Role

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Elaborating the roles of components within an ecosystem is relevant to understand the dynamics and diversity of it. In principal all roles can be taken by all components and can highly differ depending on time, place, value and factors. Knowing a role of a component in society is key to understand the actual systemic situation we are diagnosing.

Of course laws, rules, regulations and above all the Constitution are elementary in the division of roles and has lead to a more or less predicable attribution of roles among components. With present transitions though a more flexible division is needed and coming.

A usable set can be found in the work of The Quality Institute Dutch Municipalities (KING) and is summarised in the report De Staat van de Gemeente by Aardema et al. (2005). It is a set of interconnected roles from actor or governance perspective and from object or governed perspective. Civitas Naturalis has chosen the chess pieces to symbolise these roles.

Roles as actor

  • Steward (black king): symbolise, identify, connect, show compassion, taking care, welcome, strengthen cohesion, carry rituals, guard.
  • Regulator (black queen): decisiveness, power, threaten, demand, courage, persevere, set things right, constrain, discipline, set the rules and enforce them.
  • Collector (black bishop): go-between, facilitate, contract, collect tax, process.
  • Developer (black knight): involve, sense of community, strengthen cohesion, share and distribute, (letting) participate, co-create.
  • Service provider (black rook): deliver, serve, provide, distribute, front office.
  • Representative (black pawn): chosen by the people during election in councils, representing the people as citizen.

Role as object

  • Inhabitant (white king): citizen, live in city and neighbourhood.
  • Servant (white queen): obey and follow laws, rules, regulations.
  • Contributor (white bishop): tax pay, contribute, donate, volunteer, support, finance, fund.
  • Partner (white knight): develop, contribute in knowledge, feelings and insights, co-create.
  • Client (white rook): receive products and services, indicate choice.
  • Voter: elect the representatives, the best of the best.

Bibliography

Aardema, H. en A. Korsten (2005). De Staat van de Gemeente: Op weg naar een handzame, landelijke gemeentemonitor. Den Haag: VGS, BMC, PON, Open Universiteit Nederland, InAxis.