Beginning around 1970, Gerard Endenburg developed a management and governance method called Sociocracy while managing his electrical engineering corporation, Endenburg Electrotechnik, in the Netherlands.
As an engineer, Endenburg was educated in the physical sciences and found the art of management to be unclear and unproven in its ability to create a harmonious and productive workplace. Building on his own experiences and education as well as related work by others, and using his company as a laboratory, he experimented by applying the principles of cybernetics, the science of communications and control, to the management of his business. In the process, he developed a unique method of organization.
Sociocracy is also known as Dynamic Governance, reflecting the method’s roots in system dynamics, cybernetics and systems design. These disciplines are ingeniously combined to create a comprehensive and elegant feedback system that guides decision-making and governance. This optimizes an organization’s ability to respond to internal and external pressures while maintaining security and stability.
Just as principles of system dynamics apply to all systems, Dynamic Governance applies to all organizations. It clarifies missions and goals and provides benefits that are specific to the environment in which it is applied.
