CASOS and OPE -- was Re: OS and Future Search

[Denis Hitchens]

Harrison wrote:

<snip>

>For me the fundamental difference is all about self-organization. Open
>Space works because self-organizing human systems work.

As the person who wrote in the list on 31 Oct 1998

 "Yes yes yes  ---  its time to be thinking casos not chaos"

This conversation has been wonderful.


> All we do is to
>determine the presence of the essential pre-conditions and it just goes
>from there. Conditions such as High levels of Diversity, High levels of
>complexity, High levels of potential or actual conflict, and a decision
>time of yesterday.

But are these really pre-conditions?  See below


>Given all or most of the above -- it is off to the
>races. Actually I find myself with the curious  conclusion: There is no
>such thing as a non-self-organizing system. There are only a number of
>mis-guided souls who think they are in charge. What is crystal clear in
>Open Space is that NOBODY is in charge -- and when, as, or if somebody
>tries to be -- some very interesting things happen.
>
>I like Ralph's comment about "Open Space Organization" -- and what seems to
>be the case that one would NOT contemplate a "Future Search Organization."
>Open Space Organization is not something new and different. It is simply
>Self-Organizing Systems by a different name. But herein lies the major
>impact of OST -- so far as I am concerned. It is a marvelous
>re-introduction to our essential nature -- as self organizing systems.
>Somewhere along the line we really thought we did it. And it is very
>painful to the old ego (collective and individual) to discover that most of
>what we had thought we had done would have happened pretty well by itself
>-- and indeed it usually turns out that most of our ministrations actually
>got in the way.

<snip>

Most seem to agree that we can have an Open Space ORGANISATION but it seems
to me  the implication of the conditions above is that any such organisation
must exist in the state prescribed by the conditions.  And I don't think
that is even thinkable:  (permanent) high levels of conflict and decison
times of yesterday.

Especially since we are trying to (re)solve that very situation!


>So what is special about Open Space? For groups from 5 - 1000+ it is a
>marvelous laboratory in which to experience and experiment with what we
>have always been -- self-organizing. Anybody with an ounce of common sense
>would understand that Open Space simple can't work. It is much too simple,
>with facilitators who take naps, and even when present seem to do nothing
>at all. So I guess if you really want something complicated, where you
>truly get your money's worth of facilitator sweat -- for God's sake don't
>use Open Space.
>
>
>Harrison
>
>


For me it has much more to do with situation of OPE or Optimal Psychological
Experience as codified by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi of Chicago University;
otherwise known as Flow.

He identifies the outcomes of OPE or Flow and includes the following:

egolessness
loss of awareness of time
merged action and awareness
intrinsic enjoyment of the activity leading to a desire to do it again and
again.


Things I am sure that we all recognise in OS.

He postulates some necessary pre-conditions and includes the following:

clear goal
immediate feedback
challenge is closely balanced with and slightly ahead of the skill
narrowing of focus
high levels of concentration demanded

again all words we can recognise from our OS experiences.

I would like to suggest that much more attention be paid to these
preconditions than those postulated by Harrison since they are far more
universal and (for me) engage a better possibility of the OS Organisation.

Denis

PS MC in his book *Creativity* also articulated something which also for me
explains much:

In reporting an interview with Linus Pauling he records that Pauling feels
that he achieved most of what he achieved by practicing the following:

"...I have a picture, a sort of general theory of the universe in my mind
that I've built up over the decades.  If I read an article, or hear someone
give a seminar talk, or in some other way get some piece of information
about science that I hadn't had before, I ask myself,  "How does that fit
into my picture of the universe?" and if it doesn't fit, I ask, "Why doesn't
it fit in?"

Many might say that they do this but few really do,  and in at least one
case multiple Nobel Prizes if you do, better living for others.