givens and halfway technologies

[Raffi Aftandelian]

Greetings all!

I have been following Doug Germann's thread, "Halfway to..." and
Elwin's "Evaluations of Open Space in Novi Sad, Serbia" with interest.

It seems that you are saying Harrison that you are not sure the notion
of givens as offered as a way of working with OST resonates with you.

And yet I recall reading something in your self-published Spirit:
Transformation and Development in Organizations (1987) that made me think
that you place(d) value on setting givens even if you might call it by
a different name: "covenant."

In pp. 90-91 you write:
The passage of an organization through the Open Space of tranformation
is closely analagous to that of the individual, indeed the two are
totally interconnected. But the organization's passage is more complex
with a different flavor, hence I will use a different terminology.
Covenant, Rebellion, Reconciliation, and New Covenant are the terms.

COVENANT
The process of transformation begins with a Covenant, which may be
understood as the charter of organization. At the beginning, when the
individuals first gather, there emerges a relatively unstructured
agreement as to the way things ought to be done. It is based on the
organizational potential as that is expressed through the common
Vision, Understanding, Language, and such Information, and Data as may
have been collected at that point. To the extent that the Covenant is
written down, it is only a bare outline to remind people of the sorts
of things that need to get done and by whom. Eventually, the Covenant
will achieve a more structured form as in Laws, Policy and Procedure,
the forms and structures of organizatinal life...The value of Covenant
in its initial loose form is undeniable, for it offers an openness and
flexibility which is quite appropriate and necessary to the
organization in its early stages, when it is unrealistic and pointless
to legislate every move and expected behavior...However, as the
organization gains experience with itself, operating in the
environment, basic things become clear, and may be standardized...

****

Of course, Harrison, from what I understand this notion of Covenant
you were framing before OST had been formalized as a method. Just
curious, that you seem to be speaking of givens here...

****
Curiously, the phrase "halfway technology" is also in the book (can't
find the page.)

******

In the "Evaluations of Open Space in Novi Sad, Serbia" discussion, I
wonder, "What is the question?" and "Where do we want to be?"

Raffi


                          mailto:raffi at bk.ru

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html

To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist