Group Consensus is Wrong

So I'm working on proofing and MRJ article about spiritual intelligence in leadership styles. And I stumbled upon this gem of an "ahah" observation:

"...the values of group consensus are actually the survivalist values of the individual writ large....therefore, groups are notoriously wrong..." and "progress [is] often made against the will of and inspite of the group."

(Hodgkinson 1983)


Actually, this whole article is making me think about Mensa leadership and who fits in which style of leadership. Fascinating stuff, really.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

RVC Job Description

So I addressed the AMC about governance last week, and led them through coming up with a couple things to work on. I emphasized that they don't need to solve anything yet-- just gather information on the topics of concern (They chose specialized positions such as a Leadership Officer and the continued need or lack of need for past chairs on the AMC). They claimed to have come up with an acceptable RVC replacement proposition.
And so, on that topic, I thought I'd do a bog post about what I believe to be the full job description for an RVC as currently done:

RVC Duties and Responsibilities

(from interviews with current and former RVCs and LocSecs and various governing documents)

According to Article IV (6) “The duties of the Regional Vice-Chairmen shall be to act as liaison between local groups in their respective Regions and the American Mensa Committee, and to carry out in their respective Regions the policies and programs formulated by the American Mensa Committee.”

According to Appendix 4: Principals of Conduct of AMC Officers, RVCs are “the chief operating officers in their respective regions, and they are responsible for serving the needs of the groups in their regions and are responsible for executive supervision of those groups.”

Manage

·    Supervise LocSecs to make sure they're doing what they need to do. Encourage and pressure them to cooperate and participate and follow rules.

·    Help Local Groups meet legal requirements. List and remind the leaders of duties and deadlines.

·    Facilitate material requests.

·    Approve group formation, dissolution, and gatherings.

·    Reassign Local Group boundaries.

·    Appoint acting LocSecs.

·    Facilitate leadership development workshops and efforts.

·    Certify that a candidate in a local election is a bonafide candidate so that he or she may receive membership information for the purpose of campaigning.

·    Appoint regional scholarship chairs, Ombudsman, and others as needed.

Liaison

·    Keep Local Groups informed about national things that matter.

·    Write column so membership hears about what is going on regionally and nationally.

·    Be the connective glue between groups in a region, and between groups and the national board.

·    Know what is happening in the groups... Bring that insight to the board.

Solve Problems

·    Mediate and soothe conflict.

·    Resolve local and more often personal issues when asked.

·    Convene and facilitate regional hearings.

Support Local Efforts

·    Advise local leaders as requested.

·    Act as a cheerleader for groups and local volunteers and leaders.

·    Create parties and socialize with members.

·    Act as a conduit to resources and experts who might know how to do something.

·    Give out regional service awards.

·    Promote participation in national programs such as CultureQuest®, Gifted Children, SIGHT, scholarships, etc.

·    Promote bids for Annual Gatherings (AG), Colloquia, Mind Games®, and other national events within the region.

Represent

·    Make self accessible so people can give opinions— so it seems to locals that someone high up is interested and listening.

·    Carry local concerns up to AMC level.

·    Gather input from locals to help form voting choice.

Act as BoD member

·    Serve on committees.

·    Conduct an election by the region’s LocSecs for National NomCom representatives.

There is no indication that RVCs do or should poll their constituents and vote accordingly—there is no indication that RVCs are direct carriers of a region’s members’ votes. In fact, I recall Alan, when he was RVC3, polling his members regarding the extra night's stay at the WG. He said that although the majority of his members thought the AMC should be compensated for the extra night, Alan himself disagreed and voted against that motion.

Members who are in Region 00, Isolated M, have no RVC, and no AMC member directly assigned to represent their concerns or wishes. 

Good Old Burton Spain

Fascinating article about the namesake of Chicago Area Mensa's Good Old Burton Spain trust fund:

January: Small Portions

January 2012

THE LATE Burton Spain's name came up the other day, not in conjunction with the making of cues — the man's lifetime output was just 42 sticks of his own — but with his immersion in Mensa, the high-IQ society. Burt's devotion to the organization went far beyond mere membership; he was a regional officer whose entire social life revolved there. He had few friends other than his fellow Mensans, or, as they're called, M's. 

Read the rest here

And here are what he made! Read more about the cues.

Case For No REGIONAL representatives

(Shared from a post by Steven Worth of Plexus Consulting via a blog called Social Fish)

Typically organizations spend way too much time, worry and effort parsing how their multiple constituencies will be represented in their various governance and operational bodies. It is a thankless task where the end result usually is a state of tense political gamesmanship and/or stalemate as one group of constituent interests warily faces off against another. Some people enjoy such games—most do not; and those in the middle usually are reduced to exasperated cynicism about the whole process.

Ever since our Eighteenth Century call to arms– No taxation without representation!–we have been trapped in the mindset that no organization can be truly democratic unless all recognizable constituencies have a seat at the governing table. But in this new era of Internet-based communities it is becoming increasingly difficult to determine whose team anyone is on. Do you feel a certain way just because you live in Michigan, or because you work in a certain industry, or perform a certain job or practice a certain profession?–perhaps so, but increasingly not.

Traditional lines that used to be convenient for determining which “side” people are on are blurring. Slowly nations and people and communities are emerging from our ancient tribal states—call it “the pursuit of happiness,” a concept made famous by another famous Eighteenth Century document—thanks in no small part to the freedom the Internet has provided us. In this evolving environment, overarching strategic purpose becomes key—much more so than the traditional identification by geographic location. It is what draws people and companies to membership organizations and it is what motivates them as donors and engaged members.

So what does “representation” mean in this new environment? I suggest that when it comes to board representation the primary criteria are and should be the background and skills set of the people on the board—do they help advance the organization’s strategy and the strategic goals that are part of that strategy? This is the only question that matters, everything else is or should be subordinate to that.

Read more

Confirmation Bias

I do a lot of research and report-creation because supposedly the AMC wants to make decisions based on objective information. Then I fume in frustration when the reports are ignored and change is  avoided. And then I fume some more when members complain that change is needed. Perhaps I'm just bashing my head against a brick wall.

The Misconception: Your opinions are the result of years of rational, objective analysis.

The Truth: Your opinions are the result of years of paying attention to information which confirmed what you believed while ignoring information which challenged your preconceived notions.

Read the whole article here.

Illusion of Asymmetric Insight

Now this speaks volumes about how various factions in Mensa view each other!


"The illusion of asymmetric insight makes it seem as though you know everyone else far better than they know you, and not only that, but you know them better than they know themselves. You believe the same thing about groups of which you are a member. As a whole, your group understands outsiders better than outsiders understand your group, and you understand the group better than its members know the group to which they belong.

"The researchers explained this is how one eventually arrives at the illusion of naive realism, or believing your thoughts and perceptions are true, accurate and correct, therefore if someone sees things differently than you or disagrees with you in some way it is the result of a bias or an influence or a shortcoming. You feel like the other person must have been tainted in some way, otherwise they would see the world the way you do – the right way. The illusion of asymmetrical  insight clouds your ability to see the people you disagree with as nuanced and complex. You tend to see your self and the groups you belong to in shades of gray, but others and their groups as solid and defined primary colors lacking nuance or complexity....


Read more