OSO and chaordic commons

[Harrison Owen]

At 08:53 PM 3/13/2002 -0500, Rich Norris wrote:
>HMMMM...........Open Space sounds like the natural hatchery for chaordic
>embryos.

HMMM.... yourself. Rich -- this is infinitely more than an incidental
point, an idle reflection. If we are correct in understanding that one of
the central mechanisms "behind" Open Space is the phenomenon of
self-organization, then I think you have hit the nail precisely on the
head, and the implications are quite profound. From where I sit our growing
understanding of self-organization provides a useful basis from which to
answer a number of bothersome questions arising from our experience and
practice of Open Space. Such as Why does it work? Why does it work so
quickly? Why does it apparently work everywhere, regardless of geography,
ethnicity, economics, education, culture....? Why do we have to explain so
little in order to achieve so much?

         The common experience of bringing 100's of diverse, conflicted
folks together to deal with complex issues productively -- all without
prior agenda, designated leadership, and pre-designed structure -- can only
be viewed as a mental aberration when looked at through the eyes of what I
might call "Standard" organizational theory. OST cannot happen. Indeed it
should not happen. But it does, and when viewed through the eyes of
self-organization theory -- our experience is totally predictable.
         The rapidity of organization in OS is another problem for the
standard view, because we all know that organization happens only by dint
of major effort and usually takes a long time. Self Organization Theory
tells us that what we experience is what we should expect.
         With regard to the apparent universality of Open Space (see our
growing list of Countries) a standard view would suggest that given the
divisions, complexities, and peculiarities (uniqueness) of cultures and
peoples no procedure or process could work  equally all across the globe.
Yet it appears that Open Space is somehow "culture free." Which would
suggest that the fundamental mechanism of Open Space is "behind" or
"beneath" culture. That would be the case if the operative mechanism were
indeed self-organization. Just as all peoples are subject to Gravity, so
also Self-Organization -- regardless of culture, time and place.
         And why do we have to say so little in order to achieve so much?
No training of participants, no endless meetings and conferences of the
agenda, no extended procedural steps to bring the group to the point of
action .... just 20 minutes of conversation about 4 principles and a law
... and we are off. For all of us who over the years have labored in the
Meeting Management world or the world of Training, this is quite a shock.
And it can be very expensive, because we used to bill clients for all that
activity. Obviously something is wrong, and yet when seen through the eyes
of self-organization this experience is also predictable. After all, why
would you have to explain something as deeply rooted as DNA?

So is it really all about Self-Organization? Well it is certainly a
testable hypothesis, and it works for me. But time will tell. In the
meantime, I find it a very useful starting point for not only understanding
the function of Open Space, but also its potential applications as well.
Which brings me back to Rich's HMMMM.... Open Space sounds like the natural
hatchery for chaordic embryos. Chaordic Organization is of course Dee
Hock's happy appellation for a self-organizing system. And if you want to
get there, as a number of people seemingly do, the way forward is probably
not through an intensive design process combined with clear executive
decision (We will now become a Chaordic Organization!) and extensive
training for all concerned. Just open some space and you will discover that
you are already there. But that is just the start of the story -- embryos,
after all are always a beginning. You will have to decide if you want to
continue and how to grow up.

Thanks Rich!


Harrison



Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 USA
phone 301-365-2093
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh

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