[OSList] Authority in Open Space - "All Open Space"
Daniel Mezick via OSList
oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
Thu Oct 16 14:43:54 PDT 2014
Including this one?
On 10/16/14 2:15 PM, paul levy via OSList wrote:
> I'd just venture to add a third to Harrison's first two...
>
> 1) All Systems are Open. 2) All Systems are self organizing.
>
> And 3. All "all statements" are possibly self-limiting
>
> Best regards
>
> Paul Levy
>
>
> On Thursday, 16 October 2014, Harrison Owen via OSList
> <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
> <mailto:oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>> wrote:
>
> John -- Thank you, Thank you for all the rich stuff! Sort of a
> Tidal Wave, but that's when it gets fun, albeit a tad difficult to
> keep track of the sundry bits and pieces J
>
> Picking Just One: "But I can't get past the feeling that /there
> are lots of barriers to the openness of space, and to self
> organisation/." Absolutely. And if we were to put that into the
> language of the trade (Complexity Theorists and the like) we would
> be talking about "system constraints." But as I understand it,
> that does not mean that Self Organization is no longer operative.
> And in fact the System Constraints are part and parcel of the
> process, a very important part. I think it goes something like this --
>
> I have found myself coming to two conclusions, or better yet
> observations. 1) All Systems are Open. 2) All Systems are self
> organizing.
>
> As Open Systems, we, in all permutations of our "us-ness" --
> businesses, countries, families, planets, etc) are open to, and
> impacted by, all other systems. Sometimes a lot, and sometimes a
> little, but in our cosmos there is no safe, protected place.
> Everything is related to everything else, and we are no exception.
> If true, this has a number of implications. First of all the
> environment in which we exist is so complex, fast moving and
> inter-connected we can't even think at that level. Secondly, what
> you can't even think about, you can't control. So the notion that
> somebody is actually "in charge/in control" is not just a silly
> idea, it is delusional. 3) System preservation/growth depends on
> our ability to navigate this environment. And it is a good
> news/bad news situation. Sometimes the impacts drive us in new and
> creative directions, and open up new opportunities which are ours
> if we respond appropriately. At other times the impacts drive us
> to the wall, and it's Game over. Another word is Death. If this
> story is in any ways valid, it would seem like Mission Impossible.
> And yet this story has seemingly been going on for 13.7 Billion
> years and we are still here to complain about it. How could that be?
>
> All Systems are Self Organizing -- Self Organization is in fact
> the mechanism whereby we navigate the environment, and all systems
> do it, I think. And when they stop doing it, they disappear. Self
> Organization is not the product of some CEO or executive
> committee. After all, they really haven't been around for all that
> long. Self Organization is the product of the total system in all
> of its aspects and bits and pieces. How all that works has been a
> matter of stunning discovery over the past 40 years or so. I doubt
> we have it all right, but I do think we may have the major
> elements of understanding in place. The outline goes something
> like this -- a) Steady State b) Chaos c) A bifurcation to either
> dissipation (poof) or reconstitution at new and higher levels of
> order. Of course you have to fill in a lot of the blanks, and
> there is a massive literature attempting to do just that. But I do
> believe we have enough to get started with some basic
> observations. It really is a Whole System affair, in which all
> elements must work together, and no element has an /a priori/
> claim to centrality. In a business this could mean that the dumb
> question of an intern could just open the doors for the future.
> You just don't know. But you do know that an organization's future
> directly relates to its capacity to bring total system assets to
> bear on emergent challenges and opportunities quickly and
> effectively. It is always tempting to try and "hedge the bet"
> with some plan, policy or procedure, but it worthwhile noting that
> the tighter (more constraining) the plan, the greater the
> likelihood of failure. It's not that the plan was bad... but
> unfortunately the challenge or opportunity came from a different
> direction, and all our eggs were in one basket -- the wrong one.
>
> So we have a very existential question -- How do we assure
> sufficient room (dare I say Space?) so that the infinite elements
> of any organization may quickly and effectively align to meet new
> challenges and opportunities -- recognizing in advance that we can
> never know what will be required?
>
> Open Space Technology is just a bit player in all of this, but
> good old OST can be useful none the less both as a natural
> laboratory to explore what is going on, and also as an effective
> intervention to encourage the appearance of the elemental power of
> self organization, particularly when it seems blocked and
> constrained. There are no guarantees of course, and it may well
> be that The Organization's time is now: Game Over. But the chances
> of renewal are pretty good, at least that has been my experience.
> And no matter what, the magic sauce is not OST -- but the power of
> self organization. So you could say, just as a way of speaking,
> "It's all Open Space." But that's just a joke, son.
>
> Harrison
>
> Winter Address
>
> 7808 River Falls Drive
>
> Potomac, MD 20854
>
> 301-365-2093 <tel:301-365-2093>
>
> Summer Address
>
> 189 Beaucaire Ave. <x-apple-data-detectors://4>
>
> Camden, ME 04843
>
> 207-763-3261 <tel:207-763-3261>
>
> Websites
>
> www.openspaceworld.com <http://%20www.openspaceworld.com>
>
> www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com>
>
> OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
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>
> *From:*OSList [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org');>]
> *On Behalf Of *John Baxter via OSList
> *Sent:* Thursday, October 16, 2014 2:57 AM
> *To:* Harrison Owen
> *Cc:* World wide Open Space Technology email list
> *Subject:* Re: [OSList] Authority Distribution in Open Space
>
> I have knots about empowerment, and the ubiquitous openness of
> space. These knots are about to inspire a rant.
>
> These knots, I should start with, are not entirely the result of
> this present discussion thread - it is just this discussion that
> prompts me to speak.
>
> I think I understand Harrison, if you suggest that
> self-organisation is more common than we realise... if not
> ubiquitous, omnipresent, then at least that we can fruitfully
> challenge the assumption that formal and top-down organisation
> dominates how things get done.
>
> But I can't get past the feeling that /there are lots of barriers
> to the openness of space, and to self organisation/. Everywhere
> and all the time. In my recent work, mental barriers by all
> involved about authority and role relationships. My personal
> barriers around trying too hard to "empower". My client's
> patronising assumptions about the "capacity" and "maturity" of
> "the sector". Information asymmetries.
>
> So I get really conflicted when anyone starts saying "well space
> is open all the time" (implication: 'so chill out cos there's
> nothing you need to do').
>
> I am also conflicted about stepping back from the goal of
> empowerment, as if everybody else needs to just step into open
> space and take responsibility.
>
> Yes - many people don't realise the power that they have. (In my
> last project; nobody seemed to quite buy into the fact that /they
> could directly author the document that they were trying to
> influence/.)
>
> But it is also patronising to suggest that empowerment lies in
> just helping people to see how powerful they are... because many
> people /don't/ have the power that we or they might like. To
> suggest that people have the power and just don't use it... that
> effectively blames them for their situation, and washes our hands
> of responsibility.
>
> The biggest barrier to group change I see time and time again is
> authority figures who believe others need to change, not
> themselves. (Most commonly, that their employees need to "be
> empowered", and that they need to manage a culture change program
> to get there... or better yet, that HR needs to manage the change
> program, while we are busy getting the real work done.)
>
> I don't pretend that empowerment is something that can be done to
> other people (patronising), but I do firmly believe that we all
> first need to look to ourselves and what we need to do to play our
> role making such a future possible. And, in fact, that /this is
> all that we can ever do/.
>
> Maybe the wisdom in what you say Harrison is that we do this by
> focusing on respect first, as a productive way to enable empowerment.
>
> Maybe I am picking on the wrong things and have misunderstood
> them, and I apologise if I have been critical. But I also see a
> lot of things said that make me uncomfortable, that knot me up.
> Again, most of these things are from my memory, not the present
> discussion. While my memory might not be the best, I'm sure it is
> based on something.
>
> Thank you all for your patience and for being in this discussion
>
>
> */John Baxter/*
>
> ///Co////Create Adelaide Facilitator, Director of Realise consultancy/
>
> CoCreateADL.com<http://cocreateadl.com/localgov%E2%80%8B> |
> jsbaxter.com.au <http://www.jsbaxter.com.au/>
>
> 0405 447 829 <tel:0405%20447%20829>
>
> |
>
> @jsbaxter_ <http://twitter.com/jsbaxter_>
>
> */City Grill--- An Election Forum More Magnificent Than Any Ever
> Seen <http://citygrill.eventbrite.com.au>!/*/, Saturday 18 October
> 2014 <x-apple-data-detectors://14>
> Connect with your candidates, get your voice heard by joining with
> others in your community, and Influence the future of the city/
>
> On Wed, Oct 15, 2014 at 6:06 AM, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net
> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','hhowen at verizon.net');>> wrote:
>
> John -- I'm rather curious what you meant by "The overall project
> was more complicated than OST?" My confusion comes in part from my
> experience that complexity is actually an essential precondition
> for OST, or more exactly the effective operation of self
> organization. The essential pre-conditions as I have experienced
> the are: A Real business issue (something that people really care
> about). High levels of complexity such that no single person or
> group has a prayer of figuring it out. High levels of diversity in
> terms of people and points of view. Lots of passion and conflict.
> And a decision time of yesterday (urgency). Given these 5
> conditions, self organization in the more formal setting of OST or
> as a natural occurrence just seems to happen... unless...And this
> may be the point of problem... It is arbitrarily constrained...
> which usually means that somebody already has the
> plan/program/design and they are just looking for buy-in or (worst
> case) they are simply trying to sugar coat the pill, and make it
> seem like the folks are creating something, when in fact the cake
> is already baked.
>
> A clue to the dilemma may be in the phrase, "I struggled to help
> the client (the funding body) to really 'empower'..." I know we
> talk a lot about empowerment, but I have come to the conclusion
> that it is really a red herring, and most painfully so in those
> situations where you actually try to do it. Sounds odd, I guess,
> but think about it. If I empower you...you are in my power. And
> the more I try to empower you the worse it gets. Real empowerment,
> in my book, is not an act that we (or somebody) do, but an
> acknowledgement of a pre-existing condition...you are powerful. Of
> course I might encourage you a bit to be as powerful as you are,
> but it is not something I can give you. You must claim it for
> yourself. Strange as it may seem, I find the notion of
> "empowerment" to be just the opposite of that fundament of
> effective working relationships (or any relationship) RESPECT. And
> I suspect that it is precisely here that the fickle finger of fate
> is pointing to the critical issue.
>
> Another word that fits in here for me is "Patronizing." Everything
> may sound super nice, and all the proper and correct words may be
> spoken, but if the implication is that the folks (participants)
> really do not have the competence or ability to deal with the
> issues, it is fairly predictable that they will not bother to try.
> Or if they "try" it will be pretty much of a pro forma situation.
> Sound familiar?
>
> Harrison
>
> Winter Address
>
> 7808 River Falls Drive
>
> Potomac, MD 20854
>
> 301-365-2093 <tel:301-365-2093>
>
> Summer Address
>
> 189 Beaucaire Ave. <x-apple-data-detectors://18>
>
> Camden, ME 04843
>
> 207-763-3261 <tel:207-763-3261>
>
> Websites
>
> www.openspaceworld.com <http://%20www.openspaceworld.com>
>
> www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com>
>
> OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
> archives of OSLIST Go
> to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>
> *From:*OSList [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org');>]
> *On Behalf Of *John Baxter via OSList
> *Sent:* Monday, October 13, 2014 2:41 AM
> *To:* Daniel Mezick
> *Cc:* World wide Open Space Technology email list
> *Subject:* Re: [OSList] Authority Distribution in Open Space
>
> Hi Daniel. Thanks for your considered response.
>
> I will try to keep my response in line with the topic.... but
> expect it may meander.
>
> The OST day I was preparing for has since come and gone.
>
> I decided in the end to least give OST a crack and see what happened.
>
> It didn't go very well; but it also went well enough (vis overall
> project goals, and client expectations), so I don't feel so bad
> about it... even if I had personally envisaged more.
>
> I am not one to worry about the cannon... which means sometimes I
> break things, as I did this time. There was still an (informal)
> sponsor, the one that sent the invites. They just did not have a
> presence on the day. Thank you Daniel as you did make me think
> critically about the strength of my role as host. I think I dealt
> with that through my introduction to the day; and as it turns out
> the authority to host was not an issue.
>
> But as it turns out, that was not really the biggest challenge!
>
> The main lessons I took away about what contributed to the average
> result:
>
> *There needs to be clear, compelling shared work.*
>
> The overall project was more complicated than OST, so it wasn't
> clear what turning up actually meant, and I think many did not
> turn up on the basis of wanting to resolve a shared challenge (the
> work), as you might expect for OST. In straight OST terms, you
> could say this was an issue of invitation, but really it was many
> things.
>
> So the group was interesting. They had the heart, but not the
> will. They were committed, but without ownership of the result.
> I've seen this a lot in the community engagement field, but
> nowhere that I have used (or seen) OST.
>
> I thought about this a lot, I thought it might have been about the
> invitation and self-selection; but at the end of the day I think
> it comes down to the sense of (and invitation in to) shared work.
>
> *It is super hard to dissolve ingrained power and authority
> relationships in the short term. These can't be sidestepped by an
> external facilitator.*
>
> I struggled to help the client (the funding body) to really
> 'empower'. They talked about it and genuinely want to, but old
> habits and mental models don't change overnight. They really
> struggled to push beyond managing the process as superiours (to a
> set of subordinate participants). This is 'empowerment' within a
> patriarchal system, and it doesn't work. It felt very yucky at times.
>
> A curious side effect of this partriarchal 'empowerment' was an
> unwillingness to be clear about the work ("we want to be open and
> let them lead the process" they would say... I got the client to
> agree that /the/y were clearly the leaders, but we didn't quite
> work out how to put that into practice).
>
> Over the course of the engagement, we all took baby steps together
> that invest in their (/our) capacity to really work together in
> future. They learned a LOT in a short period of time, and so did
> I, but it was too short. By the end of the project I had the
> client calling me up to ask how they could reword things so they
> didn't reflect a control response. : ) That was good, but
> obviously if they need me for this then there is some way to go.
> And different client reps had different levels of self reflection.
>
> Hosting an isolated OST workshop against this grain was very
> ambitious, it was always going to be, no matter how we conducted
> ourselves.
>
> And perhaps 20% were very proactive, and led the bulk of the work
> that occurred... they saved the day!
>
> But the length of the OST was not enough for this leadership to
> really be contagious and precipitate a productive culture.
>
> *Or in other words: we struggled to free up authorisation to be
> more dynamic*
>
> Reading your blog post Daniel, the idea of dynamic authorisation
> would have been very useful earlier in the project. Another way of
> looking at the project: we struggled to free the space of
> ingrained authority to enable dynamic authorisation.
>
> There were lots of other insights into how we could have done it
> differently, but to me these were the fundamental stumbling blocks
> for us.
>
> Still, they were not too big, and I'm pleased we made a good start.
>
> My favourite feedback was "thank you, this was the first time I
> have been part of genuine engagement in more than a decade in the
> sector" : )
>
> Next time, we will do better.
>
>
> */John Baxter/*
>
> ///Co////Create Adelaide Facilitator, Director of Realise consultancy/
>
> CoCreateADL.com<http://cocreateadl.com/localgov%E2%80%8B> |
> jsbaxter.com.au <http://www.jsbaxter.com.au/>
>
> 0405 447 829 <tel:0405%20447%20829>
>
> |
>
> @jsbaxter_ <http://twitter.com/jsbaxter_>
>
> */City Grill--- An Election Forum More Magnificent Than Any Ever
> Seen <http://citygrill.eventbrite.com.au>!/*/, Saturday 18 October
> 2014 <x-apple-data-detectors://28>
> Connect with your candidates, get your voice heard by joining with
> others in your community, and Influence the future of the city/
>
> On Tue, Sep 30, 2014 at 12:07 AM, Daniel Mezick
> <dan at newtechusa.net
> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','dan at newtechusa.net');>> wrote:
>
> Hi John,
>
> Yours is a very interesting story.
>
> You say:
>
>
> /"...To be honest*I am not sure* how I need to deal with this,
> though *my strategy is to accept the authority* for hosting the
> space in the next workshop, *obsolving the department of their
> responsibility* to manage the day."
>
> "...I don't think it is feasible for the obvious authority
> candidates hosting something genuinely participatory. *The
> relevant director has said she doesn't want to speak formally and
> become The Authority for the day*, a position I agree with."/
>
>
>
>
>
> In the situation as described, it sounds like the org is the very
> earliest stages of moving in a direction of more
> open/participatory/inviting.
>
> Do you agree with this assessment?
>
>
>
> If this assessment is correct, based on what you describe, I would
> probably avoid attempting Open Space in the canonical form
> whatsoever (as described in the OST GUIDE) because the Sponsor
> role is vacant. Unoccupied. And so, by my reckoning, if I
> understand you right, a true Open Space event isn't even possible,
> because the essential OST-Sponsor-role is in fact not willingly
> occupied by anyone with enough authority to play that essential
> role well.
>
> What's clear is that someone who could function as OST-Sponsor is
> currently unwilling to do so. And so I might try a "taster" or
> "demo" event instead, where the goal is to /learn about Open Space
> in general/, and do a /little/ bit of "real" work too. Especially
> if the allotted time a mere 1/2 day, I am even more inclined to
> strongly favor this re-framing of the stated goals.
>
> So the primary and stated goal for the "taster" is learning about
> OST. Another goal for a short event might be to see who shows up
> super-interested in the art of Facilitation, and then offer to
> mentor those who do self-select by showing interest. In this
> manner some Facilitation capacity is developed inside the org, to
> help with current meetings and processes. Introducing Facilitation
> into typical meetings is a easy and effective "culture hack".
>
>
>
> For me, the total unwillingness of an obvious candidate to occupy
> the Sponsor role is a huge warning signal to slow down, pause, or
> even stop.
>
> Lots of people here have more experience than me, and might be
> willing to lend you some of their expertise regarding the
> authority dynamics of Facilitating an OST event with the essential
> OST-Sponsor-role completely vacant
>
>
>
> Kind Regards,
> Daniel
>
> On 9/28/14 11:30 PM, John Baxter wrote:
>
> I am navigating some challenging authority dynamics in a
> project at the moment.
>
> I was brought in a week out from the first of three forums,
> and asked to 'facilitate a codesign process' which was at that
> stage a black box (with many hidden expectations) scheduled
> into that event (1 hour before lunch and 1 hour afterwards).
>
> It's a long journey, but you can imagine how my role has
> changed as I prepare for the third forum which I am hosting in
> Open Space.
>
> The overall process is an engagement between a government
> department and their funded agencies. The most obvious direct
> power dynamics are obvious, the effective power and authority
> dynamics are much more complex (though predictable).
>
> Department staff have authority challenges as much as the
> agencies. They are trying so hard to be 'neutral' and 'non
> controlling' that they are effectively reinforcing their own
> authority positions (which often have little real correlation
> to the power, knowledge etc that they imagine them to).
>
> To be honest I am not sure how I need to deal with this,
> though my strategy is to accept the authority for hosting the
> space in the next workshop, obsolving the department of their
> responsibility to manage the day.
>
> It has been interesting to watch push back so far from agency
> reps who are committed to participating, who are genuinely
> engaged, but are playing to an us-them tension that is getting
> in the way of the shared work (and serves them no good ends
> except protecting them from their own responsibility).
> Stand-offishness is gradually being resolved, though some
> pockets are holding firm.
>
> I am crossing my fingers for WS3 that we can traverse these
> and get into Open Space without being pushed off the bridge by
> the reactionary tension; and that once on the other side, the
> department reps can embrace Open Space and take responsibility
> for their role.
>
> We will get across /as long as I have the authority/ to host
> the space for them.
>
> I don't think it is feasible for the obvious authority
> candidates hosting something genuinely participatory. The
> relevant director has said she doesn't want to speak formally
> and become The Authority for the day, a position I agree with.
>
> But it does leave something of a shell, where I am crossing my
> fingers that our time together thus far affords me the
> authority to host that space.
>
> I think we are ready. I am bringing my harness and floaties
> just in case.
>
>
> */John Baxter/*
>
> /CoCreate Adelaide Facilitator, Director of Realise consultancy/
>
> CoCreateADL.com <http://cocreateadl.com/localgov%E2%80%8B> |
> jsbaxter.com.au <http://www.jsbaxter.com.au/>
>
> 0405 447 829 <tel:0405%20447%20829>
>
> |
>
> @jsbaxter_ <http://twitter.com/jsbaxter_>
>
> /City Grill--- An Election Forum More Magnificent Than Any
> Ever Seen <http://citygrill.eventbrite.com.au>/, Saturday 18
> October 2014 <x-apple-data-detectors://36>
> Influence your city by building relationships and joining
> voices with others in your community
>
> On Mon, Sep 29, 2014 at 12:26 PM, Daniel Mezick via OSList
> <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','oslist at lists.openspacetech.org');>>
> wrote:
>
> Hi Harrison,
>
> So interesting how the Law of 2 Feet authorizes me, and every
> other member of an OST event, to go anywhere we may want to go.
>
> Without asking anyone else for any kind of "permission"...
>
>
> Reminds me of this past June, being in Camden with you, and
> Ethelyn, and Harold, and friends... when we were standing on
> the porch of that Camden restaurant... waiting for everyone to
> arrive, and assemble for dinner...
>
> And as we wait, I notice there is this convenient-looking,
> alternate entry-door... into the dining area.
>
> And I say: "Hmm...I wonder if we are authorized to use that door."
>
> And you say:
>
> "We're authorized to go Anywhere we want to go."
>
> ...and I like that.
>
> Daniel
>
>
> Picture of that place:
> https://twitter.com/DanielMezick/status/483054326265692161
> See also:
> https://twitter.com/danielgullo/status/483434622009999360
>
>
> On 9/25/14 4:58 PM, Harrison Owen wrote:
>
> Daniel... You really did it! I think. Your language comes
> from a place I don't know... which is to say that I
> probably wouldn't say what you say in the way that you do
> (duh). BUT when I run my "translator" it comes out
> sounding pretty good! So... I can't help with the
> questions you have raised. Actually I think you are doing
> pretty well on your own, and (hopefully) will incite
> others to a similarly riotous performance. Thanks!
>
> Harrison
>
> Winter Address
>
> 7808 River Falls Drive
>
> Potomac, MD 20854
>
> 301-365-2093 <tel:301-365-2093>
>
> Summer Address
>
> 189 Beaucaire Ave. <x-apple-data-detectors://2>
>
> Camden, ME 04843
>
> 207-763-3261 <tel:207-763-3261>
>
> Websites
>
> www.openspaceworld.com <http://%20www.openspaceworld.com>
>
> www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com>
>
> OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
> view the archives of OSLIST Go
> to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>
> *From:*OSList
> [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org');>]
> *On Behalf Of *Daniel Mezick via OSList
> *Sent:* Thursday, September 25, 2014 9:39 AM
> *To:* oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','oslist at lists.openspacetech.org');>
> *Subject:* [OSList] Authority Distribution in Open Space
>
> Greetings to All,
>
> For the past several years I have attended conferences of
> the Group Relations community, and encouraged others to do
> the same. I've studied their literature, and harvested
> some important learning as a result. One of the things I
> have come to understand a little bit better is the role of
> "authority dynamics" in self-organizing social systems.
>
> Link:
> www.akriceinstitute.org <http://www.akriceinstitute.org>
>
> Over the past several years I've been using Open Space
> with intent to improve the results of my work in helping
> companies implement Agile ideas in their organizations. We
> do an initial Open Space, then the folks get about 3
> months to play with Agile (we carefully use the word
> "experimentation" with management,) then we do another
> Open Space after that, to inspect what just happened
> across the enterprise. The initial and subsequent Open
> Space events form a "safe" container or field in which the
> members can /learn/... as they explore how to /improve/
> together by /experimenting/ with new practices, and see if
> they actually work. I call the process Open Agile Adoption.
>
> Link:
> OpenAgileAdoption.com <http://OpenAgileAdoption.com>
>
> This seems to work pretty good. It seems to "take the air
> out of" most of the fear, most of the anxiety and most of
> the worry that is created. The key aspect is /consent/:
> absolutely no one is forced to do anything they are
> unwilling to do. No one is /coerced/ to /comply/. Everyone
> is instead respectfully /invited/ to help /write/ the
> story, and be a /character/ in the story...of the
> contemplated process change. Open Agile Adoption
> encourages a spirit of experimentation and play.
>
> The spirit of Open Space is the spirit of freedom. Isn't
> it? In the OST community, we discuss and talk a lot about
> self-organization, self-management and self-governance.
> The Agile community also talks about these ideas a lot.
>
> So I have some questions. What is really going on during
> self-organization in a social system? What are the steps?
> What information is being sent and received? >From whom,
> and by whom? Is the information about /authority/
> important? How important? Can a social system self
> organize without regard to who has the right to do what
> work? /How do decisions that affect others get made in a
> self-organizing system?/
>
> Who decides about /who decides/? How important is the
> process of /authorization/ in a self-organizing system? Is
> self-organization in large part the process of dynamic
> authorization (and /de-authorization/) in real time?
>
> What /is /authorization? Can self-organization occur
> without the sending and receiving of authorization data by
> and between the members?
>
> Is Bruce Tuckman's forming/storming/performing/adjourning
> actually decomposing the /dynamics of authorization/
> inside a social system?
>
> The essay below attempts to answer some of these difficult
> questions. I'd love your thoughts on it. Will you give it
> a look?
>
>
> Essay: Authority Distribution in Open Space
> http://newtechusa.net/agile/authority-distribution-in-open-space/
>
>
>
> Kind Regards,
> Daniel
>
> --
>
> Daniel Mezick, President
>
> New Technology Solutions Inc.
>
> (203) 915 7248 <tel:%28203%29%20915%207248> (cell)
>
> Bio <http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/>. Blog
> <http://newtechusa.net/blog/>. Twitter
> <http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/>.
>
> Examine my new book:The Culture Game
> <http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/>:
> Tools for the Agile Manager.
>
> Explore Agile Team Training
> <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/> and
> Coaching.
> <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/>
>
> Explore the Agile Boston
> <http://newtechusa.net/user-groups/ma/>Community.
>
> --
>
> Daniel Mezick, President
>
> New Technology Solutions Inc.
>
> (203) 915 7248 <tel:%28203%29%20915%207248> (cell)
>
> Bio <http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/>. Blog
> <http://newtechusa.net/blog/>. Twitter
> <http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/>.
>
> Examine my new book: The Culture Game
> <http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/>: Tools
> for the Agile Manager.
>
> Explore Agile Team Training
> <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/> and
> Coaching. <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/>
>
> Explore the Agile Boston
> <http://newtechusa.net/user-groups/ma/>Community.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
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>
> --
>
> Daniel Mezick, President
>
> New Technology Solutions Inc.
>
> (203) 915 7248 <tel:%28203%29%20915%207248> (cell)
>
> Bio <http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/>. Blog
> <http://newtechusa.net/blog/>. Twitter
> <http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/>.
>
> Examine my new book: The Culture Game
> <http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/>: Tools for
> the Agile Manager.
>
> Explore Agile Team Training
> <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/> and
> Coaching. <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/>
>
> Explore the Agile Boston
> <http://newtechusa.net/user-groups/ma/>Community.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> OSList mailing list
> To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
> To unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org
> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
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--
Daniel Mezick, President
New Technology Solutions Inc.
(203) 915 7248 (cell)
Bio <http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/>. Blog
<http://newtechusa.net/blog/>. Twitter <http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/>.
Examine my new book:The Culture Game
<http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/>: Tools for the
Agile Manager.
Explore Agile Team Training
<http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/> and Coaching.
<http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/>
Explore the Agile Boston <http://newtechusa.net//user-groups/ma/>Community.
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