Management

A post about how Perth Community Farm is managed, from Ian Watt 

"When the master rules the people say, "Ah! we did it all by ourselves!" Lao Tzu

I'm very interested in how our farm, or any other project, is managed so as to be the best possible version of itself it can be.

I've worked on projects which were very much top-down, where the boss/leader has a vision or some experience which becomes a blueprint for his or her project. This is great way to get things started but the downside is that other project members have little or no say in how the project develops and they can begin to feel a bit like drones.

I much to prefer to work on projects that are more laterally managed, where everyone feels they can chip in with ideas and suggestions. If any of us involved in the farm has an idea for an easy way to do something, or some feature it might be good to include, we'll run it by the other team members and probably make a small experimental patch so we can see how it looks in practice.

NO "RIGHT" WAY

Don't some people just know the right way to do everything? It's not pleasant to work with super-rigid, know-all people and in our present times when so many aspects of our lives are changing it's not helpful either. More than ever, we need to think about how we provide for all our needs and look at ways to do that as efficiently, locally and with respect for our environment and for each other as we can.

METCALFE'S LAW
The more elements in a system, the more resilient it becomes.

The illustration shows phones but this applies to natural systems too. Two elements have just one possible connection, five have ten and twelve have a whopping sixty-six possible

So much to learn and relearn

Reliance on fossil fuel

Members bring in all sorts of experience