Newsletter 13 – Decentralized Autonomous Organizations – May 6th 2026
Another newsletter special. This time highlighting belief-1 'Decentralization over centralization' of our pamphlet about new ways of organizing. Feel free to share this newsletter with others! Feedback is always welcome. If you have interesting insights about a new ways of organizing that you'd like to share with the community, please let us know at info@howtodao.it. Enjoy reading about this foundational belief. Find our complete pamphlet on our website. Endorse our pamphlet if you support it!
Foundational belief 1. 'Decentralization over Centralization'
Intro - Pamphlet of the How to DAO movement
Our pamphlet contains 10 beliefs which are the core of the 'How to DAO it' movement.
We formulated our beliefs as principle-pairs.
The beliefs are brief and lacking in nuance. For good recall and to make a point. When clicking on them on our website you find more details.
You can find more info on the used terminology in our terms & concepts.
Some beliefs have some overlap in content and implementation.
Some beliefs may sound trivial. That may be due to shared and already practiced beliefs. By listing all the beliefs, we create overview and clarity.
Beliefs are not commandments and not immutable over time.
“The beliefs steers the members, the members steer the beliefs ”
Belief 1 'Decentralization over centralization' in detail
While we recognize the situational value of the principle from the right, we appreciate the value of the principle from the left more.
Left principle 'Decentralization'
Although Decentralization can influence end-to-end task efficiency and overall speed of decision making, we value Decentralized structures over Centralized structures as they:
Empower and engage members
Members in decentralized structures gain more autonomy and ownership, boosting responsibility, agency, and meaningful contributions.
Make communities more robust
By distributing authority, decentralized systems minimize systemic risk and single points of failure.
Tackle issues at the right level
Decentralized governance supports rapid, context-sensitive decision-making and creative solutions, at the level where people are impacted, care and have a stake and thereby avoiding rigid hierarchy.
Right principle 'Centralization'
While Centralization is often efficient and fast in its decision making, we value Decentralized structures over Centralization as Centralization can lead to:
Poorer decision quality and with low community support
Centralized decisions often lack local insight, risking misalignment and decreased community support.
Power imbalance and inequity
Concentrated authority may lead to unjust disparities in influence and resources
Systemic vulnerabilities
Central points of control become bottlenecks, increasing fragility and delaying critical responses.
Please note that:
For each principle-pair: sometimes the principle on the right is the only available option, even the better option for a specific situation or can be applied alongside its counter principle on the left. But generally, we value the principle on the left more and think this principle always deserves pursuit (as a way to achieve community objectives). So although we will state 'principle A over B', for all our believes goes, apply A where possible and B where you must.
We acknowledge that:
The "Dark Forest Era" manifesto
The "Dark Forest Era" manifesto is often associated with Yancey Strickler’s interpretation of a modern, post-public internet, advocates for abandoning public clout-chasing in favor of private, relational, and collaborative online spaces. It promotes sincere interaction over competitive attention-seeking, championing curated "dark forest" spaces like group chats or private forums.
Why Beliefs Matter
For the 'How to DAO it' movement - Shared beliefs
These beliefs are:
What the 'How to DAO it' movement stands for
What we believe makes successful vital communities with vital members
What we want to see manifested
What we want to build our community around
What binds us together
What our support for each other is based on
For your community/DAO - Implementation
These beliefs are the heuristic guidelines:
For you as member - Mastering & aligning
These beliefs are:
The heuristics we want to equip you with
The principles that help you think, consider and act (rather than letting you follow models)
What you can align yourself with.
