Unequal Playing Fields, Showing Gaps, and Adjusting the Rules Rigged by Roberts Unequal Playing Fields, Showing Gaps, and Adjusting the Rules  

What questions do we need to ask The prompt – The first sentence of G-3.0103 “The councils of the church shall give full expression to the rich diversity of the church’s membership and shall provide for full participation and access to representation in decision making…” “The moderator possesses the authority necessary for preserving order and for conducting efficiently the business of the body. He or she shall convene and adjourn the body in accordance with its own action.” G-3.0104 In 2010, The assembly approved and sent to the presbyteries for its vote a revised Form of Government (Book of Order). Among the shifts, options for discernment processes in addition to Robert’s Rules of Order explicit in G-3.0105 regarding Meetings. What are the differences that matter in your context?

Timeline 2010 – Exploration of measuring tools for participation 2012 – all paper process, all volunteers, B&O 2014 – paper participation tallys, Google Doc observation report, all volunteers, B&O 2016 – POWA: Process Observation Web Application for GA222, all volunteers, B&O FUTURE: Develop Automatic Reporting Functions Adapt for use by mid councils Explore for Session use

Example of a paper tally sheet for observers Handouts Needs to be available in all languages of the group being observed Time intensive to collect data. Timed observations so multiple observers feedback can be properly understood Advantage of app is it logs the time when the app is being used. Reflects the registration data at one time, may have errors

POWA at GA222 Process Observation web application, 2016 Register as an Observer Login and fill out a profile https://process- observations.ogapcusa .org/register https://process- observations.ogapcusa.o rg/accounts/profile/ Who you are affects what you see and hear.

POWA at GA222 - Steps 3 - 6 repeated for all committees observed Begin an observation Process Questionnaire https://process- observations.ogapcusa.org/ https://process- observations.ogapcusa.org/363/question naire/ Participation tally Save when complete https://process- observations.ogapcusa.org/363/4/tally/

All The Info that fits on a very small screen On the Participation Tally page we use abbreviated terms to try to get accurate and comprehensive group identity information that was self- reported in registration. The Observer has a view of who is in the room and not relying on their own raced guesses.

the power of Observer effect How the Illusion of Being Observed Can Make You a Better Person Even a poster with eyes on it changes how people behave By Sander van der Linden | Scientific American, Published May 3, 2011 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-illusion-of-being-observed-can-make-you-better-person/

Necessary conditions to observe processes Accurate registration information tagged to individual participants. Observers describe what happened (observe with eyes and ears) but do not pay attention to the content of the discussion/business. What happened Who participates How it impacts final action A group wanting to increase inclusiveness in its practices Many Observers required (minimum of 3). Social Location of observer matters. Council or committee practices that allow observers to identify individual speakers. Microphones used Identification of person by name and affiliation (at GA that’s presbytery) before speaking for any reason Seeking data that will show patterns of participation, not playing “gotcha” with leadership

Trends of Robert’s Rules in GA Committees Older Teaching Elders (over 50) speak more and repeatedly Particularly men Occasionally women Suggests those with most practice with the rules are most proficient. GA Commissioners tend to be over 40 Those under 40 are usually Teaching Elders More persons over 55 than the rest combined. When Committee of the Whole or Consensus is used: Younger persons participate more Ruling Elders participate more Folks of color participate more Silence patterns vary, but less representation has a major impact. Even when practices are in place to remind the group of inclusion work, the patterns show. Observers see different things in the same room at the same time.

A Few Key Characteristics of Implicit Biases Implicit biases are pervasive.  Everyone possesses them, even people with avowed commitments to impartiality such as judges. Implicit and explicit biases are related but distinct mental constructs.  They are not mutually exclusive and may even reinforce each other. The implicit associations we hold do not necessarily align with our declared beliefs or even reflect stances we would explicitly endorse. We generally tend to hold implicit biases that favor our own ingroup, though research has shown that we can still hold implicit biases against our ingroup. Implicit biases are malleable.  Our brains are incredibly complex, and the implicit associations that we have formed can be gradually unlearned through a variety of debiasing techniques. The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity is an interdisciplinary engaged research institute at The Ohio State University established in May 2003.

More tools for discussion Implicit Bias Test | Harvard | Project Implicit https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html Bias Cleanse | MTV and Kirwan Institute http://www.lookdifferent.org/what-can-i-do/bias-cleanse Are Men Talking Too Much? (website) http://arementalkingtoomuch.com/ Do you have a favorite to lift up?

Moderators the power to impact Process Timing speakers Seeking new voices Resisting speed so all who wish to speak have the opportunity Cultural bias – practices emphasize dominant group Room set-up Discernment processes – consensus, committee of the whole And More…

New frontiers for POWA Adapting for mid council use – synods and presbyteries The smaller the group, the more personal the feedback feels – also less likely that there are persons present to observe only. Practice has to be adjusted if participants are observing too. Registration – current app loads in real time from the registration system of GA so changes are reflected in tally sheets of participants. Costs – limited funds have driven choices in how the app functions Wifi is required for web access Experimenting with PoliCon (Polity Conference) How do you see a tool like this being useful? Testers – are you willing to help us test a mid council version when it is ready?

Molly Casteel, OGA THANK YOU molly.casteel@pcusa.org | 502-569-5407 | @PresbyRepresent THANK YOU Let’s stay in touch. As the app develops, I’d love to have feedback from you on use in your contexts.