GOAL IV: CLARIFY AND STREAMLINE THE DECISIONMAKING PROCESS AND LINES OF AUTHORITY
Objective 1: Establish and communicate effective and respectful decision-making processes in key areas of operation.
Strategies:
- Define, communicate broadly and make transparent within the community, administrative and budget authority and approval processes.
- Define, communicate broadly and make transparent within the community, decision-making processes and authority for housing resources and other non-stipend allocations.
- Define, communicate broadly and make transparent how decisions regarding practice are made.
- Determine and make transparent which decisions are appropriate to which lines of authority—administrative, lineage and practice—and how resolution is achieved when multiple lines are involved.
- Address the complexity and slowness of decision-making at SFZC in order to emphasize results over process.
Objective 2: Create conditions that allow individuals to function effectively in their training positions.
Strategies
- Give people the authority vested in their training positions framed by clear benchmarks, clear accountability, feedback and consequences.
- Make explicit the required committee involvement in guides to training positions.
- Spread committee involvement across all levels of seniority within Zen Center.
- Develop good conduct practices (including training in community and conflict resolution skills).
- Improve leadership development and the transition process between training positions:
- - clarify training position selection processes;
- - provide support and training to all managers and administrators; and,
- - designate a group to hold responsibility for this function.
- Professionalize certain functions.
Objective 3: Optimize the functioning of the Board of Directors as the governing body for SFZC as an institution.
Strategies
- Clarify and acknowledge the policy setting roles, authority and accountability of the Board of Directors for SFZC as an institution.
- Clarify, acknowledge and implement a process of mutual expectation and accountability between the Board of Directors, the Abbots, and the Officers and Directors.
- Establish and communicate the charge for each board committee and its membership; clarify officers and directors' role as staff to such committees.
- Achieve an effective balance between staff and non-staff members serving on the board and committees.
Objective 4: Clarify teaching authority at SFZC.
Strategies
- Clarify the roles and teaching of the abbacy and former abbots.
- Clarify the relationship of lineage authority, institutional dharma authority, and administrative authority.
- Clarify what SFZC means by teaching authority, how it is bestowed, and its accountability.
Objective 5: Clarify the functioning of the Elders' Council.
Strategies
- Clarify the role, authority, membership and rotation of the Elders' Council.
- Set up guidelines for communication and accountability.