I got the 'long link' reference from an earlier posting - via Peggy Holman and Kenoli. To paraphrase - my understanding is that ...most networks are both tightly clustered [go to nodes close by - people who already know each other fairly well] AND have 'weak connections - which go to totally different places' - aka long links - between previously isolated clusters - people who didn't know each other. So it's the old both - and. both similarity and novelty. so building on the ken wilber thing - yes, long links help to bring the network to life, translate the current maximum possibility. And depth links act like a heightened vector. Still - I think that enough of the long links stuff, and - presto magico - thru the power of self-organization, you naturally 'tip over' into another depth dimension.
you know a funny thing happened today. In the middle of this somewhat gruelling 2 hour meeting with research scientists/ steering committee reviewing the agenda - they kept coming back to the invitation list. Who should come? have we got the outlying people? somehow the right questions seem to pop up. We KNOW this stuff - intuitively, in our heart of hearts. end of day thoughts in glorious fall weather Toronto Meg ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Corrigan" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2003 11:45 AM Subject: Re: Fw: [searchnet] The Math of Networks > Hi Meg: > > Long links.not a term I have heard before. I'm wondering though, taking > a turn at invoking Ken Wilber here, if what you are describing is "deep > links," in other words, links that extend through the levels of matter, > mind, body, soul and spirit. To me, "long" implies breadth of span, and > those people are really useful in Open Space too. Maybe they appear as > butterflies and bumblebees, somehow seeming to be connected to the whole > group in a way that others are not, somehow standing on both the inside > and the outside. > > I think the OST facilitator is the deep link and the act of holding > space, as we continually define it, is the act of enfolding the group in > higher levels of possibility, or as you have put it "a space meta to the > network...a link to enspiritng energy that is the source of all new > creative potential" > > I like that. > > Chris > > > --- > CHRIS CORRIGAN > Bowen Island, BC, Canada > http://www.chriscorrigan.com > [email protected] > (604) 947-9236 > > -----Original Message----- > From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Meg > Salter > Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2003 8:01 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Fw: [searchnet] The Math of Networks > > Thanks Chris > I'm meeting with a bunch of research scientists this afternoon to plan > an open space. For some people, mathematical or exterior language helps > them to feel at home with this concept. > And another musing thought about ... long links. Certaiinly links among > disparate groups/ people create a long link within the current > network, helping to energize it, create a living group from what might > have been disparate, unconnected people/groups. > I wonder if the facilitator is a long link too. ie, by holding space, > being invisible and deeply present, the facilitator is energiziing a > long link to - a potential outside the network. . a space meta to the > network?.. a link to enspiritng energy that is the source of all new > creative potential??? > And then I wonder too, why in so many spiritual traditions, the link to > the teacher is considered critical... another long link? > Meg Salter > > MegaSpace Consulting > (416) 486-6660 > [email protected] > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Chris Corrigan > To: [email protected] > Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2003 12:21 PM > Subject: Re: Fw: [searchnet] The Math of Networks > > Welcome Alexander, and thanks for your blog link too. Several of us > here have weblogs as well, including myself > (http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot ) , Michael Herman > (http://www.globalchicago.net) and Martin Leith > (http://www.martinleith.com/blog/). I like what blogging (keeping > weblogs and linking to sources) is doing in the wider world to connect > people and ideas and create networks. I'll add you to my list of links. > > As for the math of networks, I like what David P. Reed has said on this. > In this article - http://www.epublicrelations.org/Reedlaw.html - someone > has outlined his mathematical law of group formation: > > "The Group Forming Law (or, Reed's Law) calculates the number of groups > of two or more people which can be formed a single group. > > For example, how many groups of two or more people can be formed with an > initial group of three? According to Reed's Law is 2N-N-1. Substituting > 3 for N the answer is 4. Not a very impressive number. However, the > answer grows dramatically as N grows. For example, how many groups of > two or more people can be formed in a classroom of 20 students? The > answer? 1,048,555!!! > > More here: > http://www.contextmag.com/setFrameRedirect.asp?src=/archives/199903/Digi > talStrategy.asp > > I sometimes like to do the math before meetings to use the figures to > explain the amount of potential in the room. Walking the circle, > uttering the second principle about whatever happens, I sometimes say > "and if you don't believe me, understand this: The twenty of you in > this room can form yourselves in over one million permutations, so don't > be too worried about what might have been.work with what is." > > And Harrison, I've often thought of responsibility not so much as an > initial condition, but more as a kind of boundary that both enables and > bounds the passion. Passion and responsibility have a symbiotic > relationship in Open Space, but my experience has been that people > discover their responsibility AFTER they tap their passion. In other > words, without passion as the initial condition, it's less likely that > people will feel like they need to propose a topic, much less convene a > conversation or follow up. But people motivated by passion can seem to > do anything. Reminding them that the CAN do anything (with the Law of > Two Feet) certainly helps. > > --- > CHRIS CORRIGAN > Bowen Island, BC, Canada > http://www.chriscorrigan.com > [email protected] > (604) 947-9236 > > -----Original Message----- > From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of > Harrison Owen > Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2003 5:23 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Fw: [searchnet] The Math of Networks > > At 11:58 AM 9/9/2003 +0200, you wrote: > > Hi > > Yeah, small world networks are definitely a big part of why Open Space > works. Actually it's a big part of why the world works :o) > > Mark Buchanan has written an excellent and highly readable book called > "Small world" on this very new and very promising science. I've reviewed > it here: http://www.kjerulf.com/journal/00000214.htm . > > Obvious parallels between small world networks and open space gatherings > include: > * Small world networks are highly adaptable, yet very stable - as are > Open Space gatherings > * The structure in small worlds networks arises without central planning > - as in OS > * Bumblebees can be seen as "weak connections" between tightly knit > groups - one of the main reasons that small world networks are tightly > knit > > Right on! Despite the fact that some folks think they actually organize > networks, I think the truth of the matter is that they happen all by > themselves in the way of all self-organizing systems. The critical point > of initiation is the convergence of passion and responsibility -- > somebody cares about something and takes responsibility to talk to > others who might share the care. If the fire of passion ignites -- you > have a network. If it fizzles and goes out in a puff of smoke, you don't > -- and no amount of huffing and puffing will make any difference. Sounds > a lot like Open Space to me. All of which relates, I guess, to Artur's > thoughts about "essential conditions" . . . Chris put it neatly > (although I am not so sure how elegant I was) "As for the conditions > that make Open Space really hum, I go back to > Harrison's elegantly stated four: passion, diversity, complexity and > urgency. The more of each, the better the process works." I think it > might work better if one were to say passion/responsibility -- but > anyhow I find the same essential conditions apply to all useful > networks. > > ho > > > > > > Harrison Owen > 7808 River Falls Drive > Potomac, MD 20854 USA > phone 301-365-2093 > 207-763-3261 (Summer) > Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com > Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org > Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm > > [email protected] > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of [email protected] > Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > > * * ========================================================== > [email protected] ------------------------------ To > subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > [email protected], Visit: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html * * > ========================================================== > [email protected] ------------------------------ To > subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > [email protected], Visit: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > * > * > ========================================================== > [email protected] > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of [email protected], > Visit: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
