How does horizontalism or non-hierarchical organizing work, and what have we learned from attempts at it?

The following responds to a question received during the learning circle held on 'how to occupy a space to advance your cause'. The contents of this page include insight from academic analyses of the use of horizontality in social movements and thinkers who developed and expanded upon the concept deep democracy. 

What is Horizontality?

"Horizontality refers to the active creation of nonhierarchical relations through decision-making processes. Rather than assuming that equality can be declared or created through a centralized authority that is legitimated to rule by 'the people', movement practices of horizontality rest on the assumption that inequality will always permeate every social interaction. This shift in assumptions results in an acknowledgement that these inequalities always exist and that each person is responsible for continuously challenging these inequalities at every step of a decision-making process." -Marianne Maeckelbergh

As Marianne Maeckelbergh explains that horizontal decision-making can be described as an alternative form of global network-based democracy. Its main arguments are: 

1) Equality must be continuously created and worked on. Equality cannot occur naturally, based on existing hierarchies in our society for gender, sex, rase, class, education, skill interpersonal power dynamics, etc.

2) Diversity is the goal of decision making, rather than unity. Diversity support the creation of the best solution that is enforced on everyone.

How does it work?

Differences are used to form into solutions as part of the decision-making process. People also have the option to act autonomously. This means that if they don’t agree with a decision taken, they don’t have to join the group as part of it and they can do something else.

The use of decentralized networks and general assembies

Decentralized network coalitions allow for multiple, separate groups of people to coordinate with only limited unity of purpose. People align themselves based on different interests or activities, and only come together, often during a forum such as general assemblies, to share what they are doing and to hear about what others are doing. They coordinate their activities when necessary, and for decisions that will affect everyone involved.

General assemblies create dynamic proposals. The meeting structure includes: preparing the proposal before the meeting, presenting the proposal to the large meeting, and reworking the proposal in the working group meetings and smaller 'parallel' meetings. General assemblies are best used in a decentralized way, whereby those involved do not need to approve actions. Instead, there are multiple decision-making bodies.

Lessons on Horizontality from the Alterglobalization movement

What is deep democracy?

Arnold Mindell coined the concept of Deep Democracy.