doing self-organization

Harrison Owen hhowen at verizon.net
Wed May 23 12:32:26 PDT 2007


Michael -- Not a doubt about it. Invitation is critical. From the first
moment I ever saw and/or thought about OST a key for me was what I called
Voluntary Self-Selection. In a word, people are present because they care to
be present -- and to insure that essential condition, Invitation is the only
way. Command and control doesn't do it. Assignment won't make it. Only when
people are there of their own free will do useful things happen. So I
totally agree. Invitation is the critical first step towards real open
space.

But I must confess that I am having a little difficulty in seeing Invitation
and Self-organization as being in opposition, as some sort of either/or. In
my experience, truly effective self-organization at the level of human
systems always begins with invitation. 

Now it is quite true that self-organization, (I believe) is a fundamental
force in the cosmos, not unlike gravity -- and the last time I checked, all
human beings were part of the cosmos. So in this sense, you are right, we
don't have any choice about self-organization or not-self-organization, for
exactly the same reason we have no choice about gravity. It simply comes
with the territory. We do have, however, and enormous range of choices when
it comes to how we appreciate self-organization, align ourselves with it,
and perhaps even learn to use it to our advantage.

It seems that a large number of people choose to ignore it completely, or
(what amounts to the same thing) presume that they are in control. I suppose
this works up to a point (the illusion/delusion can be maintained) but at
the end of the day such a choice is self defeating and at the very least it
leads to very ineffective and possibly destructive behavior. (See George
Bush et al) 

The connection between OST and self-organization originally occurred for me
for admittedly academic reasons. The fact that Open Space works as it does
was frankly inexplicable from any other theoretical base. According to
tradition organizational theory, OS simply cannot work! But it does. And my
curiosity bump got the better of me -- so I guess that makes it academic :-)

  
Can I prove the connection? No, but if the connection is not present I then
need to find some alternative explanation -- and so far I haven't come up
with one. Maybe somebody else will??

But I guess the real question is -- does the connection between OST and
Self-Organization make any real difference other than assuaging my academic
interests? For me the answer is a resounding, yes. And it has everything to
do with the personal, the subjective, what has heart and meaning for each
one of us.

It occurs to me that much of the pain and anxiety present in our selves and
our world comes from a deep estrangement from our true selves and also from
the fundamental flow of the natural world. There are many ways to talk about
this, but a most powerful one, in my view, is to see the point of
estrangement occurring when, as, or if, we think we are in charge of things.
In control! Why we do this is interesting. Perhaps we do this simply because
we think we can. And lot of times, I think we do it because we don't see any
alternatives. Somebody must be in charge, and it might as well be us. And if
nobody is in charge thing would definitely get out of control. Very Bad!

In Open Space, we experience reality in a very different way. Nobody is in
charge, and wonderful things happen! More than that, it really feels good,
and lots of folks have remarked that somehow being in Open Space is like
coming home. And I think that is Right On. It is coming home to what we
truly are -- self-organizing critters, along with all the rest of the
cosmos. 

And of course if that is true, Open Space is not some strange new state of
affairs, it is simply the way things are 24X7. And the great relief we
experience (coming home) is simply that we have finally gotten with the
program. 

For a long time I have referred to OST as a "halfway technology" --
something we can do until we are ready to do the real thing. Chris Corrigan
has put this much better, I think, when he talks about OST being training
wheels -- something which is very useful for a starter, but also to be
removed when we really learn how to ride. I like that.

And it all beings with invitation! A real invitation, which we can refuse or
accept. We can choose to remain in estrangement. We can choose to come home.
But the invitation is open and it is personal. I think.

Harrison

 
Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, Maryland   20854
Phone 301-365-2093
Skype hhowen
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com 
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.ho-image.com 
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Michael
Herman
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 6:24 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: doing self-organization, was unconf strikes again

hi all,

catching up a bit here and glad to see our work leaking into the
mainstream press.

i have been thinking about a comment elsewhere, about
'self-organization' being the thing inside of open space as
process/method.

i've never been a fan of the self-org story.  it's always seemed so
academic to me, overly scientific, overly objective, and underly
subjective and personal.  i've read some of the requisite works on the
topic, but i've never felt like i could really make that story fly,
never make the case.

revisiting lately, i notice another thing that's missing for me in the
self-org story, as i know it anyway, is any instruction about what one
can *do* in the midst of it.  i guess this is why i've opted for the
'inviting' story for some years now.

i think it's interesting that in the wee small description included in
the article here, the two *doings* i noticed were "offering" and
"inviting."  i think these might be even closer to the heart of ost
than self-organization.  or maybe the thing that comes before
self-organization.  after all, nobody can make or do
self-organization.  we can only invite it.  can only offer our
invitations, as leaders, sponsors, facilitators, participants.

so i'm glad to see that this article does well to get that part of our
game quite right.

thanks all,

michaelh





On 5/13/07, Tree Fitzpatrick <therese.fitzpatrick at gmail.com> wrote:
> Harrison. . . . this stream of conversation seems like as good a place as
> any other for me to tell you that I love you, Harrison Owen, even though I
> don't really know you, and I am deeply grateful for the gift of open space
> technology released into the public domain.  As Chris said, OS is so far
> ahead of the curve, gosh. . . . .   I love to think about this
curmudgeonly
> man out there in the universe doing his best to be a good person and do
good
> work and he stumbles upon open space technology, much like Frodo stumbled
> upon the ring . . .
>
> gosh golly, I am glad you showed up, Harrison.
>
> And everyone reading:  I am glad you showed up too.
>
> And me.  I'm glad I showed up.
>
>
> On 5/13/07, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:
> >
> > Kaliya -- having had some extensive contact with the press over the
years,
> I
> > count it a good day when I am NOT quoted. With very few exceptions, they
> > always seem to get it "WRONG" -- and sometimes disastrously so. And then
> you
> > are left with the interesting task of explaining what you did NOT say.
And
> > very quickly you find yourself caught in the "When did you stop beating
> your
> > wife" syndrome. Not a good place to be.
> >
> > But in fairness to my friends in the 4th Estate, there have been some
> > marvelous articles on Open Space. The New York Times did a superb
feature
> > story, as did The Washington Post and a number of others. I am not sure
> how
> > much all of that is worth (outside of "historical interest") but it
might
> be
> > useful at some point in order to help some of the "Unconference" folks
> > understand their roots.
> >
> > It is not about pride of authorship, or even pride of place. I just feel
> > sorry for these folks not being able to access the 22 year experience
that
> > we all have shared. There will always be people who want to re-invent
the
> > wheel, but they could save no small amount of pain and agony if they
were
> to
> > check in on what came before.
> >
> > Harrison
> >
> > Harrison Owen
> > 7808 River Falls Drive
> > Potomac, Maryland 20854
> > Phone 301-365-2093
> > Skype hhowen
> > Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
> > Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
> > Personal website www.ho-image.com
> > OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
> > archivesVisit:
> www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Kaliya Hamlin [mailto:kaliya at mac.com]
> > Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2007 2:25 PM
> > To: hhowen at verizon.net
> > Cc: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> > Subject: Re: Unconferences strike again.
> >
> > Yes well.
> > they also failed to mention to of the women they interviewed who are
> > working closely with the men extensively quoted and referenced.
> > Just the business/tech media in action I suppose.
> > http://kaliyasblogs.net/unconference/?p=55
> > =Kaliya
> >
> > On Sunday, May 13, 2007, at 09:53AM, "Harrison Owen"
<hhowen at verizon.net>
> > wrote:
> > >Seems like our secret it out! Or maybe the secret is that Open Space
has
> > >gone under deep cover. See the recent Business Week
> >
>
>http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_20/b4034080.htm?chan=search
> >
> > >
> > >Harrison
> > >
> > >Harrison Owen
> > >7808 River Falls Drive
> > >Potomac, Maryland   20854
> > >Phone 301-365-2093
> > >Skype hhowen
> > >Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
> <http://www.openspaceworld.com/>
> > >
> > >Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
> > >Personal website www.ho-image.com
> > >OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
archives
> > >Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
> > ><http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >*
> > >*
> >
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>
>
> --
> Love rays,
> Tree Fitzpatrick
>
> http://thecultureoflove.blogspot.com/
>
> . . . the great and incalculable grace of love, which says, with
Augustine,
> "I want you to be," without being able to give any particular reason for
> such supreme and unsurpassable affirmation.  -- Hannah Arendt
>
> 1335 Montecito Ave Apt. 35
> Mountain View, California 94043
> (650) 967-9260 * *
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-- 

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
300 West North Ave #1105
Chicago IL 60610 USA

phone: 312-280-7838
email: michael at michaelherman.com
skype: globalchicago

http://www.michaelherman.com
http://www.openspaceworld.org
http://www.chicagoconservationcorps.org

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