Wave Rider: Who is the self organizing?

[Jack Martin Leith]

Michael, you make some very good points and ask some great questions. And I
think you've missed something important.

That something is purpose. What is the organisation for?

Purpose is something that's true today, tomorrow and always. It's not
something to achieve.

The organisation's purpose will probably be articulated in a sentence in
which the verb is a present participle: doing, giving, working, creating.
Not "To ... " - that's a strategic objective or goal; something that will be
ticked off one day, "job done".

Two questions:

1) Who decides that the organisation's purpose is? (So we're back to Wood's
Dilemma.)

2) Who is the custodian of the purpose? Who makes sure that all actions,
particularly big strategic ones, are aligned with purpose? (Purpose ->
Action.) Who is charged with the authority to make sure that the next CEO or
whoever doesn't casually change the purpose?

If I had my way, the word Mission would be deleted from organisational
vocabulary. It's a slippery term and very useful for avoiding the "what is
our purpose?" question, which is notoriously hard to answer.

The organisation doesn't need to go anywhere, it just needs to live its
purpose, to do what it was created to do. There is no destination and no
journey. The metaphor is a useful one but sometimes we confuse the map with
the territory. The map is not the territory. The map is not the map. The
territory is not the territory.

To all of my friends in the USA, I hope you and your fellow citizens make a
good choice tomorrow.

Warm wishes to all,

Jack

Jack Martin Leith
Creative activist
Bristol, United Kingdom
Mobile: 07831 840541 (+44 7831 840541)
Skype: jackmartinleith
email: jack at jackmartinleith.com
www.jackmartinleith.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jackmartinleith

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