mental meanderings and self-organization

[Harrison Owen]

At 08:44 AM 10/28/2002 -0900, Julie wrote:
>They hypothesize that the reason most educational reforms don't foster
>much real change is because the underlying beliefs/rules aren't
>changing.  They posit the idea that self-organization is happening all
>the time, AND that we naturally self-organize around those beliefs/rules
>that we hold to be true. (This last part is new to me.  Can't quite get
>my mind completely around it.  Don't know if I agree with it.  Is that
>what we mean by self-organization as we use the term here?)  One example
>is hierarchical beliefs self-organizing into hierarchical social
>structures.  Hence, they say, to deeply change the educational system,
>we must begin by changing the basic underlying beliefs of educators: we
>must change those simple rules/beliefs that educators self-organize
>around.
>
>Aye, there's the rub.  I'm wondering if people here agree with that.  Do
>we initiate the kind of change we desire by challenging another's model
>of the world and attempting to replace it with our own, or do we simply
>start with self-organization itself?  Arghhh.....  scratch that
>question.  Faulty on too many levels.

Wonderful discussion!  I think it is absolutely correct that models and
principles have to be changed before educators,for one, along with most
other folks who "run," or think they run, organizations -- which would
include businesses, governments, NGOs and all the rest -- can go in some
different directions. The question, however, is how do you do that ???? It
is typical to present new models and principles, and then seek to prove (or
argue) that the new ones are better than the old. But this never quite
seems to work, for several reasons. First of all people really like their
old models and principles -- not just as a matter of habit and comfort
(both true), but for much deeper reasons. Those models and principles
actually define "meaningful life" for those who hold them. Absent those
models and principles, and life as they understand it quite simply
disappears. So if meaning in my life is described and affirmed by my rise
in the hierarchy, whereby I assume greater and greater control -- and
suddenly there is no hierarchy and no control -- at least of the sort I
thought I had -- poor me. And should it turn out that the hierarchy and
control was actually delusional, just like the Emperor's Cloths -- poor,
poor me.

When it comes to "argument and proof" from one model to a new one, I think
we are cut off at the pass. Argument assumes common presuppositions -- and
in their absence, you just can't get there from here. This is what Paradigm
Shift really means.  There is no logical bridge. You just got to jump. And
that jump is the last thing that most people would do voluntarily. You
either have to be pushed -- or somehow, seemingly miraculously, find
yourself in the new reality.

For my money this new reality is actually a very old one -- perhaps the
oldest of all. This is the world of self-organizing systems. To my mind --
all systems are self organizing, it is just that some people delude
themselves into thinking that they did the organizing. Absolute heresy for
sure, and scarcely popular in such places as business schools where for a
small fee they will teach you how to organize, control, and generally take
charge. Should it turn out that my odd belief is correct, just think what
that would do to the un-employment rate.

Here is where Open Space fits in. It is experienced by some as a major
push, and others as wonderful magic. Actually, I think it is neither. Just
a blinding flash of the obvious.

Some folks seem to think that the consequence of this "radical belief" (it
is all self-organizing) is the elimination of useful human activity. If it
is all self-organizing, we just have to let things happen. Take our hands
off the steering wheel, so to speak. I think that is profoundly wrong. It
is just that our actions will start from a different place and assume
different forms. The energy may now be devoted to enabling naturally
occurring organizational forms to optimize -- as opposed to creating such
forms in the first place. Much more efficient, and it feels better. At
least that has been my experience.

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 http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm

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