[OSList] Authority in Open Space - "All Open Space"

Fri Oct 17 04:01:40 PDT 2014

I don't think you need to be so qualified, Paul;
3.) All "all statements" are *positively* self limiting.

But then if I gather correctly, it's all a joke anyway.

So from that vantage point... what do we do now?

*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
 | 
@jsbaxter_ <http://twitter.com/jsbaxter_>

*City Grill— An Election Forum More Magnificent Than Any Ever Seen
<http://citygrill.eventbrite.com.au>!, Saturday 18 October 2014Connect with
your candidates, get your voice heard by joining with others in your
community, and Influence the future of the city*

On Fri, Oct 17, 2014 at 8:59 AM, paul levy via OSList <
oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

> Of course ! It's the wonderful irony of "all" statements.
>
> Paul
>
>
>
>
> On 16 Oct 2014, at 22:43, Daniel Mezick via OSList <
> oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
>
> 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> 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
>>
>>
>>
>> Summer Address
>>
>> 189 Beaucaire Ave.
>>
>> Camden, ME 04843
>>
>> 207-763-3261
>>
>>
>>
>> Websites
>>
>> www.openspaceworld.com <http://%20www.openspaceworld.com>
>>
>> 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] *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
>>
>>  | 
>>
>> @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 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>
>> 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
>>
>>
>>
>> Summer Address
>>
>> 189 Beaucaire Ave.
>>
>> Camden, ME 04843
>>
>> 207-763-3261
>>
>>
>>
>> Websites
>>
>> www.openspaceworld.com <http://%20www.openspaceworld.com>
>>
>> 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] *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 <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 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>
>> 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
>>
>>  | 
>>
>> @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
>> 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> 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
>>
>>
>> <mime-attachment.png>
>>
>> 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
>>
>>
>>
>> Summer Address
>>
>> 189 Beaucaire Ave.
>>
>> Camden, ME 04843
>>
>> 207-763-3261
>>
>>
>>
>> Websites
>>
>> www.openspaceworld.com <http://%20www.openspaceworld.com>
>>
>> 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] *On
>> Behalf Of *Daniel Mezick via OSList
>> *Sent:* Thursday, September 25, 2014 9:39 AM
>> *To:* 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
>>
>> 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
>>
>> 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 (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 (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:
>> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> 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.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>
>
> --
>
> 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.
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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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>
>
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