of democracy is the path forward (at least for the first iteration).
Love the propensity for action, but…
In reading the NDC overview, it states that:
Its ultimate goal is to create a cohesive structure…
Where I come from, we use the saying “form follows function”. In order not to situate things and forgo analysis to jump straight to solution space and create structures based on what we think we know, we take a deliberate approach to do some business capability modeling (or other kinds of analysis) to pinpoint an initial set of priority functions that the capability must provide. Only then do we consider how best to structure the system, ideally using a value chain perspective that cuts across functional domains vice focusing on specific functions in silo’ed verticals.
Of course, we also say “plan early, plan twice” and “plans don’t survive first contact” so guess one should consider that in terms of how much work goes into setting the stage before setting off on a path of action…
I have not been able to follow the NDC initiative as closely as I’d have liked to this point, so if this exists, please point me to it, but if this kind of business capability model (or some similar analysis) hasn’t been done to clearly depict what (not how) the NDC will provide to the community, I would suggest it would be a good place to start before before jumping into the structures/artifacts one thinks are needed to deliver whatever those things are.
Generic example of business capability modeling:
Further a business capability model can be used to produce a heat map (red, green, yellow for each capability box) that acts much like a map or blueprint in defining where we are and where we want to go.
Anyways, think it might be a useful exercise for a variety of reasons including one raised during the AMA yesterday in regards to communication/vision and overall transparency. If everyone understands what the NDC will provide, they can align with it and follow status as it starts delivering on what the model promises - ideally motivating/accelerating development on those capabilities deemed highest priority.
Operating Models
A lot of good work has been done looking at the benefits and challenges of various types of operating models that range from completely decentralized to centralized, hybrid and federated. In working towards a fully decentralized system, think it’s a good idea to pull out the nuggets of goodness in existing research:
For example, decentralization benefits to build on:
- a relatively flat structure with alignment within pockets of expertise/easy to collaborate/build in those pockets
- widest reach/audience to draw from for creativity/innovation, and
- may better accommodate sub-cultural differences in orgs spread over large geographic/demographic regions.
On the challenge side:
- need to figure out how to effectively manage the many participants (existing as well as those that come and go) involved in governance/decision-making,
- harder to implement collaborative decisions vs centralized decisions,
- less formal - therefore more difficult to sustain over time, requires constant, consistent enforcement of practices which is difficult to coordinate/standardize, and
- sometimes very difficult to define responsibilities/accountabilities in a decentralized model.
Going forward, can probably avoid some mistakes and learn some lessons by taking these things into account. Again, if this has already been done - bravo. If not, should probably do the research as part of this initiative and keep the benefits/pitfalls front and center when devising the new system.