Exploring the Remarkable Regenerative Patterns and Practices of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

Abstract: This work reports on research focused on the Internet Engineering Task Force’s (IETF) innovative processes for not only creating protocols (descriptions of how to move data in networks of computers) but also, its own governance protocols. We argue the IETF is regenerative and leverages its collective intelligence. Our research can offer insights to organizations and communities seeking to create better technology for the good of humanity. The first part of our research explores the IETF as a living system based on our participation and observations mapped to the patterns from three different pattern languages. In this section we explore how Identity, Culture, Process, Governance, Tooling, and Knowledge all shape a deeper IETF Purpose. The second part of the report thoroughly explores how the IETF is regenerative. We use the patterns from the pattern languages as lenses to understand how the organization works. We detail how these patterns appear within the IETF as it operates. We explore • How an organization that is totally open to participation from anyone in the world maintains its coherence and achieves effective results developing the protocols for data communications networks. • How the Ritual and Flow of week-long meetings embody many Patterns from the Group Works Deck: A Pattern Language for Bringing Life to Meetings and Other Gatherings. • How the organization distributes governance and embodies and expresses key patterns from the Wise Democracy Pattern Language. • How the organization sustains Joyful Communal Labor within a Zone of Autonomy it has cultivated and maintained. • How core patterns like a Willingness to Experiment and a Grounding in Running Code exist for both the technical protocols and the community leadership and governance protocols they create. • What key patterns are present within Working Group meetings – the main meeting form within the IETF.

social and information networkslaw and economics

Audience: researchers in the discipline

( paper )

---

Metagovernance Seminar

Series comments: - - > > Meeting Link: us06web.zoom.us/j/86039858671?pwd=ENKnVMrXuslw730Xv9vNn1bszK4dcO.1 < < - -

The Metagovernance Seminar invites individuals working in online governance to present their work to a community of other researchers and practitioners. Topics of the seminar include, but are not limited to, computational tools for governance, governance incidents and case studies from online communities, topics in cryptoeconomics, and the design of digital constitutions.

See archived videos: archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Metagovernance%20Seminar%22

The seminar is intended for researchers and practitioners in online governance, broadly defined. We welcome guests and curious members of the public, but please note that the discussion is moderated. Our governance structure is defined here: metagov.pubpub.org/metagov-governance

Please contact a planning committee member (Nathan Schneider, Divya Siddarth, Michael Zargham, Joshua Tan, and Seth Frey) if you are interested in becoming a member of the seminar.

Where available, a direct link to the archived video is linked beneath the video tags.

Join our community to participate in the discussions around this series: metagov.org/join/community

---

- Time: every Wednesday at 12:00pm ET (GMT-4). - Meeting Link: us06web.zoom.us/j/86039858671?pwd=ENKnVMrXuslw730Xv9vNn1bszK4dcO.1

---