Fw: Change Management

[Pannwitz, Michael M]

Dear Ilse,
"in my book" is an expression similar to "if you ask me" or "in my
opinion" or "from my experience".
"My book" is a synonym for my experience and possible insights,
opinions, percepts.
Its a little bigger than any written book, I would think.
And everyone of us has a huge one at her disposal.
To your question about "Change Management":
Change (in my book) is one of the characteristics of systems
(biological, physical, social..) that occurs without any "agent"
(least of all consultants) acting on it, similar to selforganisation
(there is a huge conference going on in Vienna with the title
"Organizing organisations" in memory of Heinz von Förster...I assume
another oxymoron, would be nice to hear what Heinz would have to say
to that one.
No change, no life.
Management (in my book) is a more or less sophisticated approach to
tinkering with all kinds of tools (wonderfully collected for instance
by my friend Holger Nauheimer in his amazing website) to somehow
influence, direct etc. the phenomenon of change. Its a highly paid
and broadly accepted methodology which (in my book) tends to create
more problems than it sets out to solve. In that way, it stays in
business.
Trying to manage something like change is like trying to manage
transformation, ocean waves, volcanoes, revolutions, the weather,
grief, love, the Fall of the Wall, feeding New York, redirecting the
Gulf Stream, etc.
Management, looking at it that way, derives from a paradigm heavy
with technology, cause and effect, linearity, control quite distinct
from a paradigm closer to attributes such as unpredictable, chaotic,
confusing, conflicting...the forces interacting to achieve higher
levels of order and creativity all by themselves.
>From an "open space-mentality", the stance would be that of witness
in the face of change (witness might be perceived as an alien in a
management culture).
Considering that we have somthing called "open space-technology", we
can practice being "facilitator" or "witness" with a heavy emphasis
on working as little as possible, not intervening, not fixing things
that aint broke and in general staying out of the way. That seems to
be closer to the nature of systems than managing.
And here is another thought:
This stuff is pretty theoretical.
So whats the use.
I find that having a theory can be very practical.
Its like a set of glasses, or a grid or a system of questions for my
practice.
Greetings from Berlin
mmp



On Sat, 15 Nov 2003 23:31:50 +0100, Ilse Debler wrote:

>Subject: Re: Change Management
>
>
>> Dear Michael
>>
>> Which of your books are you talking about and could you please - if that
>is
>> possible - explain in a few words why you think 'Change Mangement' is an
>> Oxymoron?
>>
>> kind regards, Ilse




Jetzt zur 3. Lernwerkstatt für open space-BegleiterInnen vom 25. bis 28. Januar 2004 in Vlotho anmelden, siehe:  www.michaelmpannwitz.de/o_lernwerkstatt2004.htm

Michael M Pannwitz, boscop
Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
FON: +49 - 30-772 8000   FAX: +49 - 30-773 92 464
www.michaelMpannwitz.de

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