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EAR Decisions agreement

EAR is a trusted network of people working together to help make public interest internet technology legible, usable, and practical for everyday people. We believe members should make their own decisions, with care for others inside and outside the collective.

Decisions are made through consent and participation. Members are expected to seek advice and include others before making high-stakes decisions, and take steps to ensure serious objections are respected when they arise.

Not every decision carries the same weight. Decisions that set precedent, commit resources, or have greater consequence should be informed by more voices and have more time to discuss before moving forward.

In practice this means making decisions visible inside EAR when considering: Is this good enough for now, and safe enough to try? Multiple members are included in every major decision. Proposals move when they're workable, even if it isn't everyone's first choice, unless they are blocked based on a serious objection.

How decisions are made

Radiate intent

Sharing early and often creates an invitation to collaborate. Communicate what you're about to do, before you do it, in the relevant Zulip channel or wherever the work already lives, so anyone affected has a chance to flag something early. No good proposal emerges fully formed from a singular perspective, and we're better when we work together.

Invite advice

At EAR, you can act without asking permission first. This freedom comes with a responsibility: make sure the people a decision affects, and the people who know the subject best, have had a chance to inform your action before it moves forward. Seeking advice this way is a means of practicing accountability before the fact and respecting the lived experience and expertise of the people around you, and it's what lets even a decision not everyone agrees with keep the group's trust.

Before moving on a proposal:

  • Share questions, problem areas, and opportunity spaces in topical channels in Zulip. Ask if anyone may have expertise, or may know someone with expertise.
  • Consider adding subject-matter experts and stakeholders tables to proposals, and invite people to add to it.

Gather broader input

Sometimes advice from a few people isn't enough to know where a group stands, especially on something that touches a lot of people or reopens a disagreement that may have surfaced previously. In such cases it's worth checking the temperature of the wider group before moving forward, using techniques such as polling or group interviews. This doesn't replace the consent process, but it does tell you where people are before you ask for it.

For tools that support this, see the Software Systems Agreement.

Proposal and discussion

Everyone is encouraged to raise discussions and proposals with a clear course of action or resolution pathway. If you'd like help getting clarity or refining a proposal, don't be afraid to start with a rough draft and invite feedback and collaboration.

Once a proposal has circulated and had time to gather advice, whoever raised it checks the group for objections. This is where participants can weigh in by responding with one of the following four positions.

Position Meaning
Agree You’re happy with the proposal
Abstain You’re happy for the group to decide without you.
Disagree There might be a better alternative, but you’re willing to go along with the group’s decision.
Block You have serious objections and believe there is serious risk if this initiative moves forward as-is.

Blocking a proposal

A block is different from a disagreement. Disagree means you'd have chosen differently but can live with the group's call. Block means you believe the proposal poses risk to the group, or runs against EAR's purpose, mission, or vision. Held to that standard, blocking carries weight precisely because it's used sparingly, not as a stand-in for personal preference.

A single block stops a proposal from moving forward as written. That's a significant responsibility to carry as a blocking contributor: block because you see risk to the group, not because you would have preferred a different approach. And it's everybody's responsibility, not just the blocker's, to work through a block in good faith and with respect for each other.

  • You don't have to propose an alternative when you block. You will be asked to explain your concern in a timely way so the group can understand it.
  • Take the time to help others understand what the proposal is trying to achieve, and why you believe it doesn't get there safely.

A block reopens the conversation rather than ending it: the proposal gets reworked, or the concern gets addressed, until the block is no longer needed. The result is a stronger decision than the one first proposed.

Decision culture and practice

How we make decisions is inseparable from how we treat each other while making them. For the culture and principles that ground this work, see the how we show up guide.

The two lists below name what we ask of each other in a decision.

Bring yourself to a decision

  • Share your views and opinions! If you’re in this group, your experience and perspective are valued.
  • Aim to be succinct and clear in your communication. This isn’t always how we show up, and that’s OK.
  • Invite participation and advice from others.
  • Learn from each other. Ask questions. Listen to understand, not to find fault.
  • Participate when you’re able and interested, even if your contributions are small.
  • Be prepared to evolve your thinking.
  • Embrace diverse perspectives and other approaches.
  • Ask for help if you’d like to engage more or are having trouble understanding an issue. You’re probably not alone.

Make room for others

  • Share early and often
  • Involve people you don’t work with often
  • Make connections and develop professional working relationships
  • If you encounter conflict or confusion, consider holding a conversation to invite multiple perspectives and learn from the group
  • Facilitation is usually the missing link; invite those to speak who haven’t spoken often, clarify and summarize points raised, suggest timing and next steps, encourage sharing advice and feedback.