Pat wrote: "I am in total agreement that we can work with or we can get in the way of it and inhibit it. I guess what I was saying that it requires no work to sustain it."
Pat -- I think what I have been learning is that while a self-organizing system works (by definition) all by itself, and for sure we neither created nor invented it, we still have a role to play which can be critical to the ongoing function of the system. How you understand that role (whether it is "work" or a privilege) is obviously a matter of personal perception. But there is a role either in the narrow confines of an OS event, or in the larger realm of any or all of our self-organizing systems. In a previous note I listed what I believe to be the Eight Essentials: 1) Do your Home work, 2) Issue an Invitation, 3) Come to the Circle, 4) Welcome Passion and Responsibility, 5) Remember the Four Principles, 6) Observe The Law, 7) Keep Grief Working, and 8) Formalize the System. If we did none of the above, it is quite likely that the system would still perform at some level. Even if we make what I take to be an egregious error and attempt to substitute our understanding of structure and controls for the emergent structure and control which the system has manifested, the probability is that the system will continue, which is a testimony to the natural endurance of a self-organizing system. And parenthetically, I would argue that we can thank this natural endurance for the continued existence of our systems (organizations, companies, countries) in spite of our malfeasance. Having said all of that, I still think there is much to be done, and many skills to perfect -- most of which is not covered in the standard MBA program :-) Take for example the business of invitation. And here I am thinking not only of the invitation for an Open Space Event, but the larger invitations to all those who might care to join us in the creation or renewal of a major project or business venture. A truly inviting invitation must be clear, focused, attractive, and with sufficient specificity to get the "guests" to the right place, time, and state of mind -- while still remaining open enough to encourage high levels of creativity and innovation. I suppose that some people can do all of this just naturally, but I think we all can do it better with thought and practice. Might I say "work?" And of course, an effective invitation is not simply a matter of words on a piece of paper. The personhood of the "inviter" is also important. At some deeper level I think we must be the invitation we seek to make. To make the point obvious just think of what happens when the "words" say "Please come!" but the body language says something quite different. Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, Maryland 20854 Phone 301-365-2093 Skype hhowen Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org Personal website www.ho-image.com OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Harrison Owen Sent: Friday, May 25, 2007 7:42 AM To: [email protected] Subject: FW: doing self-organization From: Pat Black [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2007 7:17 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: doing self-organization I am in total agreement that we can work with or we can get in the way of it and inhibit the it. I guess what I was saying that it requires no work to sustain it. We actually have to expend more energy to get in the way of it and inhibit it. I totally agree that OS is a way to get out of the way of our it and let it flow. I just think we are actually conserving energy doing that rather than expending it. pat * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
