continuity and change

[Peg Holman]

The image I hold of chaos and order as they relate to Open Space is that
order acts as a boundary for chaos.  Open Space defines order through the
theme, the four principles, the law of two feet and the length of time in
OS.  Bounded by these elements of order, chaos has a field day.  Space has
no definition without boundaries; it just is.  When an organization chooses
to operate in ongoing Open Space, the boundaries are formed by the
organization's purpose and givens.

As Meg Wheatley pointed out in Leadership and the New Science, people often
confuse order with control.  What I believe happens when people attempt to
control is that they create such narrow boundaries that there is no room, no
space for chaos to flourish.  Order creates a framework for conscious
self-organization, for chaos.  Control squeezes out the emptiness, the
potential inherent in chaos and fills the space with toxic waste.  In an
organization, that's the stress, helplessness, hopelessness, fear,
resentment and other characteristics of high control environments.

How does order relate to continuity?  That is a new question to ponder for
me.  What comes to mind is that continuity is sustaining the current
assumptions.  It gives us a sense of safety and stability because the
boundaries are known and understood.  Perhaps continuity is the home of
order.

I think embracing chaos becomes critical when order no longer serves us
well.  When things we have taken for granted -- perhaps long term employment
or that everyone in my neighborhood comes from the same culture I do --
cease to be true, then we must invite chaos in.  It helps us redefine our
boundaries -- our relationship to order.  When this occurs, it is time for
change -- "that which transforms things and fits them together."

Peg Holman