Hi all, I was hoping to weave this into discourse about how holding
space/letting go and other transcendent qualities of those of us who engage
with
complex systems via OS and other whole systems methods can recognise these
'natural laws' (I do get that btw) whilst also seeing the recurrent challenges
of power players, coagulating small groups, the 'Lucifer effect', etc etc - I
think I am aligning here with Lisa on her peerless judgments about pre-work,
and
adding to those ideas my (admittedly instinctive at best) practice of gauging a
sort of 'spirit level' in a given group of actors... ie EQ etc, courage in
"owners" to let go the mantle/carry it conscientiously, recognition of the
projections/introjections of various roles taken, about which we are taught so
much via the psychoanalysts in this field...
I and colleagues have lately been engaged in design and delivery of (fairly
'safe') development of 'leaders' working in the criminal justice system
(custodial and community based) - the instinctive metrics I mentioned indicate
the usual range of bold and brave actors studded about in a system which opens
and closes in both obvious, profound and more intriguing, hidden ways. Much to
explore here about themes of risk (to individuals, to wider society) and
safety,
morality and social responsibility - anyone on the list engaging in open space
practices in this context? very much keen to share!
best wishes from benign autumnal London town
Anne M Bennett
________________________________
From: John Watkins <[email protected]>
To: World wide Open Space Technology email list <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, 19 September, 2011 16:55:46
Subject: Re: [OSList] Designing an OS way
Um, it's kind of a natural law of the universe. It's why we are.
Sent from John's iPhone
On Sep 19, 2011, at 8:52 AM, ANNE BENNETT <[email protected]>
wrote:
Anyone care to take on the dimension of the desirability of new orders...?
regimes that emerge in open spaces, then contain/exclude/set up perverse
dynamics with other systems and contexts... are a function of the desires of
the
actors - their readiness to 'improve/progress/be benign/hold on to good
intentions and espoused values/be moral and ethical etc...' all up for grabs -
yours, avid systems thinker
>
>A
>
>
>
>
>
________________________________
From: John Watkins <[email protected]>
>To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
<[email protected]>
>Sent: Monday, 19 September, 2011 16:17:05
>Subject: Re: [OSList] Designing an OS way
>
>Florian,
>
>
>HOWEVER... (and this may be how OST works... Harrison?) Prigogine and
>Stengers
>also say that... "in open systems, in far from equilibrium states, new orders
>emerge spontaneously."
>
>
>John
>
>
>On Sep 19, 2011, at 1:20 AM, fischer florian wrote:
>
>John, that´s wonderful. Finally a clear definition. That works.
>>Thank you a lot.
>>Florian
>>
>>
>>Florian Fischer
>>[email protected]
>>www.begleitung-im-wandel.com
>>Münchener Straße 6
>>10779 Berlin
>>Fon (030) 2116752
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Am 19.09.2011 um 06:25 schrieb John Watkins:
>>
>>Artur,
>>>
>>>
>>>The term "open systems" comes from thermodynamics, especially from Prigogine
>>>and
>>>Stengers, who also refer to them as "dissipative" systems. It does not mean
>>>open to change; it means open in the sense of importing "energy" from
>>>outside
>>>itself and excreting "energy" back into the surrounding system. Such
>>>systems
>>>are most often self-organizing and self-recreating (autopoiesis). They
>>>"sort"
>>>energy into that which will help them recreate themselves and that which
>>>will
>>>not, and they dissipate the rest, creating, paradoxically, internally order
>>>and
>>>externally more entropy. Bureaucracies are actually great examples of open
>>>systems in this regard.
>>>
>>>
>>>John
>>>
>>>
>>>On Sep 18, 2011, at 7:47 AM, Artur Silva wrote:
>>>
>>>I continue to have a disagreement with you on this point, Harrison.
>>>>
>>>>I agree that "all systems are self organizing -- it is the preexisting
>>>>condition
>>>>here on planet earth"
>>>>
>>>>But I do not conclude that they are all open !
>>>>
>>>>Let's think of physical phenomena first - it is self organization that
>>>>creates
>>>>diamonds (see, for
>>>>instance
>>>>http://www.allaboutgemstones.com/diamond_chemistry_formation.html).
>>>>But after they are created, they are not open anymore - they are quit
>>>>closed,
>>>>especially if we compare them with other forms of carbon (like graphite -
>>>>see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon), not to talk when carbon is
>>>>combined
>>>>with oxygen, to form a gas, like in CO2.
>>>>
>>>>The same is true, IMHO, about organizations. Some are more open, but many
>>>>are
>>>>really closed, like Government burocraties or large companies. And some are
>>>>more
>>>>closed than others (let's take as an example IBM or Microsoft when compared
>>>>with
>>>>Google or Dell).
>>>>
>>>>This has other consequences, namely in what concerns the organizations'
>>>>capacity
>>>>to learn and adapt to the changing environment.
>>>>
>>>>I don't believe that we can continue to say that we (or the sponsor) "opens
>>>>the
>>>>space", if it was always already open !
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Indeed, what we do in OST is, IMO, to create a pattern that has been
>>>>previously
>>>>designed - what, many moons ago, I have called the "foundations of OST" are
>>>>indeed a pattern - that is different from the patterns of the World Cafe
>>>>and,
>>>>even more different, from the pattern of "Future Search".
>>>>
>>>>I thing that your remarks that we can't "design for self organization"
>>>>applies
>>>>to the "conventional engineering way of thinking about design": first we
>>>>design
>>>>and then we implement and control.
>>>>
>>>>But if we think about Chris Alexander's "Patterns" to create a "Timeless
>>>>Way of
>>>>Building", from regions, to cities, to neighborhoods, to buildings (see for
>>>>instance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Alexander) we may create
>>>>an
>>>>analogue for organizations and try to imagine what are the patterns that
>>>>allow
>>>>for an organization or community to become more "open" and then more able
>>>>to
>>>>learn.
>>>>
>>>>This is, I believe, what many of us are doing in many different domains
>>>>and
>>>>situations.
>>>>
>>>>Regards
>>>>
>>>>Artur
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
________________________________
From: Harrison Owen <[email protected]>
>>>>To: [email protected]; 'World wide Open Space Technology email list'
>>>><[email protected]>
>>>>Sent: Friday, September 16, 2011 1:44 PM
>>>>Subject: Re: [OSList] Designing an OS way
>>>>
>>>>Doug -- You may be working too hard. If you start with the idea (I would say
>>>>fact) that the folks are already "in" open space, they are just not doing it
>>>>as well or intentionally as they might. After all, all systems are self
>>>>organizing -- it is the preexisting condition here on planet earth :-) Also,
>>>>you have a group of consenting adults (the so called "students.") who
>>>>probably have some idea of how they might like to spend time together in a
>>>>useful and supportive fashion. If it were me, I would convene a 1 day Open
>>>>Space for anybody who cared (presumably students and faculty) with the
>>>>theme, "Issues and opportunities for supporting each other as we build our
>>>>businesses." It might turn out, for example, that they would rather have a
>>>>weekend together once a quarter. Or something totally different.
>>>>
>>>>At the very least you would avoid the awful oxymoron of "organizing a self
>>>>organizing system." As for "The Principles, etc" no need to organize a
>>>>thing. You would already "be there." And best of all you would be treating
>>>>the "students" like adult human beings which I would consider to be a real
>>>>plus.
>>>>
>>>>Harrison
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Harrison Owen
>>>>7808 River Falls Dr.
>>>>Potomac, MD 20854
>>>>USA
>>>>
>>>>189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
>>>>Camden, Maine 20854
>>>>
>>>>Phone 301-365-2093
>>>>(summer) 207-763-3261
>>>>
>>>>www.openspaceworld.com
>>>>www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
>>>>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST
>>>>Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>>>>
>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>From: [email protected]
>>>>[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of douglas germann
>>>>Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2011 8:19 PM
>>>>To: oslist
>>>>Subject: [OSList] Designing an OS way
>>>>
>>>>Friends--
>>>>
>>>>An opportunity has been dropped in my lap, and I need your help to
>>>>noodle it through, please:
>>>>
>>>>A local college created a program for beginning entrepreneurs. They now
>>>>have a dozen graduates of this continuing education program, and they
>>>>are doing follow-on sessions: once a month, from 9 to 10 am, local
>>>>experts present and consult with them. For those who pay the fee for
>>>>this continuing portion, this session is mandatory.
>>>>
>>>>Now they want to do something at these monthly meetings which will
>>>>encourage them to consult and conspire with one another on the
>>>>challenges they are facing as they start their businesses. This is
>>>>voluntary.
>>>>
>>>>The sessions would run from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm. Many people may have to
>>>>get back to work by 1:00 so may leave early.
>>>>
>>>>They had a 3-hour OS session half way through their program before they
>>>>graduated, so most of them have had some experience with OS.
>>>>
>>>>My sense of what they need is to be sounding boards for each other, to
>>>>engage one another in deep and meaningful conversation, to have some
>>>>bonding or cohesiveness time.
>>>>
>>>>I would like to design some way that uses OS principles that becomes
>>>>their way of being together. They would like me to help some of them
>>>>learn how to do OST, and that might be part of it.
>>>>
>>>>How would you design an OS way of life for these women for their once a
>>>>month meeting?
>>>>
>>>>Thanks!
>>>>
>>>> :- Doug.
>>>>
>>>>_______________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
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>>>
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