Clan Leadership

In order to function properly, clans require one or more forms of leadership. This is necessary because clans must have one or more means of making decisions in order to progress. If there was no leadership, there could be no clans, because nothing could be decided.

Leadership does not necessarily mean one or more people rule over the clan. In fact, many clans are run by a form of democracy, such as representative democracy, in which certain elected clan members vote to make decisions for the clan, or direct democracy, in which all clan members vote to make decisions for the clan.

Clan Government
Leadership is based off of the form of government that the clan uses. For example, if a clan's government was based off a dictatorship or oligarchy, one or more people would have absolute power and would make all decisions for the clan.

There are several main types of clan government, but each clan's individual government is unique. For example, one clan might have a high council while another has a clan leader and an advisory council.

Democracy
Some clans use a form of democracy as their form of government. The two main types of democracy include representative and direct.

In a direct democracy, every clan member must vote to make every decision for the clan. This government is more effective for smaller clans, because there are less people involved in the clan and therefore the voting process can be run quickly and smoothly. However, most larger clans do not use direct democracy, because it takes too long and it is too much of a hassle to get every single clan member to vote. An example would be a clan with ten members compared to a clan with one hundred members. The clan with ten members can easily hold an election in minutes, while the clan with one hundred members would have many obstacles along the way, including the problem of getting every clan member to vote.

In a representative democracy, a certain number of representatives are chosen or elected to vote on decisions on behalf of the entire clan. This government is more effective for larger clans, because decisions can be made without having to wait for dozens upon dozens of votes to be cast. Representative democracy works just as well with smaller clans, however it is usually unnecessary because there aren't enough members to represent the clan as a whole.

Sometimes, in a democracy, there may be an Overall Leader. This can happen in both direct and representative democracy. The Overall Leader will have the deciding say if a vote is tied and sometimes has the ability to overrule any decision made by a democratic system.

Dictatorship/Oligarchy
This is one of the most common forms of governing for clans.

In a dictatorship/oligarchy, the clan is ruled by one or more leaders/dictators that hold all of the power in the clan. They make every decision on behalf of the entire clan. This is another very effective form of government for smaller clans, because it is easier to manage a smaller clan without help. Most clans start off as a dictatorship, but once they get bigger may become a democracy.

Custom Governments
Each clan picks variations of one or more governments to run the clan. For example, one clan might base their government off of the United States Congress, while another bases their government off of a dictatorship. Also, certain names are usually given to clan government positions. For example, a clan representative government might contain a council. Perhaps a clan names their council the High Council of Lords, and this council votes on decisions on the clan's behalf. A clan government based off of a dictatorship might contain a Supreme Overlord that holds all of the power within the clan.

Public Appeal and Fairness
When creating a clan government, clans generally tend to create governments that are fair and appeal to the public. This not only satisfies the clan members, it attracts potential new clan members that are impressed by the clan's government. Generally the fairer and more stable a clan government is, the longer the clan will survive and the more members the clan will gain. If a clan's government is unstable, it may cause members to resign, which could lead to the disbanding of the clan, and it would decrease the number of members the clan would have gained.

Secondary Positions
Some clans designate positions under the leadership to help run the clan. These positions are not specifically designed to govern the clan, but to help ensure that the clan runs smoothly and to carry out the day to day duties and activities within the clan. Some examples of secondary positions include:


 * Events Co-Ordinators, who help organize official clan events,
 * Advisory Councils, who advise the clan leadership
 * Co-leaders, who assist the clan leadership and generally have similar authority, but answer to the clan's leadership.

Most clans will give people with a Secondary Position a higher rank in the clan's Clan Chat.

Union Governments
Also see Unions for additional information on union governments and how they can operate.