[OSList] Orgs that Failed to Implement Self-Organization?

Michael M Pannwitz mmpannwitz at gmail.com
Fri Jun 21 00:53:18 PDT 2019


Dear Jake and you others,

I am intriguing myself with your quest for pitfalls in regard to 
"implement self-organization".
If it is assumed that "self-organization" is inherent in all groups, 
organisations, systems and in all processes on this planet and in the 
universe and has been since the Big Bang, it would not be necessary to 
"implement self-organization".
In fact, attempting to "implement self-organization" could in itself be 
the pitfall. This would jive with the notion that a sure fire way to 
impede self-organization is to mess with it (that is, control it).

Picking up on what Rob just wrote
"By definition self organisation occurs despite any efforts to make it 
happen."
I suspect that
"Self-organisation is hampered by efforts to make it happen."

I also wonder if it would be helpful to distinguish between 
"self-organization" as we observe it everywhere around us (such as 
children self-organizing their game on a playground or a butterfly 
unfolding from a chrysalis or a break-out group in an os-event 
self-organizing their activities) and the "force of selforganization".

Assuming  that the force of selforganzation is behind self-organization 
it might be useful to focus on the "factors" that would support an 
environment in which the force of selforganization can thrive, unfold...

One of the stories we have is the development of OST itself. OST was 
dreamt up originally as a way to organize a conference in a few hours 
instead of a whole years work (a wonderful gift that was borne out of 
being bored with working hard). After it kept working in various 
settings with a vast minimum of pre-implemented structure, no panels, no 
speakers, only one facilitator... his originator began wondering on why 
it was working.

We know the rest of the story and have payed attention to the 5 or 6 or 
7 prerequisites that now have been tested in thousands of events which 
need to be in place for the "force of selforganisation" to do its thing 
which we then perceive as "self-organization".

Its simple but not easy.
Is not facing that which seduces to twists, adulterations, creating 
surrogate cocktails...?

Greetings from Berlin
mmp




Am 21.06.2019 um 04:04 schrieb Juliane Martina Roell (Structure & 
Process) via OSList:
> 
> 
> Jake Yeager via OSList schrieb am 20.06.19 um 19:31:
>> Hey everyone,
>>
>> Does anyone know of organizations that attempted to implement 
>> self-organization but failed? If so, do you know some of the factors 
>> that contributed to the failure? We hear about the successes, like 
>> Semco and AES, but rarely about the failures. I'd like to understand 
>> better what the pitfalls are and also what the success rate is.
> Hi Jake,
> 
> what do you mean by "implement self-organization"?
> How would one go about doing that?
> 
> Best Regards,
> 
> Juliane.

-- 
Michael M Pannwitz
Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
++49 - 30-772 8000
mmpannwitz at gmail.com


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