Mandala Structure and Governance Working Group

Interim Report – July, 2004

 Chair: Joe Inskeep

 

Ground

Our Shambhala mandala has experienced loss, crisis, evolutionary change and continued growth over a very short time frame. During this period of change, the influence of the central government has waned while, in some cases, individual entities have stabilized by evolving their own autonomy and capabilities. We are now a mandala of extraordinary history, diversity, and great resources entering a new phase of governance under the SakyongÕs leadership. This phase opens with clear and principled leadership from the Court and broad participation from all aspects of our society.

 

Path

Governance path is evolving through respect for an open and rich dialogue amongst the Court, all levels of leadership, and the emerging voice of community. Our common path rests not only on shared vision and values, but through the need to effectively balance broad consultation and empowered leadership.

 

Fruition

We envision a mandala which joins sacred and secular experience, that is confident, responsive, and energized, and which manifests our shared commitment to Enlightened Society and the living legacy of our Buddhist and Shambhalian lineages.

 

Mandala Structure and Governance

Membership

Tom Adducci              Jane Arthur                 Brian Callahan            

Michael Carroll           Giovannina Jobson     Debbie McCubbin

Dan Montgomery        Esther Siebold             Arbie Thalacker

Jan Watson

Objectives for governance

1. Articulate the overarching principles of governance, and in particular, those that could guide decision making across the mandala.
2. Develop recommendations (suggests choices) that articulate potential configurations and roles of central governing bodies for our mandala.
3. Develop a set of recommendations to clarify, guide and bound the particular governance and decision-making relationships between and among the central governing bodies and other principal entities of the mandala. In particular, make recommendations that address current conflicts in authority and decision making.

Objectives for structure

1. Develop a realistic model that identifies and prioritizes the critical tasks and services in the mandala, and identifies where responsibility and authority for managing these could most effectively reside.
2. Develop a set of recommendations for structuring the mandala to create a robust form for accomplishing our mission.
3. Coordinate these recommendations with the budget and funding model being developed in the New Economic Model work group. 

Status

• The workgroup developed a shared body of knowledge through interviews with President Richard Reoch, Chris Tamdjidi, Susan Skjei and Alex Halpern, and by collecting and reviewing some 20 documents on issues related to governance.
• We identified five primary governance sub-group areas. Three sub-groups are staffed and at various stages of their work; two are in the process of forming.
• Reports below are presented by sub-group.

 

Subgroup #1: CENTRAL GOVERNING BODIES AND STRUCTURES

Members:

Michael Carroll, Esther Seibold, Arbie Thalacker

 

Objectives:    

Obtain input and make draft recommendations that articulate potential configurations and

roles of central governing bodies for our mandala and for structuring the mandala.

 

Status:           

The workgroup interviewed President Reoch at considerable length and developed a four

page report that was preliminarily reviewed and commented on by the Working Group.

 

Six general areas of governance have been identified. These include:

1.              The Court

2.              Governing Body Structures

3.              Congress

4.              Administrative Structures

5.              Council Structures

6.              Regional representation models

 

The Court, Governing Body Structures and Congress are briefly discussed in the report titled Preliminary Structure Report. The Administrative Structures and the Congress will be examined by other Mandala Governance and Structure subgroups. Presentations of Council Structures and the Regional representation models are not sufficiently advanced for inclusion at this time. All ideas presented are open to discussion and further input.

Subgroup #2: CRITICAL TASKS AND SERVICES

 

Members:

Jane Arthur, Brian Callahan, Debbie McCubbin and Jan Watson, with participation from working group chair, Joe Inskeep.

 

Objective:

Develop a realistic model that identifies and prioritizes the critical tasks and services in the mandala, and identifies where responsibility and authority for managing these could most effectively reside.

Mandala Structure and Governance

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Status:

Eighteen North American center directors participated in conference calls that elicited lists of services and support needed by their centers. Twenty-six centers and groups

responded to a center-talk request to choose their top five priorities from the list, in priority order. The choices were then weighted in a points system based on how high or low a center ranked them. The results are detailed in the report Preliminary Critical Services Report.

A conference call with retreat centers to begin a similar process is scheduled for July 6^th. Conference calls with European centers will happen in the second half of July, coordinated by Chris Tamdjidi. A process for getting feedback from South America, where conference calls are difficult, is being worked on—likely some combination of email, and personal interviews at the July conference.

Based on our findings, this working group will identify critical tasks and services and make recommendations as to how those needs could best be met in terms of structure and responsibility.

Subgroup #3: ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERSHIP MODEL

Members:

Dan Montgomery and Tom Adducci

Objectives:    

Develop a set of recommendations to clarify, guide and bound the particular governance and decision-making relationships between and among the central governing bodies and other principal entities of the mandala.

Status:           

Using Alex Halpern's January, 2003 memorandum entitled Center Membership in Shambhala International as a starting point, we are exploring the implications and implementation issues related to creating a mandala structure employing a membership/partnership model.

There has already been a great deal of thought and discussion around this approach, particularly as it relates to legal and financial issues. Our focus will be on how we can define the rights and responsibilities of all membership entities in a way that balances the need for local autonomy with the need for maintaining a strong, integrated mandala. We will also explore the impact of the model on governance, representation and communication.

We have been working closely with Mr. Halpern, and, at our request, he has offered a set of proposals and questions that support the funding model proposal of the new Economic Plan working group and identify critical issues related to standards, governance and representation.

Subgroup #4: THE PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNANCE

Members:

All workgroup members

Objective:

Articulate the overarching principles of governance, and in particular, those that could guide decision making across the mandala.

Status:

The workgroup has two preliminary documents related to overarching principles, one circulated internally and one submitted by Chris Tamdjidi. While we recognize the preeminent place principles have in guiding the design of governance process, our focus to date has been on other objectives.

A workgroup meeting dedicated to principles of Shambhala governance is scheduled for July 11^th, and any results from that meeting will develop too late for inclusion in this interim report. Our intention is to test all governance recommendations against the core overarching principles that are developed.

 

Subgroup #5: THE SHAMBHALA CONGRESS

Members: This subgroup has not formed as yet.

Status:

The workgroup as a whole has had to date one discussion on the Congress. The Central Governing Bodies and Structures sub-group has consulted with President Reoch in some detail. A subgroup will be formed to consider the relationship between the Congress and ongoing Shambhala governance.

Mandala Structure and Governance

 

Workgroup discussion to date has yielded the following preliminary ideas:

1.     The Congress is a critically important element of Shambhala governance and should be held annually for the next few years (5?) or until social and economic costs outweigh benefits.

2.     Prior to the Congress, broad input should be solicited from local communities and constituencies to identify themes and views the membership want brought forward. This input could be incorporated into the Congress design.

3.     A program template for conducting pre-Congress community gatherings should be offered to support and gather broad participation.

4.     To the extent possible, the Congress event (and pre-Congress community gatherings) should be both consultative and serve as an forum for community practice, organizational development and leadership, in order to build further capacity in the mandala for dialogue, identifying and opening issues, holding and exploring differences, and learning more about the principles of Shambhala society and the dynamics of decision making.

5.     Following the Congress, findings should be reported back to the membership and forwarded to the governing bodies to help guide strategic planning.

 

Reports of Findings Submitted to Date 

• Preliminary Structure Report
• Preliminary Critical Services Report [PDF]
  

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Updated 2004/08/26