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.

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.

What is deep democracy?

Arnold Mindell coined the concept of Deep Democracy. It is defined as an attitude and a principle.

Attitude: "Deep Democracy is an attitude that focuses on the awareness of voices that are both central and marginal. This type of awareness can be focused on groups, organizations, one’s own inner experiences, people in conflict, etc. Allowing oneself to take seriously seemingly unimportant events and feelings can often bring unexpected solutions to both group and inner conflicts." -The International Association of Practitioners of Process Oriented Psychology

Principle: "Unlike 'classical' democracy, which focuses on majority rule, Deep Democracy suggests that all voices, states of awareness, and frameworks of reality are important. Deep Democracy also suggests that the information carried within these voices, awarenesses, and frameworks are all needed to understand the complete process of the system. The meaning of this information appears, when the various frameworks and voices are relating to each other. Deep Democracy is a process of relationship, not a state-oriented still picture, or a set of policies."  -The International Association of Practitioners of Process Oriented Psychology

The Lewis Method of Deep Democracy

This method aims to work with the rational and emotional aspects of decision-making processes. It was developed by Myrna and Greg Lewis, psychologists asked by one of South Africa’s main electricity companies to transform a department with a racist hierarchy to a department where people work together on an equal level. 

The Lewis method of Deep Democracy has five steps  :

1. Collect all perspectives (even those opposing your own)
   
2. Actively look for the alternative voices (does anybody think something completely different?)
   
3. Spread the alternative (who shares this opinion?)
   
4. Add the wisdom of the minority to the decision of the majority (what do you need to go along with the decision of the majority?)
   
5. Dive into the unconscious

Deep Democracy welcomes differences in opinion and seeks out divergent opinions by embracing 'no.' It aims to give people tools for tough conversations and to achieve resolution.