Deep Democracy at Work (EP.88)

Nonprofit teams. City governments. Unionizing workplaces. Pet pics in the team Slack thread. No matter the setting, one thing is certain: conflict is going to show up.

But what if conflict isn’t the problem—it’s the way we relate to it that matters?

In this episode, Tim Cynova is joined by facilitators, coaches, and organizational practitioners Navida Nuraney and Camille Dumond to explore the Lewis Method of Deep Democracy, a practical and surprisingly playful framework for navigating disagreement, surfacing unspoken truths, and building real relational capacity in teams.

We explore what makes Deep Democracy distinct from traditional facilitation approaches, why it matters more than ever in today’s complex workplaces, and how even seemingly small tensions—like whether your team’s Slack channel should be for logistics or life updates—can benefit from the tools and mindset Deep Democracy offers.

And in true WSS style, we don’t just talk about the framework—we try it out! Together, Tim, Navida, and Camille take the “Debate Tool” for a spin, exploring the polarity between “Just do the job” and “Bring your whole(ish) self to work.” Spoiler: You might agree with both.

Highlights:

• 03:55 Understanding the Lewis Method of Deep Democracy
• 05:47 Practical Tools for Navigating Conflict
• 10:30 Personal Experiences with Deep Democracy
• 17:07 Applying Deep Democracy in Organizations
• 20:41 The Importance of Addressing Conflict Now
• 23:50 Exploring the Debate Tool
• 24:34 Exploring the Polarity of Bringing Your Whole Self to Work
• 29:58 Debating the “Just Do the Job” Perspective
• 33:16 Balancing Both Sides: Insights and Reflections
• 37:03 Practical Applications and Tools for Conflict Resolution
• 41:00 Upcoming Opportunities

Links & Resources

• Lewis Deep Democracy
• Waterline Co-op
• Role Theory Companion: Applying Deep Democracy ($16 CAD) Camille Dumond's book exploring the secret sauce behind the method; includes a number of leadership applications.
• International Association of Process Oriented Psychology
• Work Won’t Love You Back by Sarah Jaffe

About the Guests

ABOUT CAMILLE DUMOND

Camille (she/they) is a settler of Indo-Caribbean and French-Irish descent living on unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. Her practice is as a somatic therapist, conflict and group facilitator. With over 20 years experience facilitating change processes, she brings depth psychology, social movement analysis, and embodied spirituality to organizational change. This allows her to support a sense of center and even playfulness in complex, emergent situations. Camille co-founded the Refugee Livelihood Lab with Nada Elmasry to amplify the impact and transformational influence of racialized leaders with lived experience of forced displacement and migration. She is principal at Dignity Facilitation.

ABOUT