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Michael,<br>
<br>
I am asking for help. May I investigate your thinking?<br>
"...there is no such thing as an equal standing in authority terms."<br>
Will you expose your detailed thinking behind your expression of
this one idea?<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 3/30/14 8:34 AM, Michael M Pannwitz
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:53380F55.2080705@gmail.com" type="cite">Dear
Dan and everyone,
<br>
here are some bits from my experience:
<br>
<br>
---When I get a call or an email from someone asking me to
facilitate an ost-event I tell them to please arrange a "contact"
meeting that needs to be attended also by the person that will
have the authority to say yes or no at the end (usually the person
that would pay my fee). The purpose of the contact meeting is for
the sponsor to find out, whether the prerequisites for an OST
event are sufficiently in place. This meeting takes 60 to 90
minutes, no fee charged.
<br>
This process has nothing to do with OST, its simply what is needed
for any kind of intervention of any kind of man-made organisation
that is embarking on such a venture.
<br>
<br>
---Participants in an OST event do not leave the authority
bestowed on them in the wardrobe, there is no such thing as an
equal standing in authority terms. What does happen is that folks
differently bestowed with authority will, in contrast to what
they usually do, follow more freely their "passion and
responsibility" which, it seems, in some way increases their
non-bestowed authority... the expanded space for the forces of
selforganisation, the real motor in an OST event, seems to have
this effect. Everyone, all participants, fully well know the
limitations that they will have to deal with "back in the asylum"
when they follow their passion... and very often they are
amazingly elegant and cunning in seeing their project through
(responsible). That is why I encourage the folks in charge not to
make any kind of promises regarding what they will do to encourage
projects emerging from the ost event. Participants will get the
conditions in place to see their projects through.
<br>
<br>
---Yes, again my experience, coercion, control and such do shut
down open space, not completely though: I have seen the force in a
dormant stage and becoming quite alive when the conditions are
right (prerequisites in place)... isn't it our experience that big
CONTROL seems to shut down just about anything? In OST events I
have actually seen efforts of BiG control being met by
counter-activity (this is sometimes the effect of facilitator
intervention when a space-invader tries his stuff or, and even
more effective, the "group" grappling with space invasion/attempts
at control... these observations I have made when there is a
really burning business issue and absolutely nobody has the
foggiest idea regarding the solution, least the folks with
"authority".
<br>
<br>
I really impress myself with your passion, Daniel. Maybe because I
also have been trying to refine my understanding, find precise
language, get my hands onto, etc. what it is that happens in
os-events or even in os-organisations. In my
os-facilitator-career, I have increasingly given up trying to
understand it and focus more on what I see happening... which has
increased my faible for stories. By now, I know that stories are
fact, right, my facts.
<br>
<br>
Have a great Sunday,
<br>
cheers
<br>
mmp
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 30.03.2014 13:45, Daniel Mezick wrote:
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Hi Michael, Everyone,
<br>
<br>
I'm sorry there are coercive mandates happening in Berlin, and
that you
<br>
have to experience them.
<br>
<br>
Regarding the Sponsor for an OST meeting,
<br>
I am saying that I believe this person must have enough formal
authority
<br>
("sufficient+1") to be able to actually arrange, budget and
convene the
<br>
meeting. And that the authority that the Sponsor holds is
conferred to
<br>
him or her by the organization. Is this true in OST?
<br>
<br>
Regarding the Participants,
<br>
I am saying that I believe that after the Marketplace opens, the
<br>
intention and in fact the reality of OST is that everyone has an
equal
<br>
standing in authority terms. At the start, no one person or
group has
<br>
any more authorization to act than any other person, regardless
of their
<br>
formally authorized role in the organization. Is this true in
OST?
<br>
<br>
For the record, I am not at all in favor of mandates. I am
allergic to
<br>
them. I believe mandates and other forms of coercion strongly
discourage
<br>
self-organization by the imposition of external authority over
the
<br>
person or group. Self-organization is impossible in scenarios
where
<br>
individuals and groups are not free to choose. Is this true in
OST?
<br>
<br>
This places out routinely EVERY SINGLE DAY in Agile adoptions.
Formally
<br>
authorized leadership imposes Agile practices on teams while at
the same
<br>
time encouraging teams to "self-organize". I for one have seldom
if ever
<br>
seen it actually work that way.
<br>
<br>
And so I have my questions about authority in Open Space.
<br>
<br>
I'm not being cute here: I'm hoping someone can help me
break/refine my
<br>
model of OST as it pertains to formal and informal authority, in
the
<br>
Open Space. I'm trying to use more precise language to explain
what I
<br>
think is going on in OST. In my view, the 1 Law and the 5
Principles
<br>
make it clear everyone has equal informal authorization in OST,
<br>
regardless of their formal title. I some ways the formal titles
are
<br>
suspended, as the space is held open for inquiry and dialogue.
<br>
<br>
This is my current belief. I asking for help in determining if
this
<br>
belief is close to truth.
<br>
<br>
Related Links:
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://newtechusa.net/agile/authority-and-power/">http://newtechusa.net/agile/authority-and-power/</a>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://newtechusa.net/agile/authority-explained/">http://newtechusa.net/agile/authority-explained/</a>
<br>
<br>
Regards,
<br>
Daniel
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 3/30/14 5:23 AM, Michael M Pannwitz wrote:
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Dear Dan, Jamie and Paul,
<br>
is there a new (5th or 6th) principle emerging?
<br>
Such as:
<br>
"Whoever is authorized is the right people?"
<br>
Or
<br>
"Whoever is mandated is the right people?"
<br>
<br>
Or is there a new prerequisite for the unfolding of the forces
of
<br>
selforganisation in sight?
<br>
In addition to the 4,5 or 6 that we are often concerned about?
<br>
Such as:
<br>
"High level of authorisation"
<br>
or
<br>
"High level of mandation" (Palines for mandate, have a look at
this link
<br>
<blockquote type="cite"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://de.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Mandation">http://de.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Mandation</a>
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
Or are these thoughts simply a manifestation of
"old-paradigm",
<br>
remnants of the realm of control?
<br>
<br>
Control? Wasn't that the effort to shut down selforganisation
towards
<br>
zero?
<br>
<br>
Heavy stuff for a sundrenched Sunday morning in Berlin where I
and the
<br>
entire population (including dogs and cats and other pets kept
in
<br>
human housing) are suffering from having been robbed of an
hours time
<br>
by authorities that are mandated to do such stuff.
<br>
<br>
Oh yes, before I forget, there was the notion that "passion
and
<br>
responsibility" is all that is needed for "authorisation"
(with the
<br>
nagging suspicion that folks driven by passion and
responsibility and
<br>
even taking action under those influences walk through the
walls and
<br>
obstacles set up by those authorized to raise them as if they
were
<br>
thin air).
<br>
<br>
Greetings from Berlin
<br>
mmp
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 29.03.2014 21:57, Daniel Mezick wrote:
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">I am asking for help. Will you help me
clarify my thinking?
<br>
<br>
I'm wondering if 100% equivalence in authorization for all
participants
<br>
is actually a key/defining characteristic of any genuine and
authentic
<br>
Open Space event...
<br>
<br>
<br>
First things first. Definitions:
<br>
<br>
Authority: The right to do specific work
<br>
<br>
Authorization: The conferring of authority
<br>
<br>
Formal Authority: Authorization conferred from the formal
organization
<br>
to a person. Example: "the CEO".
<br>
<br>
Informal Authority: Authorization conferred from peers,
colleagues and
<br>
co-workers. Example: "emergent leadership".
<br>
<br>
<br>
Now let's get into it. I currently think, and believe, that:
<br>
<br>
1. For an Open Space event inside an organization, the
Sponsor must
<br>
occupy a role with substantial formal authorization,
definitely more
<br>
than enough to actually authorize that OST event. The higher
the level
<br>
of formal authorization of the Sponsor, the better it is for
the event
<br>
overall.
<br>
<br>
2. The Sponsor authorizes the participants- the "invitees"--
to meet
<br>
together, and do the specific work of exploring and
investigating the
<br>
Theme. This "authorized work" is done in "authorized
space"...in that
<br>
specific place, for a specific period of time. The Sponsor
explicitly
<br>
authorizes all of the above and conveys this message after
they stand
<br>
up, and before they sit down, at the opening.
<br>
<br>
2. The Facilitator is formally authorized by the Sponsor to
do the
<br>
specific work of OST event. Absent this authorization, the
Facilitator
<br>
has no standing.
<br>
<br>
3. This is the big one: Everyone else, Sponsor included, has
100%
<br>
equivalent authorization (100% equivalent "right to do
work") as of the
<br>
moment of opening of the Bulletin Board and/or the opening
of the
<br>
Marketplace.
<br>
<br>
4. As the event progresses, authorization dynamics are in
play. These
<br>
"informal authorization" dynamics occur continuously
throughout the day
<br>
in real time, moment by moment. Those who experience net
increases in
<br>
levels of informal authorization as of the end of the
meeting have
<br>
membership in the "emergent leadership" group.
<br>
<br>
I am very interested in what experienced folks think about
the validity
<br>
of the assertion in (3) above.
<br>
<br>
Ex the Facilitator, does everyone else actually have 100%
equivalent
<br>
authorization in an OST meeting? Why or why not?
<br>
Is this 100% equivalence of authorization actually a
key/defining
<br>
characteristic of any genuine and authentic Open Space
event?
<br>
<br>
Thanks for any insight you may be able to provide, and
<br>
<br>
Kind Regards,
<br>
Daniel
<br>
<br>
--
<br>
<br>
Daniel Mezick, President
<br>
<br>
New Technology Solutions Inc.
<br>
<br>
(203) 915 7248 (cell)
<br>
<br>
Bio <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/"><http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/></a>. Blog
<br>
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<br>
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<br>
<br>
Examine my new book:The Culture Game
<br>
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</blockquote>
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
--
<br>
<br>
Daniel Mezick, President
<br>
<br>
New Technology Solutions Inc.
<br>
<br>
(203) 915 7248 (cell)
<br>
<br>
Bio <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/"><http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/></a>. Blog
<br>
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<br>
<br>
Examine my new book:The Culture Game
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/"><http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/></a>:
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<p class="p1">Daniel Mezick, President</p>
<p class="p1">New Technology Solutions Inc.</p>
<p class="p1">(203) 915 7248 (cell)</p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1"><a
href="http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/">Bio</a></span><span
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class="s1">Blog</span></a>. <a
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<p class="p3"><span class="s2">Examine my new book:<span
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href="http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/"><span
class="s1">The Culture Game </span></a></span><span
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