Today's Deep-Dive: Loomio

Have you ever noticed how hard it can be to like get everyone to agree on,

you know, stuff, especially in groups, like whether it's a club, a company

board, or even just like deciding where to eat.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, sometimes even deciding on coffee can be a huge ordeal.

It's true.

Collaborative decision-making can feel like a real struggle sometimes.

And that's actually what we're diving into today.

How to make those group decisions a whole lot easier.

Okay.

Sounds good.

But first, a quick shout out to Safe Server, that's www.duchesafeserver.de.

Okay.

They're the ones who make this deep dive possible by hosting the software we're

discussing and supporting all kinds of digital transformations.

Oh, very cool.

If you're looking for support in your own digital journey, definitely check them

out.

I'll have to take a look.

So today we're focusing on a tool called Lumio.

Lumio.

Okay.

You heard of it?

I've heard the name, but, um, I haven't actually used it or anything.

Well, it's all about making group decisions smoother and more inclusive, and

we're going to keep it super beginner friendly.

So if you're new to Lumio, don't worry.

We'll break it all down.

Perfect.

I'm all ears.

So first things first, what exactly is Lumio?

So imagine it like this.

Lumio is kind of like a, uh, dedicated online space specifically designed for

groups to come together to make decisions.

And it's really geared toward organizations, membership organizations,

boards, even companies that want to be more, you know, team focused and

democratic in their decision making.

So it's not just for like informal groups of friends.

No, no, it's definitely got a more formal structure or organizational.

Exactly.

And you mentioned it's an online space.

So is it like a website and app?

It's primarily a website, but it does also have some integration with other tools.

Okay.

Got it.

And one of the cool things about Lumio is that it's open source.

Oh, does that mean?

That means the code that it's built on is publicly available.

Okay.

So anyone can see how it works.

Oh, so it's transparent.

Exactly.

And it's licensed under what's called AGPL 3.0, which basically means it's

really about being open and involving the community and how it develops.

That makes sense.

So let's say we have a, I don't know, a local hiking club, a classic

example of a membership organization.

Sure.

How could they use Lumio?

What would be the benefit for them?

Well, think about it.

Hiking clubs often rely on those occasional meetings, right?

Right.

But what about all the members who can't make it or maybe have ideas, but don't

feel comfortable speaking up in a big group?

Yeah, I guess you don't always get everyone's input.

Exactly.

That's where Lumio comes in.

It gives all the members, no matter where they are or how busy their

schedules are, a way to participate in the discussions and actually

contribute to decisions, whether it's about, you know, new trails to

explore or changing the club rules.

Let's see.

So even if you can't physically be there, you can still have a voice.

Exactly.

And that can help things run more smoothly because, you know, you don't

have to wait for the next meeting to get things moving, right?

Decisions can happen faster.

Plus it makes everything more transparent because the whole discussion

and the reasoning behind the decisions, it's all recorded for everyone to see.

Okay.

So more inclusive, more transparent.

That makes sense for a club.

Now, what about a company board?

You know, they often deal with those big strategic decisions.

How does Lumio fit in there for boards?

It's all about bringing structure to their decision making.

They're often dealing with complex issues and Lumio can help improve

communication between board members, especially in between those formal

meetings, so they can have this online space where they can discuss proposals,

share information, and ultimately make more informed and probably quicker

decisions when important things come up.

That's super valuable when you have people with a busy schedules and you

need to coordinate efficiently.

Absolutely.

And because everything's documented, it's great for maintaining what's

called institutional memory.

What does that mean?

Well, it basically means you can go back and see why a certain

decision was made maybe years ago.

Oh, that's smart.

It prevents those, why did we do that?

Moments later on.

It's exact.

Okay.

Now let's talk about self-managing organizations.

I feel like this is where Lumio could really shine.

Oh, absolutely.

In self-managing organizations, you're trying to empower staff to

make more decisions on their own, right?

Right.

So Lumio is perfect for that because it gives them that platform

to do it in a clear, organized way.

Yeah.

When people feel like their input actually matters, they're more

likely to be invested in the outcomes.

And that can lead to faster decision-making, better communication,

and just a more engaged workforce overall.

So it's about fostering that sense of ownership and responsibility.

Exactly.

And again, the transparent communication and documented discussions are

really key for building trust and understanding within the organization.

Okay.

Now, curious, what are some of the specific things you can do on Lumio?

What are the key features?

Well, first and foremost, it lets you share information, suggest

new topics for discussion, propose ideas.

The basics, essentially.

But what sets it apart is that it's designed to keep those discussions focused.

Right.

Because you don't want it to turn into just another chaotic chat room.

Exactly.

And it's built to be inclusive, even if people are in different

time zones or have different schedules.

Because not everyone can be online at the same time.

Exactly.

It's what's called asynchronous communication.

You can contribute when it's convenient for you.

That's super important in today's world, especially for global teams.

Absolutely.

And then there's the whole voting and polling system, which I find pretty cool.

Oh yeah.

Tell me about that.

What are the options?

Well, it's not just a simple yes or no.

Right.

You can do a quick show of thumbs to gauge the general feeling.

Or if there are multiple choices, there's a multiple choice poll.

Classic.

And then for more nuanced decisions, there are options like score voting.

Score voting.

Yeah.

Where you rate the options on a scale.

I see.

Or ranked choice voting, where you order your preferences.

There's even dot voting, which lets people highlight the parts of a

proposal they find most important.

So a lot of flexibility, depending on the type of decision and

the level of detail needed.

Right.

And of course there are those handy time polls for figuring out meeting

times, which we all know can be a struggle.

Oh, absolutely.

Time polls are a lifesaver.

So I know a lot of organizations already rely on tools like Slack or

Mattermost for communication.

Does Lumio play nicely with those?

It does.

It integrates with both Slack and Mattermost.

So you can get notifications about new discussions or decisions

right in your chat channels.

That's really convenient.

You don't have to be jumping between different platforms all the time.

Exactly.

He keeps everything streamlined.

Now in this day and age, data privacy is a big concern for a lot of people.

Of course.

How does Lumio handle that?

Well, Lumio emphasizes that they don't treat their users as the product.

Okay.

Good to know.

They don't rely on advertising and any analysis of the platform is done

internally without using third party trackers like Google Analytics.

That's a relief to hear.

Plus, they give you the option to export your data if you need to.

That's great.

Transparency and control over your information are so important.

I agree.

Now, what about language barriers?

Is Lumio accessible to people who speak different languages?

Yes, it is.

It's available in a growing number of languages.

Right.

And they even have an automatic translation feature.

Oh, wow.

That can be a game changer for global

organizations or even just groups with members from different backgrounds.

Absolutely. It helps break down those communication

barriers and make sure everyone can participate fully.

All of this sounds fantastic in theory,

but I always like to see how things work in practice.

Right.

Do you have any real world examples of how organizations are using Lumio?

I do.

There's actually a whole range of interesting cases.

There's the Wychcliffe Eco Village in Australia.

They use Lumio to help them develop

a shared understanding as they were building their community.

It really helped them make decisions together about their shared future.

Interesting.

That's a unique application.

Then there's a software company called Ten Pines that's used it

to create a more democratic workplace.

Oh, cool.

I love hearing about companies embracing that kind of structure.

Yeah, it's really inspiring.

And another example, Camp Light.

They actually managed to reach a company-wide agreement

on a pretty big strategic decision in just one week,

all while working remotely.

Wow, that's efficient.

Yeah, pretty impressive.

Then you've got the Green Party of West Australia.

They've said they've had much better board governance

and even some cost savings, thanks to Lumeo.

That's great to hear.

And do you have any examples of larger organisations using it?

Yes.

The New Zealand Education Institute, or NZEI,

they have a massive nationwide membership,

and they've found Lumeo to be a really effective way

to engage their members.

Those are some really diverse examples.

It really shows that Lumeo can work for a variety of groups and purposes.

Now, earlier you mentioned Lumeo has these templates for decision-making.

Right.

Can you explain what those are and how they simplify things?

So these templates are basically pre-designed frameworks

for different kinds of decisions.

They can be a really helpful starting point.

For example, there's the advice template.

That's when, say, one person needs to make a decision

but wants to gather input and suggestions from others first.

Oh, so it's like a structured way to get feedback before finalising something.

Exactly.

And what other templates are there?

Well, there's the consent template,

which is used when you want to make a decision that's considered safe to try,

meaning there are no major objections.

OK.

It's not about finding the perfect solution, necessarily,

but one that everyone can live with for now.

Makes sense.

And then there's the consensus template,

which is for when you really need to get everyone on board with a decision.

So aiming for full agreement.

Yep.

And it encourages, you know, really in-depth discussion and collaboration

to find a solution everyone actively supports.

And can you customize these templates?

Or are they fixed?

You can definitely customize them.

Oh, good.

You can adapt them to fit your organization's specific needs

and how you like to work.

Flexibility is key.

Absolutely.

Now, all this sounds great.

But for someone who might not be, you know, a tech wizard,

how easy is Luneo to actually use?

It's designed to be pretty user friendly.

A lot of people say it's similar to social networking sites.

So if you can use Facebook or Twitter,

you can probably figure out Luneo.

OK, that's reassuring.

And importantly, you don't even need to be constantly online

to use it.

Oh, really?

Yeah, you can participate in discussions

and contribute to decisions just through email.

That's awesome.

It's great for people who aren't always checking the platform.

Accessibility for all.

Exactly.

And for those concerned about data location,

Luneo offers cloud hosting options in different regions,

including the EU, the US, and Australia, New Zealand.

That's great for organizations that have specific data

residency requirements.

So it sounds like Luneo really does

offer a comprehensive solution for making group decisions

smoother, more inclusive, and ultimately more effective.

I think so.

It's about empowering groups to work together

in a more transparent and fairer way.

And in the end, that leads to better decisions

and stronger communities.

I love that.

So to our listeners out there, think

about the groups and organizations

you're involved with.

Could Lumeo help you make decisions better?

If you're interested in learning more,

you can visit lumio.com.

It's definitely worth checking out.

And you can even try for free.

Perfect.

And of course, a huge thank you to SafeServer,

www.safeserver.de, for their continued support.

Without them, these deep dives wouldn't be possible.

They're the backbone of our digital world, really.

They are.

And to wrap things up, here's a question

for everyone listening.

What decision could your group make more effectively

if every single voice was truly heard?

That's a great question.

Thanks for joining us on this deep dive,

Thanks for joining us on this deep dive,