[OSList] Authority Distribution in Open Space
Daniel Mezick via OSList
oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
Mon Sep 29 07:37:12 PDT 2014
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
> <mailto: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.
>>
>> 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>
>>
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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
>> <mailto: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
>>
>> 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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>
--
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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