From: Harrison Owen [mailto:hho...@verizon.net] Subject: RE: OS as a cornerstone
"Have any of you created a business that has OST principles built into its structure?" (Corrine) Funny thing, when we start talking about an organization, we very quickly move to considerations of design and structure. Actually that is not so funny (odd) because that is the way we have always done it. And everybody knows that an organization (your businesses) is something you design and structure. However, the conversation does become strange when we add the notion (reality) of self-organization. The reason is simple -- if it really is self-organization, "design and structure" is not something we do. By definition that happens "all by itself." You can really get into trouble should you come to the same conclusion I have -- which is that there is no such thing as a NON-self-organizing System. There are, however some mildly deluded people who thought that they organized it. Heresy for sure, and probably crazy and if we were to follow out the lines of that peculiar, personal pathology we could end in some interesting places. But it would also be true that you would be much closer to you goal of founding your organization on the principles of Open Space. In fact you would already be there! Here the logic is pretty straight forward. If OS "works" because self-organization "works" (or said another way, OS is simply self-organization at work) then the principles of OS and of self-organization are one in the same. And to the extent that your business is already a self-organizing system (there isn't anything else) you are already following the principles -- but you may not be doing all that as well as you might. Should you want to do it better, the steps forward are pretty simple. Start with an invitation to all the folks who MIGHT care -- and of course if nobody cares, you won't have much of a business. Bring them to a circle (as opposed to a hierarchy or bunch of silos) and welcome their passion and responsibility (the whole person). Well you know the rest, and I'll bet it works like a charm. But one thing you don't have to worry about is organizing and structuring. :-) Harrison Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Drive Potomac, Maryland 20854 Phone 301-365-2093 Skype hhowen Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org Personal website www.ho-image.com OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Deborah Hartmann Sent: Monday, February 19, 2007 11:02 AM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Re: OS as a cornerstone Corinne Nelson wrote: > Dear Michael, > > "What might our business look like if we selforganize" > > This is a lovely question - thank you for pointing it > out! > > One of the challenges we're facing is the physical > number - it's truly the two of us (my husband and I) > who are concerned with this topic. That's not much > fuel for OST, in my experience. > > Have any of you created a business that has OST > principles built into its structure? Ternary Software has developed and uses Holacracy, a business self-organization strategy http://www.holacracy.org/ http://www.ternarysoftware.com/ > I'm sure this is > the place to find people who hav been there and done > that! > > Warmly, > > Corinne Nelson > 719.237.0710 > corinne_lyne...@yahoo.com > * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist