Decision Making in Enki Education

[Beth Sutton]

Enki Decision Making Process:

People often ask how decisions are made in Enki, what form of governance we use (democratic, hierarchical, dictatorial, consensus, etc.), and what role Enki parents and teachers play in that.  As with all else Enki, we work with an unusual decision making process: the Enki Structured Consensus Decision Process (SCDP). It is through this process that the Enki Leadership is able to drop below the very human flow of personal like and dislike, and fear and hope. It is the clarity of this process that helps us uncover the inherent wisdom in any situation and, thereby, keep Enki true to itself. At the same time, as with all things Enki, this is a living process and  there will be times those in the community agree and times we disagree, times when the leadership agrees and disagrees, times we are "right" and times we are "wrong." At each step, the Leadership is doing its best to stay true to the principles that make Enki "Enki." Honoring those decisions for Enki, whether one agrees or not, is critical to the health of the whole and use of Enki community services is dependent on each member honoring the Leadership's decisions for Enki. 

The Enki Structured Consensus Decision Process:

1. the SCDP begins with “picture building.” In this step we cast a wide net and gather all the perspectives we can on the topic at hand, both from Enki community members and from relevant “experts.” This is where parents and teachers play a significant part.
2. The Enki Leadership Council then takes that information, what we have been hearing on the discussion group, and our own perceptions, and we work with all this in relation to the Enki Web. We go through the individual threads of the Web and see what light each sheds on the issue. We are looking to understand the issue at this point and specifically not at solutions. That is then left to sit.
   
3. With the picture of what the issue is clarified, next the Council looks at the ideas and solutions that have been raised and reflects on each from the vantage point of the Web. It is in this process that we explore the potential impact on the Enki Ecosystem, and vice versa. Now that the Leadership Council positions are rotating ones, this will include an even broader perspective from more members of the community. During this exploration we also help one another identify whether our individual reflections and reactions are an expression of fear or apology, or anything short of our deep wisdom - and we work to recognize wisdom where and however it arises.
   
4. Once all this is clarified, in a separate meeting, the Directors take the information and experience back and discuss further as needed. They also look carefully at the “joining of heaven and earth”  (the relationship between the visionary and the practical), including their own Teacher Health. It is not uncommon for a wonderful idea to come up that is just not practical within the realities of the manpower we have at a particular time and our other commitments and priorities.
   
5. From there, the directors make the best decision they can, knowing that there is no such thing as perfect, and that the “Enki 20% fall rule” applies to them, just as it does to all others. The base agreement is that no changes to the current structures and programs are made unless we can arrive at consensus. So far, this has been achievable, relatively easily, and we have all learned and grown in the process.
   

This is the process, but why? It is because Enki is a specific approach to growth and learning. Our job as directors – and the reason we do this work at all – is to bring you all the clearest and most direct experience of that vision. That is something that requires what we call “Strong back/Soft front.” The “strong back” is in our clarity about the Enki vision. The “soft front” lies in the ongoing gathering of feedback, consideration of how the vision is working in the world, and the ongoing use of the SCDP to make decisions.

So Enki has a dynamic and responsive decision making process that strives to keep the Enki vision as clear and accessible as possible. But is explicitly not a democratic organization.

The reason we use this process is that we feel that all of us, without exception,  are in a growth process – one that is limited by history and habit, fears and triggers. It is the responsibility of the Leadership Council to make the decisions about what furthers that vision and what doesn't. Keeping the Enki vision clear so that it can best support people is our job, and it is the reason we continue to do the work.  

Enki Brief History of the Business: 

Enki is a 501 (c) (3), independent, non profit organization, run by the Director, Associate Directors, and Enki board of directors.  The Enki Leadership Council, comprised of parents who have been with Enki for many years (described further below) serve an advisory role to the Directors.  We all work together, along with parents, to bring this education into the world. 

In a nut shell, Enki grew out of parent requests of Beth, in response to her vision of education for peace. Since, from the beginning, the driving force was bringing this education to children, parents, and teachers, our focus was always on the education and not the viability of the business. Over the years we have come to see that, just as all aspects of the web must work together in the education, so too, the business must be a vibrant and contributing part of the whole and work within the principles of the Enki Web.

From day one Enki has been a primarily volunteer organization, and to this day all research and writing work is done on a volunteer basis. For the first 5 years all work was donated in full. For the next 10 years, half of all work was donated, and half done for deferred pay. Currently all work done by paid staff (Directors and support staff) is paid in part now, with part deferred, and part donated (in about equal thirds). That payment structure begins after the 2 year training period and volunteer service is complete. This does not include tech work (as no one will do it under those conditions), which is all paid in full, per job.