Movement roles/Q&A

For background, see the initial proposal.

Purpose

• What pressing issues is MR trying to solve?

1. How can we meet our goal of expanding Chapter and local activities, and adding new local entities around the world, while minimizing organizational complexity and confusion? How are shared roles and responsibilities distributed among the Wikimedia entities now and in the future?

   Note that we are limiting our discussions to roles and responsibilities for formal entities. Many roles and responsibilities are taken on by individuals and ad-hoc groups, which is of great importance; but needs to be the subject of a parallel or future project.

2. What shared principles can we codify to improve organizational development of the movement?
3. What can the Foundation do to lead and support this process?

• Who do these issues affect?

1. Current formal entities: the Foundation, recognized Chapters, and other incorporated associations of Wikimedians
2. Project leaders looking for support or guidance from these entities
3. Groups looking for more formal recognition of some sort that are not currently covered by the notion of Chapters or ad-hoc wikiprojects

• What are some current practical issues and debates that are related to MR discussions? (involving single chapters, the foundation alone, chapters and foundation, chapters and their members)

1. Editors and contributors feeling that Chapters in their country, or the Foundation globally, are disconnected from them and their work
2. Chapter and Foundation discussions about how to allocate movement resources, for instance in the recent review of the annual Fundraising Agreement: both how global priorities are set, and how this is used to inform allocation of resources to proposed projects.
3. How to share mission-aligned work in areas where two or more movement groups overlap. For instance: the new Foundation office in India and the new Indian Chapter (overlapping in the whole country); the new Spanish Chapter and the existing Amical Association (overlapping in part of Spain); the Foundation and the New York Chapter (overlapping in New York).

• Are there other foreshadowed future conflicts? (cf. 'Why now?')

1. Some groups may have overlap of effort and conflict in the future. For instance: East and West groups in Australia, the Quebecois group in Canada and the proposed Canadian Chapter.
2. General problems that tend to arise in long-lived multinational organizations, such as:
   1. how to mediate inter-group disputes, how to resolve differences in opinion about how the mission should change in times of crisis
   2. how to work through problems or allegations of fraud or other unsuitable behavior of part of a group.

History

• Historically, what views of movement roles have been prominent, and how have these changed? From the earliest notion of a foundation and of chapters to the present?
• Where are there disagreements in current views of these roles?
• Were there early efforts at movement roles resolution between 2004 and now? what results did they have?
• For unresolved topics, why was no resolution reached? What are the most difficult topics at this stage?

Participation

• Who can contribute, and what sorts of contribution are welcome?
• How can people interested in some of these topics find out where to listen or contribute?
• How is limited communication related to these MR problems, and is it addressed by the project? How does this relate to participation in the project?

Specific issues

problems to solve

• What are some of the problems that made people start this conversation and set up this group?
• Current notes and summaries are very consensus-conscientious in language, without naming specific examples even in touch topics. Are there parallel controversial framings that might better motivate interest?
• What active controversies would be affected by MR discussions? Please be as concrete as possible, noting e.g. active discussions about Catalan, Brazil, fundraising agreement changes, grants, partnerships, definition of movement priorities
• What is expected to remain unresolved this year? / outside of the scope of the group?

group roles, models and definitions

• What issues specifically affect subnational chapters (NPOV summary)?
• What are some examples where the current handling of movement status has unnecessarily prevented volunteers from doing useful work (various personal POVs)?
• What concrete roles are being proposed, and what are the envisaged rights and responsibilities each entails?

legitimacy and accountability

• How do legitimacy questions, as mentioned elsewhere (1, 2) apply to movement roles broadly - what is the basis for the legitimacy of each [proposed] role?
• How are current roles held accountable, by whom? What other models are considered?

Miscellaneous

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