Hierarchies, decision making and a real-life example of group dynamics

[Ilse Debler]

Dear Eva

I too was observing something similar, not knowing the FIRO model but the stages of group dynamics as described in Scott Peck's  book on community building (CB) "The different drum" which I (and we all) have experienced many times as participant and facilitator of CB processes. All these stages of community building are and have been present in this discussion - though this group is not explicitly communicating on a and about the feeling level but more cognitively. Still, in betweeen the lines it's all there - even we don't see and hear each other and can only look at what remains of all the wonderful people here behind their words on the screen...   carried and held also by the many silent ones and not only those 'on stage'

~ Ilse


----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Eva P Svensson 
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
  Sent: Friday, April 02, 2004 1:16 PM
  Subject: SV: Hierarchies, decision making and a real-life example


  Hello all of you wonderful people out there - and thank you for this list and all of your contributions!!!

   

  Peggy - So many wise words and thoughts and an analyses of what is going on I think. And I come to think of an group model to which I'm sure you're all familiar with - Will Schutz FIRO model (fundamental interpersonal relationship orientation) - and I must test my thoughts with all of you out there.  (And since "I'm not that old" at the list and I may be way out and this is not what is happening - or has happened before - here comes my to cents - or två öre on Swedish)

   

  It seems to me that we can compare in a way what is happening on the list with a sort of a group forming process à la FIRO where we are going from the first rather safe space where we are "talking nice" to each other and exchanging thoughts, ideas, questions and a lot of learning, the phase when we are asking ourselves if we want to be in this group. From this phase to the second real step in his model, the part where the participants are questioning each other and as you said Peggy talking about hierarchies, who should be in charge and why, - where conflicts are higher and occurs more often then in the first phase?

  I'm definitely not an expert on FIRO and against my ideas (?)  must be that I think that in our conversation on the list we share our thoughts and are very open about our feelings but maybe not (up till now?) our feelings about each other?? ( so maybe we have started from the end.?)

   

  I don't know, but FIRO came into my head when I was reading these entire postings about givens, and who had done what and why. And in the mean time I see this as a great learning for what could - and I'm sure most certainly would - happen in an organisation that wants to evolve to a more open and conscious open space organisation. Where more people will "be in charge" and maybe there is less hierarchy and what will happen then? Even if we are clear about the givens, I am sure that they will change, because things change faster than we can react sometimes. And maybe what we see right now on the list will happens in real life and then there will be no immediately help from outside so they have to solve it themselves - as we have to do- this is our (my) responsibility and it's up to (me) us to learn and to move forward so that our (my) understanding about the process and myself will deepened and be a good contribution on my personal journey.

   

  I absolutely don't mean to take away all the feelings that are exchanged here by "going theoretic" but I felt that I needed to test my thoughts on you and see if there are any responses.

   

  Love and peace from a sunny but chilly west side of Sweden where spring is desperately trying to come through!

   

  Bästa hälsningar

   

   

  Eva P Svensson

  ........................................................................................

   

  EPS Human Invest AB

  "Verksamhetsutveckling genom människor"

  Anåsbergsvägen 22

  S-439 34  ONSALA

  Tel & Fax 0300-615 05

  Mobil 0706 - 89 85 50

  eva at epshumaninvest.se


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