The study of bees shows bottom-up decision-making works.
Bees run their bee hives without a central control, no managers and no team meetings. In most corporates humanity needs a central control, managers and team meetings. The bees suggest that humanity can do away with centralisation, managers and team meetings.
In bee society every bee has the skills, resources and knowledge to meet their role. Bees operate in real-time a communication system that is sending information backwards and forwards quickly across the colony. If a bee encounters a problem it shares this information with other bees, who all deal with the problem immediately. Bees need no managers because they are capable of dealing with problems on their own, whilst as the decision makers at “ground zero” they have no need for a centralised control system.
The internet, smart phones and GPS provides the means to build an instant communications system so that people can share information and coordinate in real-time without the need of meetings. If every individual has the skills, knowledge and resources for their role, the manager role is redundant. If the individual has the authority to resolve problems at the local level without need to ask permission then no centralised control system is required. Feedback mechanisms can be created for the purposes of quality control that can identify and communicate problems for immediate rectification.
What does this all mean to you and me? If there is a good communications system; access to resources, knowledge and skills; and authority to make the decisions and take action at the local level; then a bottom-up approach to sustainability is possible. What do you think?
Sustainability Action 13: I joined Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth is an international organisation that campaigns for sustainable solutions to problems in politics, economy, society and the environment. Friends of the Earth came into being after some members of the North American focussed Sierra Club broke away over nuclear energy; they are a decentralised organisation found throughout the world with chapters in most large population centres. I joined the Friends of the Earth chapter in Colchester.