[OSList] The Tyranny of Structurelessness

Sun Oct 4 11:59:05 PDT 2015

“Everything is moving.”  .... Michael -- I remember that moment very well. And Dan, I’m not sure the context, etc, would help very much. But just for the record the odd phrase popped out at one of the International Symposia on Organization Transformation which happened to be taking place at a small college south of Seattle. I have no idea why Ralph said what he did, and I’m not sure Ralph did either. But then again a lot of marvelous stuff seems to burst out with no obvious logic train. Indeed it may be that the lack of logic train enables the thought?

Whatever the genesis, the phrase wandered about my head for some time, quite unattached, and it also happened that I was working my way slowly through one of the masterpieces of 20th century western philosophy when a fuzzy connection began to form. The work was that of Alfred North Whitehead, and the title: “Process and Reality.” I’ve been through the book probably 4-5 times, and I am frank to confess that I don’t think I really understand it. But then again I’ve heard  a number of people with much greater credentials, tenure, etc – say the same thing. But I did get that it had something to do with, “Everything is moving.” And the more I thought and read, the more I felt that the good philosopher had made a small mistake on his title. It shouldn’t be “Process and Reality,” but rather “Process is Reality.”

Now, Anna Caroline we come to “structure,” or perhaps I should say the fallacy of Structure? Yes I know – we’ve all been taught that structure is the precursor, the “determinator” of everything. My face looks as it does because of my bone structure. My life proceeds the way it does because of my social structure. My business works as it does because of the organizational structure. And of course, meetings happen the way they do because of meeting structure, which apparently is the prime domain of “facilitators.” And even if we hadn’t been “taught” all this, the primacy of structure would appear to be blatantly obvious – as plain as the nose on your face. 

Unfortunately, it does seem to turn out that sometimes the blatantly obvious is not necessarily so. For example just looking at things it is pretty clear that the world is flat, or at the least bumpy flat. And any fool can see that we are the center of it all – Sun, moon, and stars whiz around us.  But when we think about it, as we have been doing for the last 500-600 years, the obvious isn’t so obvious. 

It is reasonable to ask what would start to make us think differently – to the point that we begin to question the obvious, and even come to see things in a different way? Taking a leap, I will suggest that it all begins with the perception of anomaly. Things just don’t make sense. Our eyes tell us one thing... but???? And then we start making up stories to explain the apparently unexplainable. We imagine different ways of looking at things so that the nonsensical makes sense. Some of those stories get pretty strange, but if they actually work – that is to say, help us to see in new and useful ways – that’s great!

There is, of course, a proper term for the activity I have been describing. It is called Theory Building. And for whatever it is worth, “theory” comes from the Greek “theorein” – to see. In a word, theories are ways of looking at things – likely stories you might say. 

Now, at long last (too long?) we come to the odd story I was starting to tell, to the effect that Structure is only a figment of our imagination, a flash frame of a moment gone by. Interesting, and helpful under some circumstances... but always partial and in a sense illusory. What’s “really” happening is all flow. Everything is moving – That’s Ralph’s story, and I guess it is mine too.

So how did I get to such a weird condition? It was all about anomaly – more particularly, the anomaly of Open Space. Everything that I had ever learned told me that it could not work. Unfortunately it did (work) – and not just once, but every time, hundreds of thousands of times. Something was definitely weird. It seemed to me that I had to re-consider all those things I thought I had learned, beginning with the basics... such things as Structure.

Common sense would say that Open Space works because we somehow created a structure that enabled it to work. That’s the way things get done, or so I had been taught. But that’s not the way things happened in Open Space. Structure emerged along the way and only momentarily. Worse yet it (structure) seemed to have little to do with the obvious power, connections, creativity.... all of which created structures, and passed them by. And actually it always seemed to me that the “structures” I “saw” existed only because I wanted to see them – or perhaps that I “should” see them. But they were only momentary wisps, figments – never to be mistaken for what was really going on. Or so I’ve been thinking.

Harrison

From: OSList [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Michael Herman via OSList
Sent: Saturday, October 03, 2015 6:31 PM
To: JL Walker; World wide Open Space Technology email list
Subject: Re: [OSList] The Tyranny of Structurelessness

you remind me, harrison, of one morning news session years ago, somewhere, probably OT... where ralph copleman walked to the center of the circle and announced, all serious and mischievous at the same time, "it's all moving!"  

then put the stick down and went back to his seat. 

--

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
http://MichaelHerman.com
http://OpenSpaceWorld.org

On Sat, Oct 3, 2015 at 1:47 PM, JL Walker via OSList <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

I was thinking that maybe the antidote to the eventual tyranny of structurelessness is to open space, again and again, until true democracy can emerge.

Juan Luis

De: OSList [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] En nombre de Rosa Zubizarreta via OSList
Enviado el: sábado, 03 de octubre de 2015 12:19
Para: Daniel Mezick; World wide Open Space Technology email list
Asunto: Re: [OSList] The Tyranny of Structurelessness

Hi Daniel,

Yes, this is a key piece... I see it as very similar in some ways to what Ken Wilber wrote later, 

about the "shadow side of the green meme". (Each meme has its own shadow, as well as its own gift...)

So, I love "green". I love circles, I love non-hierarchy, etc. 
And, part of the "shadow side of the green meme" is how ideologically anti-structure it can become... 

to the point where some people may not even agree that OST does, in fact, offer a very simple and effective structure.

By way contrast, think of a situation where group of people (who don't know about OST, and/or, who are having a power struggle around "which process to use", and/or....  ) might easily spending a whole weekend arguing about "how to self-organize ourselves"... with a great deal more pain and frustration and a great deal less value.

whereas, instead, IF someone knows about OST, and, a clear invitation has been extended, and, there is enough trust/suspension of disbelief so that participants are willing to enter into that format, 

then, we end up with a very simple and elegant structure that allows people to self-organize beautifully.... 

at least that's how i see it! :-)

with all best wishes,

Rosa

Rosa Zubizarreta

Developing Participatory and Co-intelligent Leadership
Author of  <http://www.conflict2creativity.com> From Conflict to Creative Collaboration

For more resources and learning opportunities, visit
www.DiaPraxis.com

On Sat, Oct 3, 2015 at 9:26 AM, Daniel Mezick via OSList <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

THE TYRANNY of STRUCTURELESSNESS
by Jo Freeman aka Joreen

I find this essay extremely interesting. I hope you do, too. 

Here is a pertinent quote, from the essay:
"...the idea of "structurelessness" does not prevent the formation of informal structures, only formal ones."

Circa 1970. Context: the women's movement. Quick summary of the main points: from the essay...

*	During the years in which the women's liberation movement has been taking shape, a great emphasis has been placed on what are called leaderless, structureless groups as the main -- if not sole -- organizational form of the movement. 

*	The idea of "structurelessness," however, has moved from a healthy counter to those tendencies, to becoming a goddess in its own right.

*	Contrary to what we would like to believe, there is no such thing as a structureless group. 

*	This means that to strive for a structureless group is as useful, and as deceptive, as to aim at an "objective" news story, "value-free" social science, or a "free" economy. A "laissez faire" group is about as realistic as a "laissez faire" society; the idea becomes a smokescreen for the strong or the lucky to establish unquestioned hegemony over others. 

*	This hegemony can be so easily established because the idea of "structurelessness" does not prevent the formation of informal structures, only formal ones. 

*	For everyone to have the opportunity to be involved in a given group and to participate in its activities, the structure must be explicit, not implicit. 

*	It is this informal structure, particularly in Unstructured groups, which forms the basis for elites.

Just in case you have not yet encountered the full text of this essay, here it is: 

THE TYRANNY of STRUCTURELESSNESS
by Jo Freeman aka Joreen
http://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/tyranny.htm

Regards,
Daniel 
http://www.OpenSpaceAgility.com/about
http://www.DanielMezick.com
203 915 7248 <tel:203%20915%207248> 

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