Movement roles/Proposal

The following is a draft proposal for a process to clarify movement roles over the coming year. The proposal will be discussed with the Wikimedia Board in October. It calls for an open discussion and resolution of key issues affecting governance, collaboration and decision-making across different parts of the movement, and sets a timeline for compiling recommendations about these issues.

Background

The structure of the Wikimedia movement has evolved organically without much deliberation about the direction or the roles and responsibilities of the different players. Beside the Wikimedia Foundation, there currently are 29 established Wikimedia chapters and some other groups with ambiguously defined roles. The strategy for the growth of Wikimedia calls for an expansion of the activities of chapters and for the growth of new chapters or other entities all over the world. While this expansion can bring the sum of human knowledge to many more people, it could increase organizational complexity and confusion among all of the entities within the Wikimedia movement.

Therefore, Wikimedia as a whole needs to develop clarity around roles and responsibilities within the network of Wikimedia entities now and in the future. There is a need for a shared understanding of where Wikimedia is as an organization today, and how it can grow in scale: i.e. become more successful where it already is, and become a real global organization with a presence everywhere - not just in developed countries.

A strong decentralized movement structure is important to the development of the international Wikimedia movement, and this is something the Foundation actively supports. In early 2010, Board Trustees Jan-Bart de Vreede and Arne Klempert had some formal and informal conversations with several stakeholders - many during the chapters meeting in Berlin - to develop a better understanding of possible courses of action. At Wikimania 2010, the board created a Board workgroup "to manage the movement roles project and develop recommendations that will lead to a formal resolutions to be considered by the Board of Trustees", chaired by Arne Klempert.

After subsequent discussions and a call for nominations the workgroup was expanded to include Chapters members in August. Since then the workgroup had a few conference calls to develop a draft proposal about its scope and aims. An initial publication and announcement of this draft prompted discussion both on- and off-wiki by members of the community, resulting in significant improvements to the document.

Proposal

Purpose of the movement roles project

The purpose of the movement roles project is to clarify the roles and responsibilites of different entities, groups and people working to support the international Wikimedia movement. We believe that this is crucial to prepare the Wikimedia movement for growth and success in its mission to bring the sum of human knowledge to all people, particularly in reaching parts of the world that currently lack a Wikimedia community. By clarifying how different parts of the movement can support and rely on one another, we can develop a coherent global network and avoid the risks of dissipated energies or duplicated effort.

These sorts of issues can be solved more easily now, while most chapters and other Wikimedia groups (and the Foundation itself) are still developing their individual and community identities. Uncertainties about movement roles will only become harder to resolve in the future, so it is important to start addressing them now.

Deliverable

By next summer, we propose to develop a set of recommendations for the development of Wikimedia as a global network of organizations working together to realize our mission at scale -- for everyone on the planet. These recommendations will:

• Address current issues and investigate models that support a strong, balanced global network. Ideal models should include support for currently underrepresented regions, not only those currently represented by stakeholders in the process
• Present goals in terms of fundamental best principles, not just as incremental changes from current structures and systems

The recommendations will include a simple "charter" which will be endorsable by the entire Wikimedia movement, designed to need no revision for at least three years. That is, it should describe shared values, roles and responsibilities that all can agree on and that are unlikely to change quickly over time.

Stakeholders

Key stakeholders in this process include the Wikimedia Foundation (board and staff), Wikimedia chapters (both existing and in active development, the Chapters Committee (as a board committee), individual Wikimedians, and other groups of contributors and supporters that would benefit from organizational participation or recognition.

Operating Principles

This project will reflect the importance of a strong, decentralized movement structure and its own responsibility to lead organizational development of the international Wikimedia movement.

1. The process will be transparent, with participation and input open to all interested parties.
2. A steering committee will make sure that steady progress is being made towards the determined goals. This committee is responsible for reflecting input, presenting a “neutral” view when inputs and perspectives conflict, and synthesizing different views into a set of recommendations.
3. The Wikimedia Foundation Board will consider the recommendations of the workgroup before endorsing the new charter.
4. The Wikimedia Foundation Board will ask the Wikimedia movement worldwide to support and agree on the new charter.

Approach

Addressing these issues will require a mixture of facts, frameworks and facilitation.

Together we will develop a fact base, to include

• Current roles of Wikimedia entities and movement members
• Current and projected needs of entities and members
• Best demonstrated practices within Wikimedia and from other global movements

To facilitate decisions we will employ select frameworks, such as:

• Decision-making roles (e.g., RAPID)
• Models for effective decision-making and operation (e.g., Effectiveness in global NGO networks)

Timing

This work will be tackled in phases, separated by the milestones of Wikimedia meetings. The main deliverable from each phase will be the preparation for decisions at the meeting.

1. Wikimedia Foundation Board Meeting, Oct 2010
   • Confirms the composition of the extended workgroup as a Steering Committee
   • Endorses the proposal of the workgroup
   • Encourages all stakeholders to engage actively in the process
2. Steering Committee Meeting, Jan 2011
   • Reviews of needs of Wikimedia movement
   • Analyzes best demonstrated practices
   • Develops hypotheses for decision-making processes
   • Sketches out initial draft of charter
3. Steering Committee and Chapters Meeting, March 2011
   • Discusses draft of charter to be recommended by Wikimania 2011
   • Schedules discussion of draft charter at chapters and other entities before Wikimania
4. Wikimania, August 2011
   • Steering Committee ecommends charter to Wikimedia Foundation board for approval or amendment
   • Board discusses recommendation and input from chapters and other entities
   • Board announces its endorsement to all attending Wikimania and any ratification plan

Steering Committee

A Steering Committee exists to make sure that steady progress is being made to develop these recommendations. It currently includes:

• Morgan Chan (Wikimedia Hong Kong board member; Chinese Wikimedia conference organizer)
• Bence Damokos (Wikimedia Hungary board member; Chapters committee member)
• Bishakha Datta (Wikimedia Foundation board member)
• Samuel Klein (Wikimedia Foundation board member)
• Arne Klempert (Wikimedia Foundation board member; Chair of the workgroup)
• Barry Newstead (Wikimedia Foundation staff; Chief Global Development Officer)
• Galileo Vidoni (Wikimedia Argentina board member)
• Alice Wiegand (Wikimedia Deutschland board member; Involved in WM-DE's and WMF's strategy processes)

With advice and facilitation from:

• Jon Huggett (Consultant with 25 years of experience in the field of management of global NGOs and businesses)
• Austin Hair (Chapters committee member and long-time community volunteer)

The Steering Committee may adjust its membership as needed.

Key Issues

Please add to this list!

1. What roles in the Wikimedia movement should be played by:
   • Individual Wikimedians and ad-hoc wikigroups
   • Chapters (including national and subnational chapters)
   • The Chapters Committee and other cross-chapter groups
   • The Wikimedia Foundation
   • Other and new entities

2. What are the rights and responsibilities of entities in the Wikimedia movement:
   • Rights of chapters and other entities to represent and initiate partnerships on behalf of Wikimedia in their countries
   • Responsibilities of chapters to dues paying members, other volunteers in the country, and the rest of the Wikimedia movement
   • Rights to use the brand name
   • Responsibility to raise money to support Wikimedia worldwide

3. How should decisions be made within the Wikimedia movement
   • Which decisions should be made within chapters and other entities, which decisions should be made by the Wikimedia Foundation, which decisions should be made by individual contributors and WikiProjects, which decisions should involve more than one of these groups working together
     • For decisions that involve multiple groups working together, what processes should be followed to make decisions and share the deliberations with others
4. How should money flow within the Wikimedia movement
   • Where is the responsibility for raising money: Foundation; chapters, old and new
   • How transparent must entities be with money they retain or spend
   • How are movement costs distributed among entities
     • When should money raised by an entity be shared with other parts of the movement
     • When should entities expect to receive financial support from other parts of the movement
   • What is the role of individual donors in the movement and the community

5. How can the Wikimedia movement build coherence as it grows, and avoid confusion
   • Developing leadership in an increasingly global movement
   • Clarifying and expanding communication across culture and language barriers
   • Focusing on goals to improve impact and shared initiative
   • Strengthening complementary relationships to bind disparate work into a movement

6. What changes need to be managed for existing entities
   • "Grandfathered" roles, duties and rights for existing entities, and "sunset" provisions
   • A process for changing from current to future arrangements (where appropriate)