Practices are established methods, routines, and processes that guide individual and collective behavior, providing structured approaches to action, decision-making, and coordination that enable consistent and effective pursuit of shared goals.
Practices bridge the gap between abstract principles and concrete actions, translating values and purpose into reliable patterns of behavior. They encode accumulated knowledge and wisdom into repeatable processes that can be shared, taught, and refined over time. Unlike rigid procedures, effective practices maintain a balance between structure and adaptability, providing enough guidance to ensure consistency while allowing for contextual application and continuous improvement.
In decentralized systems, practices take on particular importance as they replace traditional command-and-control mechanisms with shared protocols for collaboration. Well-designed practices create alignment without requiring centralized authority, enabling autonomous individuals and teams to coordinate effectively by following common approaches to communication, decision-making, and resource allocation. These shared methods become part of an organization’s culture and identity, reinforcing values while building collective capacity.
Uses of “Practices”
Practices in the DAO Primitives Framework
Within the DAO Primitives Framework, “Practice” is one of three core dimensions of Group State (alongside purpose and progress). It represents the agreed-upon methods and approaches that guide how a team works together and coordinates its activities.
As part of Group State, practices include:
- Decision Protocols: Methods for making collective choices, such as consent-based or consensus-based processes
- Meeting Formats: Structured approaches to gathering, sharing information, and collaborative work
- Communication Channels: Established patterns for how information flows within and between teams
- Role Allocation: Processes for assigning responsibilities and authority
- Conflict Resolution: Methods for addressing tensions and disagreements
Practices in this framework are explicitly documented and continually refined based on the team’s experience and evolving needs. They create a shared operating system that allows teams to work together effectively without centralized control, balancing autonomy with coordination.
Practices in Governance Systems
In governance contexts, practices refer to the established methods through which decisions are made, resources are allocated, and accountability is maintained. These include formal procedures like proposal processes and voting mechanisms, as well as informal norms around deliberation, inclusion, and transparency.
Effective governance practices balance multiple considerations:
- Enabling broad participation while maintaining efficiency
- Providing clarity and predictability while allowing for adaptation
- Protecting against capture while minimizing bureaucracy
- Supporting both operational decisions and long-term strategic direction
As explored in the “Governance for better futures” series, governance practices must evolve to address complex challenges while fostering decentralization and pluralism. Practices like community voting, delegation, and multi-stakeholder coordination create the infrastructure through which groups navigate complexity and manage shared resources.
Practices in Community Coordination
At the community level, practices establish shared norms and approaches that enable coherent collective action. These social technologies include:
- Onboarding processes: How new members are welcomed and integrated
- Knowledge sharing: Methods for documenting and transferring information
- Contribution recognition: Systems for acknowledging and valuing participation
- Resource allocation: Approaches to distributing collective resources
- Cultural rituals: Regular activities that reinforce community identity and values
Community practices create the conditions for trust, reciprocity, and collective intelligence to emerge. They help translate values into consistent behaviors while establishing clear expectations that guide participation. In decentralized communities, these practices often evolve organically through experimentation and adaptation rather than being imposed from above.
Related Concepts
- Agreements: Formal commitments that establish shared expectations, with practices often emerging from agreements
- Protocols: Standardized rules that govern interactions, which practices often implement
- Purpose: The guiding goal that practices help realize
- Progress: Systems for tracking and demonstrating advancement, which practices support
- Roles: Defined responsibilities that practices help coordinate
- Tasks: Specific actions guided by established practices
- Governance: Systems for collective decision-making that incorporate various practices
- patterns: Reusable solutions to recurring problems, which often codify effective practices