Transition Town group involved in preparations for peak oil and climate change; an intentional community, founded with the highest ideals; and, a non-profit dedicated to social change - millions of such voluntary groups exist around the world. These collaborative organisations have the unique potential to harness their members' ideals, passions, skills, and knowledge - if they can succeed in getting along together. This is a comprehensive guide for groups seeking to organise with shared power and bottom-up leadership to foster vision, trust, accountability and responsibility. This desperately needed toolkit provides keys to: understanding group dynamics; facilitating communication and collective decision-making; and, dealing effectively with difficult people. Drawing on four decades of experience, Starhawk shows how collaborative groups can generate the co-operation, efficacy and commitment critical to success. Her extensive exploration of group process is woven together with the story of RootBound - a fictional ecovillage mired in conflict - and rounded out with a series of real-life case studies. The included exercises and facilitator's toolbox show how to establish the necessary structures, ground rules and healthy norms. This is required reading for anyone who wants to help their group avoid disagreement and disillusionment and become a wellspring of creativity and innovation.

Table of Contents

A New Era of empowerment; RootBound Ecovillage & the Talisman of Healthy Community; The Circle of Vision; The Axis of Action -- Power & Responsibility; The Axis of Learning -- Communication & Trust; Leadership Roles for Leaderless Groups; Group Conflict; Dealing with Difficult People; Groups That Work; Endnotes; Index.

Reviews

"Starhawk has stepped forward to help the 99 percent camped in the streets from Syria and Bahrain to New York and London. To have power one needs to discover the ultimate tools of power - the ability to build friendships and to focus group attention on shared goals. This book provides the real formula for empowerment, in earthy detail, from family to village to culture to global movement." - Albert Bates, author "The Biochar Solution: Carbon Farming and Climate Change" and "The Post-Petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook: Recipes for Change"
"It's not easy to meld a sweeping vision with practical steps on how to implement it, but Starhawk has succeeded brilliantly in "The Empowerment Manual." Filled with case histories, illustrative stories, and, most importantly, clearly written exercises for honing your collaborative skills, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in building community and truly empowering themselves and others." -- Toby Hemenway, author of "Gaia's Garde