Robert's Rules in Real Life

After a dozen years in this business, it seems to me that questions of authority are some of the hardest to resolve.

Over and over I find city councils, boards of directors, and other governing boards struggling with the question, “Who’s in charge here, anyway?” If a group understands certain fundamental principles, it becomes much easier to resolve those tensions and move forward effectively.

During a recent consultation, this sentence from a set of “council rules and procedures” made my hair stand on end:

“All persons present at a meeting must obey the mayor’s orders.”

This rule is profoundly wrong. It may look legitimate, but it isn’t. The mayor, when running a meeting of the city council, is the presiding officer, not a dictator. The presiding officer runs the meeting as the servant of the members. The correct rule is similar to the one cited above, but has a subtle and essential difference:

“All persons present at a meeting must obey the legitimate orders of the presiding officer.”

The legitimate orders of the presiding officer are those issued in accordance with the rules and procedures adopted by the group, to serve the group. And according to Robert’s Rules of Order and common parliamentary law, those orders are subject to appeal by any two members of the group. For example, if the presiding officer declares that someone is speaking off topic and must stop forthwith, the member can say “I appeal.” If another member says “second,” then the group itself will vote to decide whether the member may continue.

Why don’t people know this? Why do councilmembers, county commissioners, directors of special districts and nonprofit board members allow the mayor, the chair or the president to ride roughshod over the group, acting as if he or she were the final authority?

We have lost the common understanding of meeting procedure that grew up in this country when America was alive with associations, astonishing the Frenchman de Tocqueville and English authors who toured the continent. We are used to the image of the “captain of industry,” the hard-charging boss who carries everyone in her wake. We want to be nice and “get along,” and it may seem safer to keep our heads down, letting a bully or an autocrat rule the roost without a challenge.

Members of our community, unite! Elected officials, citizens appointed to commissions and committees, long-suffering volunteers, seize your rights! Repeat after me, THE GROUP IS THE FINAL AUTHORITY. Yes, we have to obey the mayor when the mayor is enforcing the rules we chose, but when the mayor goes off-course or runs amok, he or she must obey US.

Ann G. Macfarlane, PRP

(c) Jurassic Parliament 2012. All rights reserved.

Those who know us well appreciate our passion for making Robert’s Rules work well for everyone, not just parliamentarians.  To that end, we’ve recently concluded a thorough renovation of this website.

In appreciation of your visit, we are offering a housewarming party favor. When you check out, use our special discount and type in PARTY. You’ll save 20% on all your purchases through December 16, 2011.

We’ve also widely expanded our content library. This labor of love not only delivers a more intuitive experience for our guests, but also provides access to a comprehensive set of resources designed to demystify Robert’s Rules and enable you to easily apply its basic principles in your own home, or at least in your meetings.

When you explore you will find:

• Articles providing insightful nuggets on Robert’s Rules
• Tip Sheets for use during sessions calling for Robert’s Rules of Order
• Mastery Lessons for building a comprehensive knowledge base
• Online Courses for those wanting on-demand access to training
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We hope you visit and enjoy what we’ve built. Our architect and builders are all open to hearing your opinions, so please let us know what you think.

We look forward to seeing you.

Your neighbors at Jurassic Parliament

Today’s news story on the National Labor Relations Board reminds that the Supreme Court has affirmed one fundamental principle of Robert’s Rules of Order: you must have a quorum to take action.

While the word “quorum” looks esoteric, its meaning is basic. A “quorum” is the minimum number of voting members of a group who must be present to take action. In a small group, the quorum is often a majority of the members. (“Majority” means “more than half.”)  For a nonprofit board of ten people, for instance, the quorum would be six.

Ordinarily the bylaws say what the quorum is. Bylaws can establish a different quorum, and for larger groups, they should. In the American Translators Association, which I served as president, the quorum for the meeting of voting members is either 100 voting members or 10% of the voting members, whichever is lower.

It’s important to be aware of what your state law says, though. In Washington State, the minimum quorum for a nonprofit board of directors is one-third of the members. This sets a floor, and your specific bylaws may not go below it.

The National Labor Relations Board has five members, and due to political shenanigans, it has been functioning with three members. Three is a majority of five, so the board is able to act. The Supreme Court ruled last year that two members were not sufficient to take action. So when the term of one appointee expires at the end of this year, if politics blocks the appointment of a successor, the NLRB will be stuck.

Purchase our Mastery Lesson, “Voting and Quorum Issues in Nonprofit Organizations,” to learn more about these issues.

Ann G. Macfarlane, PRP

© Jurassic Parliament 2011.  All rights reserved.

If you are not already a David Brooks fan, run, don’t walk, to read today’s New York Times column entitled “The New Humanism.” Brooks lays out with clarity and grace the way our culture fails to value— or even recognize—the totality of a human being in many of our social structures and ways of interacting.

At meetings above all else, we are not disembodied heads around a table, but full persons. If the atmosphere and structure of a meeting fail to recognize the importance of the non-conscious, the emotional, and the unspoken aspects of the people attending, that meeting will accomplish far less than it could or should.

Jurassic Parliament has been talking about this side of leadership and meeting management for ten years. It gives me hope to see a nationally recognized figure writing and speaking about this dimension of our humanity.

Ann G. Macfarlane, PRP

© Jurassic Parliament 2011. All rights reserved.