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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Craig -- "The System" in my conversations, has two
possible referents. First is the organic, self-organizing, Complex Adaptive
System which arises as a natural phenomenon out of the interaction of the people
who care (about whatever) and their environment. No single person or small group
"creates" this system. It is in fact emergent from the collective enterprise.
This system can always be trusted to be itself and to seek ways of optimizing
itself internally with its parts and functions, and externally with the
surrounding environment. In the process there will always be some level of
chaos, conflict and confusion (come with the territory) but there is also
an ongoing search for effective and peaceful integration within and without.
Symbiosis, it turns out is more effective than war -- and usually a lot more
pleasant to say nothing of fun. The classical expression of this is "The Search
for Fitness." And this, I believe, is the common experience in Open Space. And
we have that experience not because OST is so great. but because we are. Put
somewhat differently, we have the opportunity to be fully and effectively what
we are (essentially) -- self organizing. The Buddhists might call it,
"Perceiving our original face." I call it, Coming home.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>The second referent for "The System" is always the
creation of a single person or a small group, which is sometimes called The
Formal System. It is inevitably external and arbitrary. External in the sense
that it is "laid on from outside," and arbitrary in the sense that always fails
to take full account of the massive complexity and interactions. In many cases,
this System is fundamentally irrelevant to the task and needs at hand -- which
is one reason why we have constant re-organizations. Folks keep hoping that they
will "get it right." And it rarely if ever dawns on them that it is not that
they are doing something wrong -- they are doing the wrong thing. In other
cases, it seems that The System does quite well, but I would argue that this is
a serendipitous situation where the designers happenstantially paralleled the
inherent self-organizing system. Not bad -- but why spend all that time and
effort to create something that was happening all by itself?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>In all to many situations, the Formal System is massively
destructive, especially when the designers force it, seeing their fundamental
task as being that of Gaining Control. Control in itself is not the problem --
It is the blind assertion of control that throws the spanner in the works
(monkey wrench in the machinery.) In a word, organizing a self-organizing system
is, at best, a waste of time, and at worst, a disaster. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>The Formal System is never to be fully trusted, if only
because it is external and arbitrary. It is a map and not the territory. As a
map, it can be very useful, but never to be confused with the real deal. I
think. Where we get in real trouble is when we think that The Formal System is
the ONLY system. At such a point we would be very well advised NEVER to trust
the System.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Harrison</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Harrison Owen<BR>7808 River Falls Dr.<BR>Potomac, MD
20854<BR>USA<BR>301-365-2093<BR>207-763-3261 (summer)<BR>website <A
href="http://www.openspaceworld.com">www.openspaceworld.com</A><BR>Personal
Website <A href="http://www.ho-image.com">www.ho-image.com</A><BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=wcraiggilliam@hotmail.com
href="mailto:wcraiggilliam@hotmail.com">Craig Gilliam</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, August 12, 2006 7:57
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Craig</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>To clarify--In my soul I have learned not to trust the
system. If I hear <BR>Open Space and self-organizing systems, it says
trust the system, that it <BR>will find its own way, if it can be found.
My request is for your help in <BR>my framing or getting a better handle on
this issue of trust vs mistrust of <BR>the system. How do I marry,
integrate, connect the two. Thanks again,
<BR>Craig<BR><BR><BR>----Original Message Follows----<BR>From: Craig Gilliam
<<A
href="mailto:wcraiggilliam@hotmail.com">wcraiggilliam@hotmail.com</A>><BR>Reply-To:
OSLIST <<A
href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A>><BR>To:
<A
href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A><BR>Subject:
Craig<BR>Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2006 11:43:17 +0000<BR><BR>Open Space and Trusting
the System--<BR><BR>A jump ball question for anyone who wants to take a swipe
at it-- It <BR>suddenly dawned on me that my experience and perspective
has always been <BR>"never trust the system." What I think I hear from
Open Space and <BR>self-organizing systems is that the system will find its
own way, and, <BR>hopefully, before too much damage is done. Any
thoughts or
clarification?<BR><BR>Thanks,<BR>Craig<BR><BR>*<BR>*<BR>==========================================================<BR><A
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