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Greetings Rob,<br>
<br>
Thanks for posting this narrative. <br>
<br>
So interesting that the military is now focusing on much of what you
have written here, about open systems etc.<br>
<br>
In fact, here is a link to a free PDF download of a book entitled,
"The Agile Organization":<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.dodccrp.org/files/Atkinson_Agile.pdf">http://www.dodccrp.org/files/Atkinson_Agile.pdf</a><br>
<br>
What is super interesting is the fact that the book never references
software agility, or the 'agile movement', not even one time.<br>
<br>
Chapter 2 starts with these entries:<br>
<br>
Open Systems<br>
Self Organization<br>
...and...<br>
Self Organizing Social Groups<br>
<br>
The whole <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.dodccrp.org">www.dodccrp.org</a> web site might be of interest to many here
as well. <br>
<br>
Here is the link to the other useful and free publications found
there:<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.dodccrp.org/html4/books_downloads.html">http://www.dodccrp.org/html4/books_downloads.html</a><br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
Daniel<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 8/6/14 11:53 PM, R Chaffe wrote:<br>
</div>
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<div>I have been following this thread with interest. Some may
recall OSonOS gathering in Marysville in November 2002 when we
went out into the forest to see and hear the night creatures.
As we walked into the forest the only sound was the sound of
our feet on the earth and despite the best efforts of a highly
skilled ranger no night creatures could be found. All the
components were in place, well organised and managed. No
night creatures! The forest was silent.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Everyone went away with their own thoughts including
disbelief that the Australian forest is alive at night. There
was a strong sense of disappointment - it did not work!</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Before the month had ended the environment responded with a
series of wild fires that included over 6million hectares of
high rainfall and alpine forest and the National Capital city
was invaded by fire. Complex self organising systems at work.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The question then goes back to that silent night. Some of
us listened to the silence and with a deep sense of dread
realising that all was not well. There was no "silver bullet"
quick fix it was a systemic issue way beyond control or
management. What we did was prepare the things we had control
over in readiness for the fires that would come. Little did
I know that I would spend most of 57 days in an incident
control centre coordinating information and advice to the
community about the sate of a rapidly changing mostly
unpredictable wild fire. The result in Victoria was less that
10 homes lost and on the day a rain storm eventually
controlled the fire a young lady was drowned when her vehicle
was washed into a stream by flood waters - yes in a drought
and after nearly two months of fire.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>What did I learn about complex systems, management and
control? </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>First wild fire cannot be "controlled" by man. We stay at
the edges and do the best to protect assets, we mop up and
clear up, we do our best to give the people the best
information to make informed decisions about what they will
do. (In the end it is their choice). Mostly people organise
themselves well, some better than others but in the end, good
or bad, the decisions are theirs.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Second willing participants in an "open" environment can
achieve outstanding things way beyond what expectations might
be. How they do it is up to them, they have some guidelines
but the process that evolves is theirs. Again sometimes it
works and sometimes..... Despite what I think or do.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>In a major incident "co-ordination" centre there is
structure with key decision points (people) a time table (plan
mostly to ensure others needs are respected) a massive amount
of self organising and adjustment to constant change. Change
that could be fatal, change that does not allow the luxury of
time out to plan a process or select a model and change that
needs a response now. Within the organisation the one thing
that was most controllable was the selection and support of
the people working there. The outcome was a sense of team with
each member working to dovetail into the work of others to
remove frustration and reach consensus with the best possible
outcome.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>In some sense the team meetings each day were an open space
event with each bringing their issues and concerns acting with
commitment and accepting a high level of responsibility. The
report from the meeting formed the game plan until the next
change, which at times may only be only minutes away - on one
night meetings were being held every 15 minutes with
broadcasts over national and regional radios to inform the
community of the changes that may impact on them so that they
could do what they needed to do (not command or control just
advice).</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>12 years later I have spent too much time in incident
coordination centres yet remarkably, or not so, a similar
pattern emerged. The most successful always being where
leadership focused on creating and environment where
individuals could perform at their best while respecting a
diversity of responses to change that reflect the complexity
of the natural, human and economic environment the change was
taking place in.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>What can Open Space technology really offer? What control
do I really have? What I am responsible for?</div>
<div> </div>
<div>As I see it the reality is that as the Facilitator all that
I can promise is to provide an opportunity for the group to
meet and an opportunity to participate in dealing with a
particular topic. I can influence the choice of the topic,
the invitation to participate and the creation of the safe
space including the structure of the event (environment, food,
and other safety needs that form the base of Maslow's
hierarchy of needs to free the participants from these
concerns and focus on the purpose of the meeting).</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I cannot promise any solutions, or reports, proceedings,
quality of input or output, satisfaction and the ongoing
relationships between the participants. These are the
responsibilities of the sponsor or the organisation or
community who chose to attend. I may influence the methods
that groups may choose to explore their agenda item but in the
end they must do it their way including the law of two feet.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I do not have a simple solution, quick fix, or a "silver
bullet". I do have the experience to share, that just as in
the parable of the mustard seed there will be outcomes way
beyond what we can imagine. The mustard seed grows into a
tree, so what! The tree becomes an entire habitat for all
types of life (macro and micro) way beyond a simple tree.
Some of the things that come from planting the seed
eventually lead to the death of the tree, but if you do not
plant the seed the tree will never grow and you will never
know what possibilities / opportunities you have lost
including the genetic change in the new seed crop that may
grow into a new tree, not quite the same as the old. The
question then becomes, is the "sponsor" willing to allow the
"seed" to be planted and are they willing to assist the
nurture of the "tree"as it grows to what ever it will be?</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I see my task is in the preparation of the event and ensure
the seed is planted in the best possible way then, allow the
passion and responsibility of the sponsor and participants to
do what they do. If there is respect for diversity and a will
to include all as best as possible there is a real possibility
that the "organisation" will be successful in their own terms.
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>One implication is that there is always something of me
left behind as I opened the space and, if I have done my job,
the participants will be confident that they did it their way.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Regards</div>
<div>
<div>Rob</div>
</div>
</div>
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<p class="p1">Daniel Mezick, President</p>
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class="s1">The Culture Game </span></a></span><span
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