Our DNA and RNA and our Code

The Samara DHO is encoding its basic building blocks in a kind of organizational DNA that can be easily replicated to other DHOs. DNA is the material in cells that contains the genetic information used in the development of all known living organisms. The information carried by DNA is held in the sequence of pieces of DNA called genes. For us, these genes are called Archetypes and they describe the basic building blocks of our our organization. 

The central tenet of molecular biology is often expressed as “DNA makes RNA, RNA makes proteins, proteins make us”. In the same way, once we have defined our organizational DNA, we can transcribe it to our organizational RNA, our Activities (body of work) that are carried out by our body of people. These activities include working on assignments, claiming payouts for contributions, or earning badges for accomplishments. 

Just like cell division is essential for cells to multiply and organisms to grow, Samara is preparing its DNA to transcribe and replicate new entities in hot spots around the planet (in molecular biology, transcription is the process by which the genetic information stored in DNA is used to produce an RNA strand). We are providing a blueprint for many possible combinations of this organizational material (like genetics). To learn more about this replication process, read through the Future State chapter where we introduce the Organization-in-a-Box, the Marketplace-in-a-Box, and the Village-in-a-Box. 

Our own DNA is the code of Samara, which is unique. Parts of that code are archetypal and transferrable. The packages and services we send out are the RNA we use to spread the essence of the life within us. This essence moves primarily through human beings. Through them it travels through the technology, services and growth factors that lead them to being Endlessly Regenerative.

Irina: This great enthusiasm here about the hero's journey seem to send the message that this is what Samara is about. I feel a lot of what is here is part of the Values and mission conversation of Samara, a territory we haven't stepped into yet. This is an anticipation and a projection of what may come out. It may be this, it may be something else. Propose to keep possibilities open.

So how does essence move through humans? Well, it's a mysterious process, but part of it is through stories just like this. The best stories should speak to your essence.
What is the essential code of all good stories? The Hero's Journey.

When you hear of a hero, what do you think of? Is it some spandex-covered, muscled individual? A perfect being who breezes through to success? Someone who creates a goal and then effortlessly achieves it? Nope.

Cross-section of our Hero DNA from Above:

Our Dynamic Hero DNA from the side:

We feel it in our bones when a real hero speaks to the essence we share with all humans. This happens through their actions and their story. Real heroes speak by demonstrating a journey that resonates with our own archetypal experience:

• Of being a whole human with shadows, demons, genius and all the in-betweens.
• Of growing and learning.
• Of contributing in a way which has deep meaning and which connects us to life itself.

When another takes the journey and comes back with the elixir of new wisdom and skill, we all benefit. This is regeneration in action on the human level.

Reflect on this in a wider sense. It is possible to see that the scale-able, viral patterns that touch this archetype in people and organisations lead to real transformation. All have something of the hero's journey in them. This is just some of the DNA we need to pattern into a new generation of organisations, in order to create greater coherence and alignment in our individual and co-creative behaviour.

The Real Hero's in this Story:

We think that you joining us, and the quiet, everyday, heroic acts leading to a world that thrives are the real Hero's in this story. The regenerative patterns, the viral ideas and the 'coherence creators'  in practical and ethereal form are the real gold here. The beauty that emerges in each person as they step over the threshold and play a heroic role for a while are the characters to look out for, fall in love with and talk about with your friends and family. 

So what is different here at the leading edge? We believe it is a new wave of decentralised organisation driven by massive, transformational purpose. Technology now allows radical transparency and honesty, as well as realistic organisation decentralisation as an architecture. DHO's are an audacious propositions,  mixing the benefits and challenges of:

• Intentional communities and
• Sociocratic and holocratic organisation
• The business growth and stabilisation challenges of a start-up.  

In your typical Hollywood blockbuster, the hero goes through all the stages of the Hero's Journey, but breezes through without ever taking a full-spectrum journey. This is a bit like our traditional way of organising: trying to control complex interactions from the external third-person viewpoint and largely ignoring all other dimensions. 

We seek to foster, attract and usher in a new generation of Trans-Personal hero-ship: Decentralised Hero's! (Individual D-Hero, Organisational D-HERO) 

Decentralise Hero's are the anti-hero. They are 'D-HERO-De-world-needs' to tackle complex and wicked problems glocally! Oh dear.. the abbreviations, acronyms and terms have started. A terrible habit in any group that builds specialist insight. Why don't we make both the necessary and less necessary terms a bit more fun?

No organisational document would be complete without a glossary of terms, and this feels like just the right moment for one. Think of it as your Avatar's first tool pack:

Glossary of terms:

D-HERO - Decentralized, Human, Endlessly Regenerative Organization. There are DHO's and there are D-HERO's. DHO's become D-HERO's by becoming Equipped and Emboldened to actually do and be what it takes to Save the World and brew magic potions of Regeneration.

Unlike old-world heroes, a D-HERO is not about being the one and only, the star. This holds true when we are talking about the people or the group/s that make a D-HERO. It's about becoming a being-who-belongs-in-complexity. A being who's body stays connected and co-creative. D-HERO's must stick with it, learn from worthy Mentors and elders, and then boldly go where the SHE-ROW's do (*See below): Over the threshold, through the cave, through the death of change and out again. Again and again.

D-Hero - An individual equipped with a truly holistic mindset and integral lenses which they can use to see this brave new world clearly. Someone who understands and appreciates the reasons behind sociocracy and holocracy and with an intention to distribute authority and find and be faithful to the place where their purpose meets, grows in and contributes to Samara's Purpose. Someone who knows the real hero's journey and wants to learn and embody the D-HERO's journey to build successful decentralised organisations that change the world. 

sHE-ROw - Our very own Roz Savage in her rowing journey, which was a quintessential hero's journey driven by a Massive Transformative Purpose.  See her personal story chapter in this book to hear how she links the journey in Samara with the lessons of that monumental and heroic effort. What if we could all contribute fuelled by a massive transformative purpose moment-to-moment, day-to-day? How do we transfer that DNA to the new D-HERO's attracted to this movement in droves?

Organization - The patterning of a group into a coherent or 'organized' entity. This implies synchronization and co-ordination between the inner orientation of a group and the dynamic outer cycle stages which travel the hero's journey around a central organising principle. Traditionally this inner commitment happened mostly by meeting the living cost needs of individuals and then by applying top-down 'organizing' through control. 

Samara is an incipient D-HERO with a heart of gold and a lot to learn. We see that modelling and equipping the D-HERO's Journey is a large part of our mission.

We want to equip, up-level and facilitate D-HERO's travelling to many worlds:

• The sky palaces of new realms of synchronicity and flow, in work-play-pray and in group
• The engineer's caves of new systems and technology
• The far flung regions of local villages, open fields and bustling markets.

We are here to birth a new Generation of individual and collective D-HERO's who can:

• Anticipate and map the journey
• Pick up the right clothes and tools to navigate the terrain
• Accept the hard knocks inherent in any worthwhile journey before emerging stronger and wiser in the end. 
• Embody key cyclic principles of effectiveness to know what to do at each inevitable stage:
  • Constant tracking and sensing of tensions through cultural norms and org scans.
  • Conscious processes and cultural norms aimed at facing fear and being willing to change before a direction or solution is even apparent, let alone clear.
  • Proactive networking with aligned organizations and individuals and the genius, strengths and natural talents of our members in order to pick the right advice at every agreement to change. 
  • Facilitation, consultancy and socially activated processes to mark the crossing of the threshold into any new endeavour, aligning internal commitment with the work that needs to be done. 
  • Clear and helpful models to run experiments and tests and requirement gathering for smart contracts and decentralised tech which can automate the most effective parameters for each situation. 
  • Explicit processes and structural triggers, as well as buffering protocols to help all dimensions of a DHO persevere through the ordeals and the death of old forms and personal opinions.
  • Explicit cultural values which support radical honesty and the cultural willingness to face autophagy (cellular death necessary for renewal). Sense-check tools to facilitate this renewal process. 
  • Framework for the reinforcement of lessons and higher wisdom perspectives, as well as key patterns that led to success at the point of reward. 
  • Cultural values and review processes that allow rapid movement forward, learning and celebration over failed attempts. 
  • Re-dedication ceremonies, habits and organisation norms triggered immediately after emergence from major deadlines, heightened tensions and failures to facilitate renewal and alignment between pivot points/systems adjustments and inner commitment and coherence.
  • Cultural anticipation and process strategies to meet last minute changes and project completion blockers. 
  • Explicit processes for review of completion and technological and cultural triggers for spreading newly gained insight, wisdom and tools to create maximum impact in the ecosystem and wider environments towards regeneration. 

Along with the tools that set them off on the adventure, we must also, perhaps primarily, face new DHERO's with the kind of radical honesty, wisdom and context which will call to the Commitment, the Heart and the Perspective they need to never settle, never give up, adapt and overcome. Every DHO is a DHERO if they learn to do these things and commit to the journey while recognizing each stage is a part of the cycle. 

A D-HERO's journey is a journey into complexity, which is fundamentally different from an old-world engineering project based in predict and control. 

So how did Samara's D-HERO's journey begin and what can we learn which can up-level new DHO's into D-HERO's in the Regenerative Renaissance World?

This book itself is an evolving template for this Journey.