Structures & Toolset

The Model Communities Association’s structure provides solutions for many different situations. Our toolset has been specially designed to support collaborative arrangements. Let’s have a little definition time so we can all speak the same language.

Arrangement

An Arrangement is any situation using the MCA structure. Arrangements that utilize MCA are generally situational in nature and may come in a variety of forms including shared housing, people or businesses sharing spaces or work tools, businesses designed from the ground up to be collaborative, or residents of a neighborhood sharing a garden.

Associate

Associates are the people participating in the MCA arrangement. These folks can range from temporary members (like overnight guests) to owners of real property. Find a full list of these here.

Circles

MCA structures lack the hierarchy found in traditional organizations with a circular shape as opposed to a pyramid. Instead of just one leader telling everyone what to do, all associates participate in decision-making. The ultimate decision blends the perspectives of all participants.

Circles are spaces where multiple associates can form agreements for any purpose. Agreements relate to responsibilities assigned to or agreed by Associates. An agreement may involve sharing a resource such as property, responsibilities such as maintenance/chores, or a blend of both. Each Circle independently establishes and consents to the terms of agreements made among its Associates. The intention is that each agreement offers equitable benefits to all participants. One such Agreement is the Occupancy Agreement which outlines an Arrangement and the Agreement accepted by Associates within a Circle for occupancy in the specified building.

Each time a circle meets, the group designates a Facilitator. Those experienced in facilitation may make themselves available to facilitate other circles’ meetings. Examples of times this may be especially helpful are when new circles form, critical issues are to be discussed, or for convenience.

For administrative purposes, MCA maintains an Operations Circle comprised of Service Providers, who may be compensated for services provided. The original, or founding, Circle is referred to as the “Root Circle.” While the Root Circle started MCA, it rarely meets given that management responsibilities have all be delegated to the circles.

It is important to note that no one Circle dominates another or interferes with the decisions made by other Circles. The intention of MCA is to encourage others to use collaborative decision-making which inherently involves far less “overhead” than is necessary in traditional organizations.

Trust Profiles

Bringing together associates from different backgrounds, varied experiences, and disparate economic backgrounds within what is to most an unfamiliar decision-making structure opens the door to unique shared experiences. People are suddenly accountable to each other instead of “the man.” Each person’s actions directly impacts others in the circle on an ongoing basis.

MCA sets the stage for sharing resources and responsibilities over time, without hierarchy. In support of keeping up with the positive results of those experiences, MCA suggests the use of what we call Trust Profiles. These profiles illustrate an associate’s collective energies that resulted through shared experiences. They reflect the extent to which a person has exchanged with others, what they have done or offered while doing so.

Whereas some accountability for keeping one’s promises plays out over time, the fact is that we live in a world driven by technology, a resource that offers us the ability to capture and store information with little effort. We’re most familiar with this in reviews of businesses, with stars and comments shared to reflect our experiences.

Using such technology in our yet-to-be-completed system, Trust Profiles tell stories. These profiles track the reactions others in the circle have had, whether agreements were kept, and other contributions made by each associate.

Tokens of Appreciation

ToAs are digital records that collectively make up a person’s Trust Profile. Designed to encourage positive behaviors and outcomes, these digital records represent the intangible value of actions that collectively build trust.

Within our yet-to-be-completed system, users make agreements. The system can be configured to send reminders to complete agreed-upon tasks or to check-in at a later point in time to see how the agreement is progressing. Other associates weigh in on the results of the agreement by showing appreciation through issuing Tokens of Appreciation, which are systematically collected in a way that illustrates the energies contributed by the associate history of each associate, relating details of their life as it unfolds.

Through the visual representation of the Tokens of Appreciation (ToAs), Trust Profiles display a three-dimensional portrait of each Associate’s exchanges with others. This information is only visible to other Associates, accessed through MCA’s toolset.

Collaboration and engagement are required in order to receive tokens. In other words, everyone in the circle participates consents to the issuance of each ToA.

With ToAs, one cannot win alone but requires others in order to gain a reputation. This element gets people out of their “holes,” active and engaged within the community.

Click here to explore the specific Tokens of Appreciation, how they work, and their relationship to the seven chakras of the body.