[OSList] Zappos Being Zapped

Sat Jul 18 05:05:50 PDT 2015

Rosa said... “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...”   

Rosa --There is a big secret. “All that self-organizing” is coming up with new structures every moment. “Structure” is actually an inaccurate way of talking about what is happening... more like patterns or flow of energy. “Flash framed” it does look like a structure, but that is really an illusion. An artifact of our perception. But it sort of works. 

Anyhow, it seems to me that there is some 13.7 billion years worth of examples of just precisely what you are talking about. It is only very recently that we (Homo sapiens) tried doing our own thing. Lots of wonderful names (Process re-engineering, etc) but precious little positive impact that I can see. Yes I know sometimes it seems that these marvelous inventions of ours seem to work...and of course lots of people make lots of money maintaining the illusion. But in moments of honesty, usually over a drink, everybody who has been around, even for a little bit, is totally aware that nothing ever happened according to the plan, design, etc... When pushed for source, the usual answer (given very quietly) is “The Informal System,” which by definition nobody organized. And that drives Management to despair. In fact they try to kill “the informal system” at every opportunity. 

Amazing, folks are busily containing, controlling, and destroying the one thing that enables organizations to function. Is that nuts? Seems to me that before we design anything new, it would be well to sit quietly and fully appreciate what is already there, and doing quite well. Thank you. And of course if we want a speeded up, concentrated experience of self organization in action, we know what to do. Works every time as long as we don’t try to organize it. Wonderful!

Harrison

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From: OSList [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Rosa Zubizarreta via OSList
Sent: Friday, July 17, 2015 10:05 PM
To: Daniel Mezick; World wide Open Space Technology email list
Subject: Re: [OSList] Zappos Being Zapped

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

 <http://www.DiaPraxis.com> www.DiaPraxis.com

Author of  <http://www.conflict2creativity.com> From Conflict to Creative Collaboration

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://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=InCMR7g4BCKC2wiZPkcVUlDMaFOsPrCW&user_id=d0877bb1019932ce3160783833511913&email_type=eta&task_id=1437166724712134&regi_id=0> http://nyti.ms/1Jn1nwh  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

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

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