There has been an interesting dialogue unfolding on numerous sites regarding a spokesmodel approach.

I had assumed that I had googled for this concept before but thanks to Sandi's input I tried again. I searched for "spokesmodel", "Hub", "Spoke", "Model", "spokesperson", etc. I was absolutely amazed that I couldn't find anything that related to how I interpret the term: spokesmodel.

How could such a model be so real to me if it didn't actually exist? Were the lines between this world and the other blurring again?

I found a rather impressive site called 12 Manage that catalogues numerous models, theories, etc.; however, there were no references to a Spokesmodel there either.

So after obsessing for awhile, I found that a search using the following terms produced better hits for what I've been dreaming about: decentralization, direct democracy, community organizing, affinity group pipelines, spokescouncil.

I also found the United Nations Development Programme page that offers additional insight on the effectiveness of such an approach.

Including: Innovations Linking Decentralised Governance and Human Development: A Capacity Development Workshop under the Fifth Global Forum on Reinventing Government, Mexico City (November, 2003)

intro:
Decentralisation has become an essential ingredient of governance and human development efforts around the world with 80% of developing and transition countries experimenting with one form of decentralization or another. Organised by UNDP in collaboration with the United Nations Capital Development Fund, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the World Bank Institute, this workshop focused on how to establish intuitional frameworks that facilitate and strengthen the decentralisation process.

See also:
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Affinity-group

excerpts:

Organization

External
By definition, affinity groups are autonomous. Co-ordinated effort and co-operation amongst several affinity groups, however, is often achieved by using a loose form of confederation. A confederation is an association of sovereign states or communities, usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution. ...

Cluster: The cluster is the basic unit of organization amongst affinity groups. A cluster consists of several affinity groups and is organized in a non-hierarchical manner.

Spokescouncil: The spokescouncil is an aggregate of clusters and affinity groups. Each affinity group or cluster nominates one representative (often called a "spoke") to participate in the council.

Internal Affinity groups tend to be loosely organized, however there are some formal roles or positions that commonly occur. A given affinity group may have all, some or none of these positions. They may be permanent or temporary and the group may opt to take turns in these roles, or assign one role to one person.

Spoke: The individual charged with representing the affinity group at a spokescouncil or cluster meeting; roughly the same as a spokesman but without gender assumptions. Occasionally, the spoke will be granted a more general ambassadorial role by the affinity group.

Facilitator: A person or people who perform facilitation duties in consensus process of the group and also, to varying degrees, act as arbiter of internal conflicts.

Media contact: An individual who represents the group to the mass media. Often this individual is the same person as the Spoke.

Vibe watch: A person or people charged with monitoring the mood and feeling of the group. The reference is to vibrations in the colloquial emotional sense. In some affinity groups, the vibe watch is also charged with keeping the facilitator from using his or her role to favor any position or proposal.

Snap-decision facilitator: Also called "quick decision facilitator", this is a person charged with making decisions for the group in time-constrained or high-pressure situations. The position is rare and is almost always temporary.

A spokesperson (person could be replaced with the gender of the person), or spokesmodel is a person who speaks on behalf of others, but is understood not to be necessarily part of the others

Consensus decision-making is a decision-making process that not only seeks the agreement of most participants, but also to resolve or mitigate the objections of the minority to achieve the most agreeable decision.

Quotes

Starhawk: An affinity group is a group of people who have an affinity for each other, know each others strengths and weaknesses, support each other, and do (or intend to do ) political/campaign work together.

Luke Hauser: Affinity groups serve as a source of support and solidarity for their members. Feelings of being isolated or alienated from the movement, or the crowd, or the world in general can be alleviated through the love and trust which develops when an affinity group works, plays, and relates together over a period of time...