This is a CTP of initiative: Ecovillage Schloss Tempelhof (Germany)
The CTP can be described as a transformation process in which the power structures inside the initiative became more visible and had to be actively created by the community.
The intention to live an individually empowered life is a main pillar of how Schloss Tempelhof has started. It implies radical self-responsibility in all aspects of living in the community which they call the principle of ‘all are leaders’. Its credo includes community and the creation of constructive cooperation as the basis of individual empowerment. From the beginnings of the initiative the principle has been an ideal to strive for.
Nevertheless, in 2013 an intended move has pushed the process forward. The founders started to step back from their leading role of managing the board. They intentionally tried to enable ‘all leaders’. From the perspective of the community, the so-called ‘coordinating circle’ with the founders and selected members had been very powerful and the community wanted to change this structure. After the founders announced their planned withdrawal in Spring 2013, the community only started to realise the consequences and get active a month before the new elections in November 2013. Three mainly young and new members were elected.
The governance structure was changed including opening the coordination circle and releasing power to competence teams for each working area. Governance is in a developing process ever since. Since 2016 the community experiments with the method ‘sociocracy’, a steering method for organisations (Kunze/ Avelino 2015).
From the perspective of the founders, the reason for their withdrawal from their leading positions was based on the ideal to support the all leaders-principle and support the community to grow into it. According to one of the co-founders, it was a well-communicated process during which the governance structures were considered and adapted.
The founders of Schloss Tempelhof stepped back from their coordinating and managing role in April 2013.
Tempelhof board election in November 2013
Community members have different perspectives on the situation with the founders as managing board and their withdrawal in 2013. In terms of coproduction, different interviewees criticise the ‘laziness of the rest of the community’ and a gap in leadership skills which has caused the accumulation of power.
Till today there are different opinions amongst the community members, if the founders have really withdrawn from the leading position also on an informal level. Different voices state the new board was still very dependent on being led by the founders.
“Hierarchies are always there – because of age, time, knowledge, educations, skills, ability to take responsibility etc. It is not our aim to resolve this. We have all the same right, but not the same skills. The challenge and learning task is rather to acknowledge one’s own place in the community – the place and task that feels ‘right’ in this moment. This requires fluid structures, mutual trust, a lively feedback culture and the aim to overcome the ego” (Interview Roman Huber).
Finally, all interviewees mention that to fully implement this vision of ‘all leaders’, it is still a long way to go, because the influence and the advanced knowledge of the founders remains present on an informal level to some extent and creates an unintended hierarchy with more or less intended oligarchical structures. Still, the community has gotten far in this process compared to other organisations. ‘All leader’ is a high ideal which can only be approached but probably never reached.
Already in spring 2013 the founders announced to not be available for the new elections in fall on the coordination circle and management. But the community did not fully realise the consequences, the issue was not raised strongly enough and no suitable new members stepped forward. Only two months before the annual assembly in November 2013 the members became aware and nervous about the elections of the new coordination circle. Finally, three young and new members stepped forward and the elections were prepared just in time. In the preparation process, it was decided to also change the governance structure.
On the governance level the community of Schloss Tempelhof went through an organisational learning process and changed its governance structures (Kunze/Avelino 2015). Today the village plenary and the coordination circle are open for every member. The small coordinating circle was transformed into a coordinating plenary in which everyone can participate actively in preparing the decisions of the village plenary. The result is that Tempelhof is in the process of outsourcing most of the decisions to the working groups rather than to the plenary. In the plenary the decision making process is focussed on opportunities to create rather than to criticise or block activities of other members.
On the level of empowerment of individuals and social community building processes the critical turning point triggered a deeper understanding of the principle of ‘all leaders’. Tempelhof members have learnt that empowerment and leadership implies not only action and power, but at the same time responsibility and being able to carry the consequences of once decision even if they turn out differently than intended. Active people are also more likely to carry the responsibility for realizing their decisions.
The CTP has also led to a deeper understanding and more holistic ‘living’ of the ‘all leader’ principle. It is not only about equality in decision making processes, it is also about honouring. Empowering and trusting in everyone with his and her contribution is seen as important for the ‘all leader’ principle.
The following two quotes speak from individual learning experiences, first, in terms of individual work contribution to the community:
“I really like our goal to become a group of all leaders. It is still a long way to go, that everyone steps into their power! Someone says I want to be manager and financial secretary. Another one says I like to clean the toilets. Both are equally important! I do my communal service as garbage manager.” (Interviewee 4 in Kunze/ Avelino 2015)
Second the individual capacity and skills are set in relation to empowerment and leadership:
“You have a unique option and power for self-organization here in TH. You have as much power as you want to have. But if you want to co-design a project you have to inform yourself a lot. In the end the power is theoretical because you can get involved probably only in 1-2 projects at the same time.” (Interviewee 2 in Kunze/ Avelino 2015)
On the level of multiplying the learning outcomes, the internal community and all leader processes seem to have an indirect effect on the visitors and probably the quality of the seminars on community building offered in Tempelhof.
“Also the guests coming in see that we are very normal people. And when they see that we can create something like this, they also feel empowered to do so” (GEN 5 in Kunze/ Avelino 2015)
For more details on governance in Schloss Tempelhof read the research report on Schloss Tempelhof in Kunze/ Avelino 2015
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