Detroit URC Operating Norms
Adopted July 22, 2021 by the Detroit URC Board
1. Knowledge and understanding of core goals and tasks.
2. Shared voices rather than dominated by a few.
3. Communication between members is clear, honest, transparent, and respectful.
4. Recognizing diversity of interaction styles - different ways that people contribute - creating spaces in a meeting to check in with voices that haven’t been heard.*
5. Open-minded, taking everybody’s suggestions into consideration without being biased.*
6. Work collaboratively on projects.
7. At meetings themselves, fewer report-outs, more interaction and collaboration.
8. Attention paid to establishing and maintaining trust.
9. Listening - when group members listen and feel heard.*
10. Members feel heard and valued.
11. A sense of humor is welcomed.
12. Groups where you can laugh and know a little bit about each other outside the professional relationship.
13. Strive for balance in accomplishing goals and paying attention to process of the group.
14. Opportunity to learn from other people - to contribute but also to learn.
15. Agree to disagree.*
16. Address conflict when it arises.*
17. Decision-making process is agreed-upon (“decide how to decide”). The Board will use the 70% consensus rule (that is, all major issues will be discussed, providing an opportunity for everyone to have input, and decisions will be adopted when everyone is able to get behind a given decision with at least 70% of their support). In instances where a decision needs to be reached in a timely manner, in between Board meetings, the passive consent rule will be followed (that is, everyone will be given a time frame for responding to the request/decision, for example 24 to 48 hours, and if a Board member neither requests more time for deciding nor replies at all, it is understood that they are providing their passive consent to the decision/request made).
18. Decisions are made during the meeting and not unmade after the meeting.
19. When we have new projects, to be able to understand where we’re at as they are developing.
20. Celebrating accomplishments.
21. Refreshments are provided when possible.
22. Especially in the Zoom era, meetings that are an hour or less.*
23. Meetings end on time.*
24. New members are informed of our process within 30-60 days of joining the partnership.
*Where there is no line spacing between two items (e.g., #4 & #5) indicates combining of similar ideas (created and approved subsequent to the initial idea generation at the Board meeting).
Download the Detroit URC Operating Norms
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