I just finished reading "The Power of Spirit", and since I am hoping to be part of a new business or organization, and I find myself pondering these questions:
Are there not inherent contradictions between, on the one hand, the legal structures of businesses and non-profit organizations, and on the other hand, the qualities of an InterActive, or Open Space organization? And more to the point, are there legal structures that are more or less appropriate to InterActive Organizations? For instance, the legal structure of a for-profit business recognizes the absolute sovereignity of 51% of the ownership. When push comes to shove, as it occasionally does, those who own 49% of the company, and those who work in it, and the clients, and the community, and everyone else in the company's field of influence, can lose out. In a non-profit organization, the board of directors holds the burden of responsibility. They are legally required to excercise a certain amount of oversite and control. When a crunch comes, the staff, supporters, beneficiaries, and the general public, even the mission of the organization itself, may lose out. I realize that I am exagerating the situation somewhat in order to make my point. I know that it is possible for the legally empowered heirarchs to embrace the value of chaos, cede power to those that they oversee, question their own assumptions, change their paradigms, etcetera. And everyone knows that if the shareholders or board members continue to ignore the various stakeholders, eventually they will have to deal with reality or else go out of business. My concern is, that the legal structures grant such power to make a mess of things, a power which is excercised from time to time. Are there ways to set up legal structures that make real allowance for: - Values and vision - Linking passion and responsibilty - Openess to change and diversity - Fun and community Or, if it is impossible for legal structures to take such things into account, then are there ways to mitigate the legally recognized power to mess things up? I am particularly interested in hearing from those of you who have been putting Open Space ideas into practice for a while. How do you organize your own affairs? Does this ever become an issue? Todd Saddler * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html =========================================================== osl...@egroups.com To subscribe, 1. Visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/oslist 2. Sign up -- provide an email address, and choose a login ID and password 3. Click on "Subscribe" and follow the instructions To unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@egroups.com: 1. Visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/oslist 2. Sign in and Proceed
