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<TITLE>RE: Hierarchy & where authority comes from?</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Right on Harrison!</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>You've struck a chord with me! I know plenty who know the rule book and always take it seriously. This is their authority: THE RULES!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>This has come to me of late. Where is my authority coming from? I notice that when I'm not centered (my word) I look to another or someone or something else to give my words or actions authority; even approval. They don't stand alone as I'm not balanced at that moment. Yet, when I am centered, I don't need to look to anything for my authority. I just know! It's like I'm in tune with myself and the planet. Someone may disagree with me and I can be open to that. But their opinion , approval of me does not balance or unbalance me, whether positive or negative.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>This is that process I need to go through when opening space. It's all about me. Opening space takes real guts and being centered (Genuine contact with yourself!). Throw the rule book away, its like any work of art, know the technique and then forget it and dance.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Hierarchy seems to come back to that inability to dance and is a poor substitute for authority. I struggle with this dilemma everyday working for a bureaucratic organization. When someone has to resort to "pulling rank" to gain authority then I know they are insecure/unbalanced. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>I love when you said leadership comes from the one with the passion Harrison. Not the one reading from the rule book. It would be interesting to do a study on people's ability to dance. It's hard to imagine people who follow rule books being good dancers.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Mike Copeland </FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>-----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>From: Harrison Owen [<A HREF="mailto:hhowen@COMCAST.NET">mailto:hhowen@COMCAST.NET</A>] </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Sent: Monday, 29 March 2004 11:22 a.m.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>To: OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Subject: Re: Hierarchy</FONT>
</P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>John -- on the basis of no hard data, carefully collected and randomly, double blinded -- I would definitely answer YES. After 40+ years of being in a variety of organizations including the Church, Federal Government (US) at what is known as "Senior Levels", Non-For profits -- and for the last 23 years, sitting in as a consultant -- I KNOW that the folks who really can make it in all dimensions are those who can effectively "go with the flow", intuit the self-organizing informal organization, know the "rule" book and never take it seriously -- except to buttress a position previously taken -- in short real open spaceniks. . . these folks rule. Just my opinion.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Harrison</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Harrison Owen</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>7808 River Falls Drive</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Potomac, Maryland 20845</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Phone 301-365-2093</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Personal website <A HREF="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm" TARGET="_blank">http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm</A></FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: <A HREF="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html" TARGET="_blank">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</A></FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>-----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>From: OSLIST [<A HREF="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A>] On Behalf Of John Rapp</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2004 2:29 PM</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>To: OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Subject: Re: Hierarchy</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>I continue to be a major fan of OS, and have only one major continuing question about its potential limitation: Are abilities that cause/allow some to lead in OS well-correlated with the abilities required to lead in a day-to-day enterprise? This question may be a bit similar to whether great political candidates also make great political leaders. J.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>-----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>From: OSLIST [<A HREF="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A>] On Behalf Of Harrison Owen</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2004 11:13 AM</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>To: OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Subject: Hierarchy</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Hierarchy for sure gets a bad rap. But as Michael points out, hierarchies show up naturally, even -- and maybe most especially -- in Open Space. Somebody has the passion, takes the responsibility and some other folks come along. I don't know what else you would call it. I call it Hierarchy. But -- and this is a BIG BUT -- it is a natural hierarchy totally dependant upon the situation, the people involved and the task they are undertaking. Change any of those variables and you will have a new organization/hierarchy. I think the critical thing is that it is natural, and therefore appropriate to that particular situation. The problem with hierarchies that not only get the bad rap, but fully deserve that rap, is that they are imposed, arbitrary, and un natural. I don't care that the CEO/MD was appointed by the Board and gets the big bucks/yen/marks -- that does not make him or her THE leaders. I think that went out with the Divine Right of Kings. Or something.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>One other problem with Hierarchy may also be that it is (unfortunately) an artifact of our graphics. When we draw our organizations they always seem to come out looking like an inverted family tree. A real odd tree with the branches in the ground and the trunk in the air. No wonder it dies. You would too if you had your head 6 feet under! But there are other graphics -- circles, spheres -- polycentric spheres in 3-D. Suppose you thought of an organization as polycentric spheres all overlapping each other to some degree. And at the center of each was the one with the passion who took the responsibility. Now tell me which way is up -- and does it really matter?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Harrison</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Harrison Owen</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>7808 River Falls Drive</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Potomac, Maryland 20845</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Phone 301-365-2093</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org Personal website <A HREF="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm" TARGET="_blank">http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm</A></FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: <A HREF="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html" TARGET="_blank">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</A></FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>-----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>From: OSLIST [<A HREF="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A>] On Behalf Of Pannwitz, Michael M</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2004 9:00 AM</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>To: OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Subject: Re: Modesty & 5 Simultaneous Open Spaces</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Dear Larry,</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>the "team" I referred to, is the temporary organization created for the os-event (not part of the sponsor) made up of assistants, helpers, facilitator, documentation specialists, photographer etc.. This team has or rather gives itself a hierarchy. Its been a great learning field for me to look at these small "systems" that I am part of when involved with facilitating an open space and to tinker with "appropriate" structure or hierarchy. One of the principles that I try to stick to is the notion of the "fully present and invisible" facilitator...recent feedback has indicated that sometimes the hierarchy designed for the facilitation team actually supports this "state" in the eyes of the participants...extending the "fully presnt and invisible" mode to all team-members from the experience of the observing participants. My assumption in general is that every system has a hierarchy (more or less</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>appropriate) (Ken Wilbur reports of more than 200 hierarchies that he had collected in his search for a "fit", eventually coming up with the concept of "holons"...noting that "Even those memes that don't recognize hierarchies</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>- such as beige or purple - still have hierarchical structures. Everybody seemed to have some sort of hierarchy, even those who claimed they didn't.) The reason I am diving into this aspect: Where can I get a more practical and existential learning or remembering experience than in my actual praxis?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>And:</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>(referring to Joelles comments about open space and hierarchy) I find it productive to look at "hierarchy" as a "given" in all systems and organizations without the popular stigma attached to the term (I looked it up in the Unabridged and there it is almost exclusively documented with that negative stigma attached). What would a system or organization look like in which hierarchy is eliminated? Appears, it would no longer exist. Selforganization, which surfaces especially visible in ost-events or when children play, brings forth hierarchy and structure. Yes, of a kind that has no designer! And of a kind that seems the appropriate vessel for creating "peace" out of chaos, confusion and conflict. Ok, what kind of hierarchy is appropriate for the " team" described at the beginning that "facilitates" the ost-event? Or, what kind of hierarchy is appropriate for the subsystem in the organization you are working with that has the role of "providing support to tenants and staff as they work together to enable the local clusters to make key decisionsen" Greetings from Berlin mmp</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>On Sat, 27 Mar 2004 11:44:02 -0500, Larry Peterson wrote:</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>>Michael: You said:</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>></FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>"For me as facilitator working with teams (often groups of 7 or more) </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>its proven to be useful to consciously design the "hierarchy" for the </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>team and for the interaction of the team with other subsystems </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>(catering, publishing, facility management, the sponsors, child-care, </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>sound technician, press/radio/television, etc.) for the open </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>space-event (including pre-meetings, setting up the os, the os itself, </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>follow up)."</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>></FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>I'm not sure I understand what you mean. I usually don't get involved </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>in "designing" the hierarchy in systems I'm in.</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Michael M Pannwitz</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>boscop</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Draisweg 1</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>12209 Berlin, Germany</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>FON +49 - 30-772 8000 FAX +49 - 30-773 92 464</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>www.michaelmpannwitz.de</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>www.openspace-landschaft.de</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>An der E-Gruppe "openspacedeutsch" für deutschsprechende open space-PraktikerInnen interessiert? Enfach eine mail an mich.</FONT></P>
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