[OSList] Authority Distribution in Open Space

[Harrison Owen via OSList]

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 

 

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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/> .  <http://newtechusa.net/blog/>
Blog.  <http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/> Twitter. 

Examine my new book:   <http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/>
The Culture Game : Tools for the Agile Manager.

Explore Agile Team  <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/>
Training and  <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/>
Coaching.

Explore the  <http://newtechusa.net/user-groups/ma/> Agile Boston Community.


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