One way of maximising the effectiveness of a meeting is to be clear in the group:

1. what the aim of the group is
2. what the process is that the group has agreed to in order to work on the aim
3. what happens when something becomes more important to a member of the group than sticking to the agreed process.

Sociocracy is a process for collective decision-making -consent rather than consensus. It also supports the flow of information and decision-making in organizations.

Sociocracy is a method for governance for all kinds of organizations - associations, corporations, and societies - that offers inclusiveness, accountability, and productivity.

It was developed over the past 40 years in a unique management science laboratory in The Netherlands.

See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociocracy and http://www.sociocracy.info

The Creative Forces of Self-organization by John Buck and Gerard Endenburg is a 24 page article available to download here as a PDF: or via this resources page

Aims have to be measurable

Clarity of what happens when rules are not enacted.