Hierarchies, decision making and a real-life example

Mike Copeland mcopeland at doc.govt.nz
Mon Apr 12 14:23:48 PDT 2004


G'day Harrison

I returned from Easter break this bright Autumn morning to this!!!

"The real issue for me is not only the separation of passion and
responsibility, but also the assignment of responsibility in an arbitrary
fashion. The way things are done in the "standard" bureaucratic hierarchy;
there is little if any chance that the folks who are responsible will
actually care about what they are doing. To be sure, one can attempt to
induce caring by threats, power, and compensation -- but what sort of caring
is that? To me this seems to be an almost perfect prescription to insure
that any job done will be accomplished to minimum standards, if at all. Talk
about inefficiency all accomplished in the name of Efficient Organization."

Harrison

You Beauty! You've manage to sum up this phenomena so succinctly and simply;
it's a gift.

This ties the whole "what's wrong with our current organizational model" to
how open space can transform organizations for me. It's about PASSION. The
passion I most often see in organizations is ego or power games but not the
real stuff for which the organization exists.  Indeed, "Managers" often turn
into a type of watchdog role keeping tabs on others and ensuing their
passions don't get away on them. Anyone with a real passion for their work
is often seen as a bit of a liability as they may get carried away by their
enthusiasm.

Excitement is for after work at the bar or, if you're really adventurous,
you could throw yourself off a bridge with a bundgy attached to your ankles!

This is what open space has opened my eyes to: that I can work from my
deepest, most life giving passions. I can manifest my inner being in my
daily life. I don't have to shelve myself until after work time, I don't
have to reserve this to a retreat in a monastery in a remote place
somewhere.

Great stuff
Mike Copeland


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