mental meanderings - self-organizaiton

Larry Peterson larry at spiritedorg.com
Wed Oct 30 11:23:29 PST 2002


Julie good theme:

I so agree that the "underlying beliefs or rules" in educational reform,
or project management, or organizations or environmental movements shape
what self-organizes.  That is what Kuhn meant by "paradigm" (the
exemplar or set of practices or process based on certain rules). I think
"Social construction" of reality folks would say this with a vengeance
that we self-organize our thought processes around certain rules.  And
when we not longer get the results we expect on a regular basis, it is
time to shift to new "rules" or at least principles.  Open Space
Technology creates a new rule set (Principles and Law) for meeting (and
more).  It gives the opportunity to practice living by rules that most
folks have not intentionally tried.  For some people it allows an
experience of a new way of  self-organizing their own thoughts or with
others.  They can no longer say that it is impossible.  For some this
leads to a paradigm shift (it did for me), for some it just creates more
confusion (it did for me) as they try to live out the rest of their
life, work, etc. by the "rules" that still dominate their thinking and
are reinforced by their cultural context.

I agree that every interaction we have is a way of exploring the "rule
set" around which we self-organized or are part of self-organization at
many physical, social, mental, spiritual levels.  Those rules are always
in a process of becoming.

Ken Wilbur & Spiral Dynamics folks would say that there are levels of
worldviews or "rule sets" that are self-organizing  processes and tend
to move us along the path toward greater connection.  I agree with Meg
and Ralph's revision, it is not going back but discovering the next
level of consciousness and integration.

I'm writing a piece trying to apply the "new rules" we are learning form
Complex Systems, Appreciative (Social Constructionist) Inquiry and Open
Space to planning complex change projects in organizations.  It hope to
test some ideas in Melbourne.

Larry

Larry Peterson
Associates in Transformation
Toronto, ON, Canada
416.653.4829

 <mailto:larry at spiritedorg.com> larry at spiritedorg.com
 <http://www.spiritedorg.com> www.spiritedorg.com

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