12 | | === Conflict Resolution === |
| 17 | Setting up any working group needs to include defining the scope for that WG. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | The term "core membership" refers to all people who are either on staff or in any working group. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | === Working Group Responsibilities === |
| 22 | |
| 23 | Each working group has a set of responsibilities: |
| 24 | |
| 25 | * regular reportbacks to the lowdown about ongoing work |
| 26 | * maintain an easily-accessible way for members to find out what the working groups are, and how to contact them. This allows members to interact with and guide a working group without needing to commit to full participation in it. |
| 27 | * Each working group should maintain a publicly-archived mailing list. |
| 28 | |
| 29 | === Working group membership === |
| 30 | |
| 31 | How does a member join a working group? |
| 32 | |
| 33 | Different models have different advantages, and we may not want to prescribe a single approach for all working groups. Factors that need consideration are: |
| 34 | |
| 35 | * we want to avoid working groups dominated by traditional majorities (cisgendered English-speaking white men) |
| 36 | * a careful and thoughtful WG membership process tends to create mutual commitment from all parties involved instead of fly-by-night flakiness |
| 37 | * but barriers to entry discourage participation |
| 38 | * isolated cabals are bad |
| 39 | |
| 40 | === Staff membership === |
| 41 | |
| 42 | open questions: |
| 43 | |
| 44 | * how do we decide who is on staff? |
| 45 | * should each working group need to have a participating staff member? |
| 46 | * should each staff member need to participate in at least one working group? |
| 47 | |
| 48 | === Decision Making and Conflict Resolution === |
| 49 | |
| 50 | We don't currently have a clear breakdown of how decisions get made at MF/PL. We need one. It should include: |
| 51 | |
| 52 | * What different types of decisions are being made |
| 53 | * who initiates a given type of decision |
| 54 | * who needs to be consulted |
| 55 | * who needs to approve |
| 56 | * who needs to be informed? |
| 57 | |
| 58 | Each working group should make decisions within its scope. |
| 59 | |
| 60 | There are a set of shared MF/PL guidelines that we expect all WGs to adhere to: |
| 61 | |
| 62 | * respectful communication |
| 63 | * working groups need to listen to the concerns of MF/PL members who are not WG participants |
| 64 | * we strive for consensus, and presume that is the baseline for decision-making, WGs may choose their specific implementation of consensus |
| 65 | |
| 66 | Conflict resolution: |
| 67 | |
| 68 | * we need to plan out a conflict resolution approach both between and within WGs: decision-making should be how it normally works, and conflict-resolution is for when decision-making process breaks down |