The Partnership-Domination Spectrum: A framework for thinking about group dynamics

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The partnership and domination spectrum framework suggests that human relationships can be categorized into partnership or domination models. The domination model, prevalent throughout history, is characterized by clear hierarchy, chain of command, and centralized decision-making, influenced by cultural, psychological, and information theory factors. However, the shift towards more efficient networks in the information age is challenging this model. General Stanley McChrystal's 'Team of Teams' demonstrates how even the US Army operates on a decentralized model, pushing information and autonomy to the edges. This highlights the fundamental changes in organizational possibilities due to information technology. The speaker expresses a preference for partnership over domination, emphasizing the value of mutual respect, exchange, and learning in partnerships, compared to the ranking and power dynamics in the domination model. The speaker challenges the common historical narrative focused on domination and points out compelling evidence for alternative ways of organizing based on partnership.

In this episode we speak with Richard Bartlett, co-founder of the tech cooperative Loomio, and The Hum, management consultancy for organizations without managers. In the conversation, we cover his history and experience with patterns of decentralized organizing picked up from the punk scene and Occupy Wellington in the early 2010s, what he learned from those patterns, and how he co-created new organizational structures that put them into play with his co-founders and fellow workers. This episode will be particularly interesting for listeners who want practical advice on how to organize in DAOs, cooperatives, and other organizational forms that seek to work in non-hierarchical ways, but still get meaningful work done.

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