Since communication is the organizing tool of collectives or small groups, it is essential to talk about process when you establish a working collective. We had a discussion about how we would operate, how we would make decisions, how we would implement them. We each acknowledged that we could discuss any topic and disagree with any idea proposed by another member, but that we would all support the decision of the group. Our use of this process actually took very little time, as we had all been or were part of other collectives and cooperatives. Collectives are, after all, a way of life in Saskatchewan. Discussion about process might take longer if a group has just formed or for groups of people not used to the collective process.

Leadership is a preoccupation of small group research. In groups without an appointed leader, and most collectives have no appointed leader, leadership evolves through group interaction. In well-functioning collectives, leadership is typically shared. Since we all have abilities and strengths, an individual who has the strengths needed by the group at a specific point in the collective's life will probably perform leadership functions at that point. This does not mean that this individual is the leader, but rather that she performs leadership functions that help the group accomplish a task (3). That leadership is typically shared among members in a small collective is something that should be acknowledged by the group when it discusses process.

While some groups appoint a leader, most collectives are more satisfying and more productive with informal shared leadership. As well, collectives should acknowledge the process of idea modification inherent in discussion. You have to balance the need for consensus -- that is, that each member support the decision of the group even if that is not the decision she would have made -- with real world demands such as deadlines. Groups also need to acknowledge that conflict over ideas is creative and to embrace such conflict, not flee from it. On the other hand, individuals must be willing to compromise and approach such conflict with good will and the collective goal in mind. As collective members share their expectations and ideas, they begin to create trust in each other and in themselves. A high level of trust generally means a high level of cohesiveness (how well the members interact interpersonally) and a high level of productivity (how much they accomplish).

The collective then becomes a non-summative entity -- the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Our editorial collective first established some expectations of what we would or would not do. Since we have different strengths, we divided primary responsibilities among us. Each of us, however, was able to contribute to any area, and any decision had to be collectively made. We also committed to a number of face-to-face meetings, often over lunch, or at least over date bars and tea.

One of us was responsible for contacting artists and collecting art for the issue. Together, we decided which art to use and where it went in the magazine. One of us was in charge of receiving submissions; we used her address for the contact point. She read each piece submitted, made recommendations to the others, and corresponded with the authors. Each of us, however, read all the pieces submitted and together we decided whether to accept an article as is, with revisions, or not at all.

We also made a number of decisions about the focus of the issue. We had a session where we talked about directions we could take, how we could make the points we wanted to make, how we would define violence, who we would approach to write for us. Perhaps the most important content decision we made was to seek out women who are seldom heard -- for example, those in literacy or adult upgrading programs. Through our various contacts and networks, we sought women who have experienced violence that interfered with their education, who had taken steps to do something about it, who had thought about what this violence did to them.

Because we are in Saskatchewan, we were particularly aware of the violence that many aboriginal women experienced in residential schools. All of us know women who were sent to these schools and who live with the effects to this day. We wanted others to know about this. We also wanted to hear from women in literacy programs, from women who have managed to heal to the point where they were able to enter the traditional education system and succeed, from women who were trying to challenge the system, from those who questioned the so-called "normal" order.