[OSList] Zappos Being Zapped

Fri Jul 17 19:04:56 PDT 2015

Yes, Daniel, as you wrote, "mandating a process change is a recipe for
disaster."

REGARDLESS of what the process is...
but ESPECIALLY if it's one that's supposed to "help people feel more
empowered".

for me, it's sad to see what's happening at Zappo's.
especially because i happen to think that interlocking circles is a fairly
decent structure,
as far as structures go...

I'm not so much of a fan of the decision-making aspect of
holocracy/sociocracy...
but the structural part feels fairly sound to me.

i know the orthodoxy around here is that "it's all self-organizing
anyway"...
at the same time, I do think it would be kinda fun for all of that
self-organizing that is already happening anyway,
to come up with some alternative structures to the regular old pyramids we
see all over the place...
a bit of color in the landscape, as it were...

i guess we're just not that evolved yet! :-)

with all best wishes,

Rosa

*Rosa Zubizarreta*

*www.DiaPraxis.com <http://www.DiaPraxis.com>*
Author of *From Conflict to Creative Collaboration*
<http://www.conflict2creativity.com>
*recent Dynamic Facilitation deep dives:*
May 26-28 near* Bonn, Germany <http://tinyurl.com/DFGermany2015>;*  June
12-16 in *Durham, NC
<http://www.solutiongeneratorsnetwork.org/1.0/dynamic-facilitation/>*
<http://www.solutiongeneratorsnetwork.org/1.0/dynamic-facilitation/>

On Fri, Jul 17, 2015 at 7:08 PM, Daniel Mezick via OSList <
oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

>  Sheesh. Yes, and...
>
> ..I did some consulting for Zappos in prior years. As part of that, I know
> Tony and have taken some meals with him, some at his home.
>
> In early 2014, I had lunch with Tony and some of his staff. A very dear
> friend arranged the meeting.
>
> The purpose was to introduce him to Open Space and discuss how it might be
> a good tool for helping encourage self-organization at the Downtown project
> (DTP) and Zappos proper. During that meal, I left him with a printed copy
> of the BRIEF GUIDE, and some pictures of what OST in action looks like. Not
> too much stuff, just enough to hopefully get him interested. A kind of
> invitation as it were.
>
> At the time, he described some issues with "holacracy" at the DTP and
> Zappos itself. I explained how OST might actually be perfect given the
> situation an timing. I left the meeting upbeat and thinking he might go all
> the way.
>
> It didn't take.
>
> Later in March 2014, I wrote this:
> http://newtechusa.net/agile/the-mandate-of-holacracy-at-zappos/
>
>
> The self-organizing universe creates stories you just cannot make up.
>
> Example:
>
> https://pando.com/2015/07/08/staff-tony-hsiehs-downtown-project-voted-abandon-holacracy-nine-months-ago/fcbd6b7081af428b88d24fddd3fbadfbee6910ea/
>
> Regards,
> Daniel
>
> On 7/17/15 5:26 PM, Harrison via OSList wrote:
>
>  From the New York Times: *http://nyti.ms/1Jn1nwh *
> <http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=InCMR7g4BCKC2wiZPkcVUlDMaFOsPrCW&user_id=d0877bb1019932ce3160783833511913&email_type=eta&task_id=1437166724712134&regi_id=0> Do
> Love this story. Zappo is going to install holarchical, self organizing
> management systems.  How many oxymoron’s can you get in one sentence? And
> according to the Times, the big problem is that nobody can understand what
> is going on. Marvelous! – As bright as Homo sapiens may be, we really don’t
> have clue when it comes to the complex, interconnected world on which we
> are momentarily passengers. But no worries. It really doesn’t depend on
> “our understanding.” A fact that “we” all experience each and every time we
> have the privilege of “Opening Space.” We don’t understand it. We don’t “do
> it.”  Seems to happen pretty much by itself. Just marvelous... Holarchical,
> self organizing, management system! Happens every time. All by itself.
>
>
>
> Harrison
>
>
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