continuity and change

[Richard Charles Holloway]

Christine, I'm glad you brought "purpose" into this conversation.  After
"bumping" into a comment made by Mary Parker Follett that "purpose is the
invisible leader," and then applying that profound thought to the dynamics of
open space and the issue of autonomy in the workplace, I've made it one of my
guiding precepts.  Shared purpose is the invisible leader around which people
organize themselves to accomplish organizational or community activities.
Mindfulness is the analytical activity through which we continuously compare our
actions and words to our purpose so that we can align our walk and our talk and
our purpose into a cohesive whole.  Attentiveness is the observational activity
through which we are mindful.  This is a learning feedback loop that supports
single-loop and double-loop learning processes and the tiny (and sometimes
large) behavioral changes by which we stay aligned with our purpose.  A life
lived this way demonstrates a unifying theme--some might say a vision--that
defines that life (individual, community or organizational).

I sincerely believe that "purpose" integrates the three characteristics of a
living system (pattern, process and structure).

Certainly, the use of the framing question in Open Space speaks to each person's
passion or pain, fostering our coming together for a shared purpose: to
contribute to and/or find practical solutions to our common situation.

Again, thanks for your contribution.  I confess I did "twinge" a bit by the
description of "building" a vision, but that's because growing seems to be such
a more valuable description (within the context of living systems and beings).
The Newtonian paradigm is one of building...the Prigognine (or current) paradigm
seems to favor "growing" metaphors.

walk in peace,

Doc Holloway

ps. for those of you interested, the Journal of Living Systems is in it's 4th
issue -- if you haven't visited it, you might enjoy reading this latest issue
and articles from the back issues.  You'll find it at the Thresholds URL
identified below.

--
"People always ask, "Is change over? Can we stop now?" You've got to tell them,
"No, it's just begun." They must come to understand that change is a continuing
process, not an event." -John F. Welch

Thresholds <http://www.thresholds.com>
Meeting Masters <http://www.thresholds.com/masters.html>
Richard Charles "Doc" Holloway - P.O. Box 641, Long Beach, WA 98631
Voice 360.642.8487 ICQ# 10849650