Chris - thank you again for the mention of the Cynefin framework. I very
much enjoyed your youtube presentation about the framework to the Art of
Hosting Community at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRn3BM56W74. It was
well worth the 55 minutes. I especially enjoyed your questions and
answers section.
After I listened, YouTube presented a related video of a keynote by
David Snowden to a Lean, Agile & Scrum conference in Europe. His talk is
titled "Making Sense of Complexity".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6RfqmTZejU
I found his talk brilliant. I enjoyed the insights, but also the
challenges. David called himself a "Constructive Irritant" or a
curmudgeon. I'm not sure I'd recommend the talk to everyone in this
group - but there is one piece that was particularly confrontational and
important. I carefully transcribed it for you here. David Snowden makes
these remarks while showing a slide of a dragon towering over two
Knights, and one Knight says "Oh No! A big, evil, DRAGON!". The other
says "Quick! Somebody hold a meeting". Here is what David says (it is at
49:05 in the talk):
"This sort of hold a meeting mentality, or worse still, I mean if there
was an Agile version of this, it would be 'Quick let's hold an Open
Space', because we can all have a nice time and nobody will be
challenged. Just to make a controversial statement: Open Space is the
enemy of innovation because it enforces consensus. There are actually
larger group techniques certainly which we and others have developed
which actually increase conflict because if you don't increase conflict
you don't get diversity and you don't get proper testing. So the Law of
Two Feet is the *enemy* of innovation because it allows people to avoid
confrontation where they need to do confrontation. Right, it doesn't
mean it doesn't have value, but it's a contextual method."
This statement from David actually interfered with my sleep. I made me
question for a couple hours my deep emotional investment in OST. As
mentioned earlier, I saw and still see Cynefin as a way to help promote
the use of OST. Earlier in David's talk, when he described how to work
in the complex space, his recommendations sounded a lot like an OST
event. But quote I offer from him was clearly hostile to OST. My first
reaction to his "irritant" statement was that OST does *not* enforce
consensus. But other parts of his statement raise interesting questions.
Is there value in setting up large group processes that don't allow
people to avoid confrontation? Can OST prevent needed conflict?
My take on Open Space as a method is that it has been traversing the
chasm on the innovation cycle between Early Adopter phase, and Early
Majority. I had expected Agile to help push Open Space over to Early
Majority. It sounds like OST may already be in the Early Majority phase
in the Agile community based on David Snowden's missive against it. I've
also predicted that OST will start facing open and active hostility as
it starts to break into Early Majority. David Snowden may be some
evidence this is happening.
I'm quite curious how others receive this statement against OST from
David Snowden.
Harrison, I quite enjoy what you've written, and I think there's
something in OST that most consultants and organizational development
experts are going to miss simply because the fundamental assumptions of
their traditions go 180 degrees in the opposite direction of Open Space,
wave riding, and the ancient mystery we might now call our
self-organizing universe. For me, I don't think there is any end to the
digging, because there is no way a "theory of everything" will ever be
able to capture it all. And still, there are some of us that have not
yet tired of digging. But my aim in the digging into game theory, Agile,
Cynefin, brain science, Tavistock and group relations, sociology,
psychology, etc. etc. is not "how to deal with massive complexity ... by
... making models, and gathering data." The joy in the digging is not to
try to get to the bottom of it. There is no bottom. There will never be
a theory of everything. But making maps, as long as we understand their
fundamental limits, is a wonderful thing. As long as we don't confuse
them with the territory.
Harold
On 7/31/14 12:59 PM, Harrison Owen wrote:
Good thinking Peggy, and having spent no small amount of time, paper,
and ink exploring the world of emergence or self organization -- I can
definitely appreciate the effort. Helping people to develop an
awareness of the flow of the enterprise is definite plus. Having said
that, I find myself needing to issue a caveat. Producing a model, even
a very good model, of the flow of self organization as it relates to
complexity, is not to suggest that we can fully understand the
process, even less that we could predict or control it. My experience
has been that the more I know, in the sense of actual experience and
perception, the less I understand. Perhaps it is the advance of
senility, but I find my rational capacity totally overwhelmed and
over-awed by the magnificent mystery of our evolving cosmos. This is
not simply the majesty of infinite space/time -- but equally the
fantastic complexity, diversity and connectedness of the smallest
creatures. The Hummingbirds, for example who feed at my window. The
Paramecium (single celled protozoa that swim in my lake). A single
snow flake.
Some might take my statement as the despairing cry of an old man. The
"old man" part is dead on... but there is no despair. Just the
opposite, in fact. It feels just wonderful! I am reminded of
conversations over the years with various "Systems Thinking" friends.
Bright people all, with enthusiasm unbounded. They were certain that
if they thought hard enough, collected data long enough -- for sure
they could design the perfect system, or at least understand the one
of which they were a part (their business, etc.). They sensed victory
just over the hill, and I surely wished them well. For myself,
inspired by their effort, I tried to do the same. But for me, the
harder I tried, the worse it got. In fact it became an infinite
regression into ultimate complexity. One could call it an exercise in
despair. But that is not how it felt... Liberation was more to the
point with the realization that you just couldn't get there from
here...Wonderful!
But how to deal with massive complexity in real life situations if not
by thinking about it, making models, and gathering data? It is not
that thought, models and data were somehow evil or useless, but in
terms of my quest, they only led down a rabbit hole out of which I
could not come. And the harder I tried, the deeper I sunk... It felt
just wonderful to just stop digging! But the complexity of life remained.
Somewhere along the line an odd curiosity captured my attention. As
our marvelous natural experiment in self organization (AKA OST)
proceeded, it dawned on me that contrary to all of my preconceived
notions, multiple groups of people of all sorts and conditions from
every part of the world seemingly engaged their complex, self
organizing world in an effective and productive fashion without
benefit of prior instruction, models of whatever sort, intense
facilitation (handholding)... In a word it appeared to be a natural
act. Even more counter intuitive (counter to my intuition and
expectations) was the fact that in those (relatively few) situations
in which either I or some colleague had endeavored to "prepare" the
participants with conceptual models, exercises of various sorts, or
explanation of the process (other than the normal OS invitation to sit
in circle) there was no visible sign of improved performance, so far
as I could see, and in fact there was some indication of a decline.
Now, almost 30 years into the experiment I also have to say that my
most difficult groups, without exception, were those composed of The
Professionals. Those people who made it their business to THINK about
all the details (facilitators, systems theorists, etc.). Eventually
even these folks "got with the program" and everything happened just
as it usually does in Open Space. But the shift occurred, as I saw it,
only when they stopped thinking about it.
I think there may be a lesson here. Engaging complexity is not
primarily a rational act. Even though complexity is a basic
existential concern for all of us, right up there with Death -- the
resolution to our dilemma will not be found through rational
enterprise (thinking about it). A major frustration for us all! But
the good news is that we do not have to travel that route. Indeed we
really don't have to travel at all. We're already there!
Proof is a slippery word, but I think it fair to say that the 30 year
Natural Experiment of Open Space has rendered a verdict almost as
good. Highly Probable. Given our experience of 1000's of groups
effectively dealing with complex, conflicted, inflammable issues
prepared only by a 10-15 minute invitation/introduction...It is highly
probable that the essential skills and mechanisms were already present
within the group prior to their arrival at the circle. In short they
were "already there." No need to think about it. Just Do it!
Once done, it is then time for rational reflection. In truth our
innate capacity for dealing with complexity, once awakened, flows so
seamlessly that most people hardly notice. At the end of every Open
Space in my experience the people evidenced some real sense of joy,
satisfaction, completion... and little appreciation of how it all
happened. It just was. That is all they know, and all they care to
know. That status may be more than sufficient in the moment, but it is
also true that rational reflection in all its forms (model building,
data collection, etc) can enhance the appreciation, and deepen the
experience.
As one who has spent a lifetime doing all that "rational activity"
from model building to data collection (well, story collection J), I
can truly appreciate and applaud the effort. Useful undertaking, I
think. BUT none of that can hold a candle to the profound sense of
wonder and awe that I experience in the silence of my not-knowing.
That is truly wonderful.
Harrison
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