Interactive Organizations

[Gy örgy Beck]

> how can we create a legal structure, which
> represents a minimum of givens, that best supports, and least impedes, an
> Open Space approach to doing business?

"Todd, thank you for articulating this important question.  No answers, but
I'm sure tuned in to see what others say..."

 Dear Todd and Chris,

Let me take the challenge to find some partial answers to the question you
have raised. If you remember the earlier conversations, in Hungary it is
quite far from reality, but lets think it over, at least in theory.

I also plan to bring in to this space the theory of Ichak Adizes about
organizations, first of all because of the Medicine wheel.
He has a classification of managers that is very similar to the four
animals and gives a very clear view about management. Here I would like to
rely on his findings and my "sober rural mind" as we would say in Hungarian.

The organizations born and die. And there is a development in between (See
I. Adizes: Corporate lifecycles) In the different phases you can meet
different problems - of change. An organization is healthy as long as it
can cope with the problems origined from the changes of the phase they are
in. The problem of a newly born organization is the order. Everybody is
doing everything and it is normal. The too early and strict systematization
would kill the organization. So in a newly born organization you have to
find the balance of entrepreneurism and administration.

The legal givens is only an issue of setting up the appropriate form to the
nature of the specific organization. If you want to create a close family
business, the limited liability company with limited partners is better
then a public share company which is aiming at acquiring working capital
from the public. It was only an example. And neither is - in itself -
saying anything about the operation of the organization.

My view about the Open Space Organization is rather concerning the way, the
company is run by those, concerned in the operation. (There is not much to
do with shareholders, however you might/should involve them in the
strategic decisions. Or they might/should involve the operators in these
decisions.)

For me the "few givens" means to create an organization, which is creating
the learning environment and the members learn to learn from each other and
can decide if the issues are subject to discussions or are the matter
of "givens", and they are working because they see the work the territory
of their self actualization rather then a place for making money.

My issue would be on such an Open Space meeting: "How can we
institutionalize the different levels of communication in the organization?"

I wouldn't be longer. I am afraid, the brief wording might have distorted
my messages and I am sure you will forgive me.

Gyuri

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