Birthing A Chaord

[Sharon Quarrington]

>
>
>> There is a group I'm working with that is in the beginning stages of
>> designing an organizational structure that will support a networked
>> community governance model for our local children and families
>> commission. Dee Hock's book: Birth of the Chaordic Age has been a
>> reference point and the subject of several learning conversations
>> held to surface different perspectives on how organizations run. It
>> is clear that the design conversations for this chaordic model do
>> better in Open Space.  If you take the concepts in Harrison's recent
>> book The Power of Spirit  and lay them down side by side with
>> concepts in Dee's book - you can almost see how Open Space could
>> eliminate about 3 years of planning that is suggested by the Chaordic
>> Commons.  At least that is what we are attempting to do - and I will
>> let you know what happens.
>
>
> It has always struck me as passing strange that for all of Dee Hock's
> passion for self-organization, when it comes to applying the notion --
> it is very much back to business as usual. From where I sit the idea
> of designing a self organization is  contradictory at least, and
> probably a waste of time. At least that is the lesson i would draw
> from Open space and related adventures. The most and best I think we
> can do is to notice the foot prints of the self-organizing system, and
> then try and be supportive. Requires a lot less work, to say nothing
> of stress, strain, and guilt. For after all the organization never
> quite ends up going where we want it to. Surprise!


I am part of a "chaordic helpers" group for an organization going
through the chaordic process.  I offered to "help" by facilitating some
OS sessions but that hasn't gone anywhere yet.   I have to say that as a
peripheral participant in this process the group seems to be getting the
downsides of chaos and order rather than the benefits of both.  A small
design group is doing most of the "work" leaving the bulk of the
organization both confused by the chaordic terms and feeling excluded by
the process.  As time goes on tempers are rising - the "in" group is
defending the "out" group is attacking.  It will be interesting to see
where this ends up.   I would love to hear how a group that uses OST as
part of a chaordic design goes.

Interestingly I think the key problem is that the group is focussing on
"design" rather than what their core purpose is.  If they had just done
some OST's to affirm the core principles of the group and set up some
clear "givens" within which the organization would work then perhaps the
group could really act as a "chaord" instead of just spending so much
time planning to be a chaord.

Sharon

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