[OSList] From linkedin today

Thu Jan 9 17:00:08 PST 2014

Christine,

 I think the tendency toward coherence or fragmentation is the organizing
principle.

I see supporting coherence as a part of the process, not an organizing
principle in itself. It's a choice, similar to the other individual and
group choices that are a part of self-organization.

Most of us here on the list serve choose to facilitate / host open space
sessions. I'd suggest this choice usually leads to building coherence. So
it is with other coherence supporting choices.The system may or may not do
it itself.

Another way I would frame it is that organizations I frequently work in are
stuck in patterns that they are dissatisfied or frustrated with. Think poor
business results, customer satisfaction, work environment, employee
engagement / satisfaction etc. Control is the great inhibitor of
self-organization and often prevents new coherent patterns being able to
emerge.  I find that I can often guide or make suggestions that enable
these groups to tap into the power of organization to create new
self-reinforcng patterns that they prefer. And my involvement and the
choice to be open to my suggestions are all choices that are part of the
self-organization. I'm suggesting that we / they that support coherence are
also part of the self-organizing, not separate from it.

I don't mean to be cryptic in my above comments. I find myself continuing
to build my own (and hopefully shared) language that describes
self-organization. I loved the statement earlier in this exchange that
compared self-organization to gravity. I do believe they are both laws that
operate invisibly all the time. The point made was that understanding
gravity is key to being able to fly to the moon. I think similarly the more
we understand and can share the principles of self-organization, we can
help humanity fly versus staying stuck in conflict and competition.Thus my
continual search to find better ways of sharing and communicating.

I'm really enjoying tracking and participating in this dialogue and thanks
to all that are contributing and listening/reading.

David
703-939-1777
dosborne at change-fusion.com
[image: Inline image 1]

On Thu, Jan 9, 2014 at 4:47 PM, Christine <chris.alice.koehler at gmail.com>wrote:

> Hi David
>
> Very interesting, that makes sense to me. Does it mean that supporting
> coherence of the system as a whole should be an organizing principle ?
> But then Harrison will say I guess that it is not necessary, as self org.
> will take care of the system itself.
> Then there is something that I don't understand about self-org. : if we
> want to keep the system healthy and alive, what should  we do ?
>
> Christine Koehler
> 06 13 28 71 38
>
>
> Le 9 janv. 2014 à 22:20, David Osborne <dosborne at change-fusion.com> a
> écrit :
>
>  I found the questions about how do you keep a system as a coherent whole
> fascinating.
>
>  Part of the dance is the back and forth between coherence and
> fragmentation. Chaos offers both opportunity and threat, new life and
> death. Coherence leads to new life patterns emerging, fragmentation leads
> towards death and the cycle toward new life continues. In my experience
> there is lot's that can be done to reinforce, nurture and support
> coherence. Holding the space is one aspect. Drawing attention and building
> consensus around what is emerging is another, supporting parts of the
> system through conflict in a manner that continues to increase the
> likelihood of coherence is a third. There are many more...and those are
> some quick thoughts for now. All of this can and is done with in the
> context of self-organization and someone having the passion and taking the
> initiative to do it. The two are not mutually exclusive.
>
>  Cheers to all.
>
>  David
>
>
>
>  On Thu, Jan 9, 2014 at 4:06 PM, christine koehler <
> chris.alice.koehler at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>   Peggy
>>
>> If I simplify what you say (and I apologize for it), I understand that
>> you say that what keep a self-organized system coherent as a whole is
>> coming regularly together  as a whole, following our two feet to sessions
>> called around we love, coming back as a whole, dispersing again for the
>> evening. Of course I would tend to agree with that. But then how do you do
>> with very large systems ? Or does it mean that any system that is too large
>> to come regularly together as a whole is oversized ? should split into
>> several smaller systems to keep its good health ?
>>
>>  and what about decision making ?
>>
>>  Christine
>>
>>
>>  On Thu, Jan 9, 2014 at 9:24 PM, Peggy Holman <peggy at peggyholman.com>wrote:
>>
>>>  I’d add to what Harrison is saying about what keeps a social system
>>> coherent without someone in charge. It’s something built into the practice
>>> of Open Space Technology: coming together as a whole, following our two
>>> feet to sessions called around we love, coming back as a whole, dispersing
>>> again for the evening. Like breathing.
>>>
>>>  There’s a power in coming together to reflect that connects us, helps
>>> us see ourselves in context, creates a coherent sense of “us” that
>>> complements all of the “I’s”. So without the need to make decisions or come
>>> to consensus, I suspect that long-lived self-organizing social systems
>>> create a rhythm in which the whole (or a sufficient subset of it) comes
>>> together periodically.
>>>
>>>  As an example, a few years back, I learned of a group of African
>>> Americans that met informally for Saturday breakfast in Tacoma, Washington
>>> once a week for thirty-five years. This gathering became the backbone of
>>> the African American community in that city. It was the place to connect,
>>> to learn what was happening, to share ideas, to find partners, etc. No one
>>> in charge, just part of the rhythm of the community. And lots of activities
>>> emerged from it.
>>>
>>>  Peggy
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>           __________________________________
>>>  Peggy Holman
>>>  Journalism that Matters
>>>  15347 SE 49th Place
>>>  Bellevue, WA  98006
>>>  425-746-6274
>>>  www.journalismthatmatters.org
>>>  www.peggyholman.com
>>>  Twitter: @peggyholman
>>>  JTM Twitter: @JTMStream
>>>
>>> *Enjoy the award winning*  Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into
>>> Opportunity <http://peggyholman.com/papers/engaging-emergence/>
>>> Check out my series on what's emerging in the news & information
>>> ecosystem<http://www.journalismthatmatters.net/the_emerging_news_and_information_eco_system>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>  On Jan 9, 2014, at 11:50 AM, Christine < chris.alice.koehler at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>   Hi Harrison,
>>>
>>>  Thank you for your answer
>>>
>>>  What do you mean exactely with the law of 2 feet ?
>>>
>>> Christine Koehler
>>> 06 13 28 71 38
>>>
>>>
>>> Le 9 janv. 2014 à 17:27, "Harrison Owen" < hhowen at verizon.net> a
>>> écrit :
>>>
>>>   I’m awake now (Thank you Michael). And Christine – to your questions
>>> and my thoughts.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> “In a  self -organized system, how do you keep the organization coherent
>>> as a whole ?
>>>
>>> How do you make decisions that concern the whole organization ?”
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I think the simple answer may be, “You don’t (make decisions or maintain
>>> coherency). The System does – which is in a way the essence of
>>> self-organization. I think one way of understanding self organization is
>>> that it is the systemic response to a changing environment in order to
>>> maintain internal and external coherence... a complicated way of saying
>>> that the system wants to get along in the world in a positive fashion. Part
>>> of maintaining that systemic coherence is by making a whole bunch of
>>> decisions – none, or few, of which are made by a vote or executive dictate.
>>> A powerful mechanism in this regard is our old friend, “The Law of Two
>>> feet.” – I think.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ho
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Harrison Owen
>>>
>>> 7808 River Falls Dr.
>>>
>>> Potomac, MD 20854
>>>
>>> USA
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
>>>
>>> Camden, Maine 04843
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Phone 301-365-2093
>>>
>>> (summer)  207-763-3261
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> www.openspaceworld.com
>>>
>>> www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
>>>
>>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of
>>> OSLIST Go to:
>>> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org [
>>> mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org<oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org>]
>>> *On Behalf Of *christine koehler
>>> *Sent:* Wednesday, January 08, 2014 5:30 PM
>>> *To:* World wide Open Space Technology email list
>>> *Subject:* Re: [OSList] From linkedin today
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Harrison,
>>>
>>> In a  self -organized system, how do you keep the organization coherent
>>> as a whole ?
>>>
>>> How do you make decisions that concern the whole organization ?
>>>
>>> Christine
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Jan 7, 2014 at 8:27 PM, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Paul – This piece from Zappos is interesting indeed. Though I must say I
>>> do wonder why the Zapposites feel it necessary to organize a self
>>> organizing system? As they say, “In a city, people and businesses are
>>> self-organizing.” I agree, and why not just follow the beaten path?
>>> Holarchy is a wonderful concept, and a good description of what I think I
>>> experience in a self organizing system. But why go for a knock-off when you
>>> can have the original? Just let (invite) the system to self organize. It
>>> will work better, and costs a lot less effort. As Stuart Kauffman might
>>> say, “order for free.”
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Harrison
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Harrison Owen
>>>
>>> 7808 River Falls Dr.
>>>
>>> Potomac, MD 20854
>>>
>>> USA
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
>>>
>>> Camden, Maine 04843
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Phone 301-365-2093
>>>
>>> (summer)  207-763-3261
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com%20/>
>>>
>>> www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com%20/> (Personal Website)
>>>
>>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of
>>> OSLIST Go to:
>>> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org [mailto:
>>> oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] *On Behalf Of *Paul Nunesdea
>>> *Sent:* Monday, January 06, 2014 4:51 PM
>>> *To:* World wide Open Space Technology email list
>>> *Subject:* [OSList] From linkedin today
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Research shows that every time the size of a city doubles, innovation or
>>> productivity per resident increases by 15 percent. But when companies get
>>> bigger, innovation or productivity per employee generally goes down. So
>>> we're trying to figure out how to structure Zappos more like a city, and
>>> less like a bureaucratic corporation. In a city, people and businesses are
>>> self-organizing. We're trying to do the same thing by switching from a
>>> normal hierarchical structure to a system called Holacracy, which enables
>>> employees to act more like entrepreneurs and self-direct their work instead
>>> of reporting to a manager who tells them what to do.
>>>
>>>
>>> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pam-ross/workplace-reinvention_b_4541805.html#<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pam-ross/workplace-reinvention_b_4541805.html>
>>> !
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> From my iPad
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> [image: Christine Koehler, créatrice d'espace de Dialogue et de
>>> Coopération]
>>>  Executive Coach, Médiateur
>>>  www.christine-koehler.fr
>>>  Tel :  06 13 28 71 38
>>>   Fax :    09  72  32 36  65
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> [image: Christine Koehler, créatrice d'espace de Dialogue et de
>> Coopération]
>>  Executive Coach, Médiateur
>>  www.christine-koehler.fr
>>  Tel :  06 13 28 71 38
>>   Fax :    09  72  32 36  65
>>
>> <http://christine-koehler.fr/2013/formation-de-levenement-au-processus-avril-2013/>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>
> --
>
> David Osborne
>
> www.change-fusion.com | dosborne at change-fusion.com | 703.939.1777
>
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>

--

David Osborne

www.change-fusion.com | dosborne at change-fusion.com | 703.939.1777
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