I find the concept of researching self-organization in human systems to prove that it happens intriguing and I have no idea how one would approach it since it's all self-organizing and I'm not sure the human perspective of working / not working etc applies.
As I first read one off the posts I thought it's kind of like proving fire is....then I realized hey.....there is a combustion point ...things that accelerate of diminish fires...ways to start them etc etc. I think a second part of the challenge is that self-organizing is like gravity or electro magnetics in that it is invisible and we don't have a way of measuring it that I know of. These are my rambling musings and I'm interested in others perspectives. Best to all, David *David R. Osborne* Organization and Leadership Development 6402 Arlington Blvd., Suite 1120, Falls Church, VA 22042 703-939-1777 | [email protected] <[email protected]> | change-fusion.com On Thu, Feb 23, 2017 at 4:36 PM, Royle, Karl via OSList < [email protected]> wrote: > I don’t think you can prove self organization but you could look at …. if > this is done in this way then results are.. kind of thing…. And you could > see if OS improves efficacy of groups and individuals, which it probably > certainly does (in the moment) > > > > *From: *OSList <[email protected]> on behalf of > Birgitt Williams via OSList <[email protected]> > *Reply-To: *Birgitt Williams <[email protected]>, World wide > Open Space Technology email list <[email protected]> > *Date: *Thursday, 23 February 2017 at 21:30 > *To: *World wide Open Space Technology email list < > [email protected]> > *Subject: *Re: [OSList] Research OST > > > > Harrison---the point I was making is about research. If the research is > based on going down the path of proving self organization, it is not as > valuable to making the case for OST as OST works! It simply works, is > useful, creates results. > > > > Birgitt > > On Thu, Feb 23, 2017 at 4:16 PM Harrison Owen <[email protected]> wrote: > > Birgitt – I guess we differ. Proving that self organization works is about > as useful as proving that oxygen works for breathing. Seems to. And are > there other things going on in Open Space apart from self organization? > Absolutely. Or perhaps not at all. Just life. > > > > ho > > > > Winter Address > > 7808 River Falls Dr. > > Potomac, MD 20854 > > 301-365-2093 <(301)%20365-2093> > > > > Summer Address > > 189 Beaucauire Ave > > Camden, ME 04843 > > 207 763-3261 <(207)%20763-3261> > > > > Websites > > www.openspaceworld.com > > www.ho-image.com > > > > *From:* OSList [mailto:[email protected]] *On Behalf > Of *Birgitt Williams via OSList > *Sent:* Thursday, February 23, 2017 3:28 PM > > > *To:* World wide Open Space Technology email list > > *Subject:* Re: [OSList] Research OST > > > > Great summary Harrison of what is OST and what is not OST. it is a > significant challenge to find what is actually an OST meeting. One of the > reasons I created our workshop Working With OST is to make that distinction > very clear to all who participate with us. OST facilitated well requires > understanding the essence of what is created...and never as the facilitator > violating that essence. People have referred to me as a 'purist' and that > is fine by me. I believe in OST just as you created it. I do not believe in > the variations having the same outcomes. When something is added before OST > or after OST, they are not OST...and helping a group of people be > absolutely clear when the actual OST begins and when it ends is part of > what we are very careful about. > > > > We have developed a complimentary method, Whole Person Process > Facilitation, to use when OST is not the right method...and yet is based on > as little intervention as possible, and creating 'maximum choice, maximum > freedom' to the degree possible. Unfortunately, after the meetings, people > will say 'we want another one of those open space meetings. They feel that > the space is open and like to refer to it that way. I cannot do anything > about this conclusion that people make, and it is not OST. > > > > I also think that a disservice was done when OST was being looked at from > the lens of 'self organizing', one lens that applies certainly, and not the > only one...and in my perspective a rather limited one. The reason I say > this is a disservice is that too much effort was spent proving that self > organizing works, instead of proving through research and other means, that > OST works. > > > > Having a clean hypothesis about OST as a useful, productive method that > achieves incredible results is more valuable that proving it works for some > particular reason. > > > > My two cents on the subject, > > Birgitt > > > > On Thu, Feb 23, 2017 at 12:05 PM Harrison Owen via OSList < > [email protected]> wrote: > > One of the questions I find myself asking of various "researchers," -- > What, > exactly, are you looking at? > > Open Space has wandered and permutated globally, and taken 30+ years doing > that. So lots of times the "Open Space" people say they are looking at > (researching) has nothing to do with anything that I might call OST. > Needless to say I don't own, but I did coin the phrase -- and arguably, > I've > spent more time fussing with OST than anybody else. Alternatives, > Variations, Permutations are not wrong, bad, or immoral -- but are not OST. > And in research "facts" do matter. Despite our current (US) administration. > So for me, if you a going to do research on Open Space Technology (OST) -- > it really needs to be done "by the book." The Book being, "Open Space > Technology: A User's Guide 3rd Edition (Berrett- Koehler, 2008)" I might > consider that the "Lab Book." > > The experimental procedure is clearly laid out. > > The "event" will be convened around an issue people seriously care about > (Real issue - not pretend, made up, chosen at random). > > All participants will come in response to a Real Invitation. One they can > refuse. No coercion. All are present because they choose to be there. > > Once present, participants will be invited to sit in a circle, create a > bulletin board of the issues they care about, and the open a market place > to > make/confirm the times and places of meeting. > > The Facilitator will be present only at the beginning (1st 15 min.) and > appear again only at the end (of the day or program). In other words, The > facilitator will NEVER intervene. NEVER. Picking up coffee cups is > appropriate. Otherwise, being "present and invisible" -- is the rule. > > Anything else... "Variants, Twists, Tweaks -- whatever ... is not OST. > Could > be great. May be fantastic. But it ain't OST. > > And when it comes to "results" the "researcher" might check "Wave Rider: > Leadership for High Performance in a Self Organizing World." That would be > my best effort at a Final Report for the 30 year experiment. Which doesn't > make it perfect, right or anything special. But it might be a place to > start. > > Harrison > > > > Winter Address > 7808 River Falls Dr. > Potomac, MD 20854 > 301-365-2093 <(301)%20365-2093> > > Summer Address > 189 Beaucauire Ave > Camden, ME 04843 > 207 763-3261 <(207)%20763-3261> > > Websites > www.openspaceworld.com > www.ho-image.com > > -----Original Message----- > From: OSList [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of > Hege Steinsland via OSList > Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2017 10:54 AM > To: World wide Open Space Technology email list > Subject: [OSList] Research OST > > Hello. > I`m working on an article about the experience with OST in Norwegian work- > places, in particular municipalities. > I wonder if there are som kind of overview of earlier research on the > field, > published and unpublished > > Would be great :-) > > All the best > Hege Steinsland > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to [email protected] To unsubscribe send > an > email to [email protected] > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > Past archives can be viewed here: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > Past archives can be viewed here: http://www.mail-archive.com/ > [email protected] > > -- > > > > > > > > Birgitt Williams > > > > President & Senior Consultant of Dalar International Consultancy, Inc. > > http://www.dalarinternational.com > > Co-founder of the Extraordinary Leadership Network http://www. > extraordinaryleadershipnetwork.com > > Co-founder of the Genuine Contact™program and author of The Genuine > Contact Way: Nourishing a Culture of Leadership > http://www.genuinecontactway.com > > Co-owner of the Genuine Contact Co-owners Group Ltd. > http://www.genuinecontact.net > > > > *Supporting leadership development for leading in a culture requiring > agility and flexibility in a performance environment of constant change.* > > > > Leadership development at your own pace? Become a member of the > Extraordinary Leadership Network http://www.extraordinaryleadershipnetwork > .com to participate in an online leadership development program designed > to increase the leadership skills and capacity you need to perform in a > performance environment of constant change. > > > > PO Box 19373, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA 27619 > > phone: 1-919-522-7750 <(919)%20522-7750> > > -- > > > > > > > > Birgitt Williams > > > > President & Senior Consultant of Dalar International Consultancy, Inc. > > http://www.dalarinternational.com > > Co-founder of the Extraordinary Leadership Network http://www. > extraordinaryleadershipnetwork.com > > Co-founder of the Genuine Contact™program and author of The Genuine > Contact Way: Nourishing a Culture of Leadership > http://www.genuinecontactway.com > > Co-owner of the Genuine Contact Co-owners Group Ltd. > http://www.genuinecontact.net > > > > *Supporting leadership development for leading in a culture requiring > agility and flexibility in a performance environment of constant change.* > > > > Leadership development at your own pace? Become a member of the > Extraordinary Leadership Network http://www.extraordinaryleadershipnetwork > .com to participate in an online leadership development program designed > to increase the leadership skills and capacity you need to perform in a > performance environment of constant change. > > > > PO Box 19373, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA 27619 > > phone: 1-919-522-7750 <(919)%20522-7750> > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > Past archives can be viewed here: http://www.mail-archive.com/ > [email protected] >
_______________________________________________ OSList mailing list To post send emails to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org Past archives can be viewed here: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
