You are right Michael -- the passage was taken out of context, and since the whole book is about High Performance in all dimensions, everything you mention (and more) is included. The logic I have followed is something like: High Performance occurs in human systems (towns, villages, families, countries, businesses, etc) when those systems are able (enabled) to function in a manner congruent with their essence (self-organizing). System function diminishes, and may cease, when arbitrary controls and structures are imposed. In other words we get seriously in trouble when we try to organize a self-organizing system. What happens in Open Space (I think) is that the system and all its constituent elements (that's us, folks) are able to be themselves. We don't have to organize it, we don't have to structure it, and we certainly can't control it. Seems to happen pretty much by itself. All of which makes it fun, productive, energetic, and spirit filled. I don't know that I would call it "doing self-organization" -- but BEING self-organization might be close.
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 Michael Herman Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2007 12:22 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Re: doing self-organization and harrison... looking back at your language about essentials, "the process of self organization can be enabled and sustained by paying careful attention to eight critical" ...it occurs to me that i'm not much interested in "the process of self-organization... enabling it... or sustaining it. more interested in enabling high performance, sustaining life in neighborhood communities, leading change in organization, or other purposes... but no doubt this issue is only popping up because this bit you've posted is taken out of context, so it's lost the links to these and all the other "good" things that we would ever want to invite. i imagine that high performance and the rest are already wrapped up inside of what you mean when you say 'self-organization' above. m On 5/24/07, Michael Herman <mich...@michaelherman.com> wrote: > hi doug, > > seems to me that your first question assumes halfway state. "if there > is such a thing as self-org" then leaves open the question of whether > or not there is anything else. once we notice that it is, AND is > everywhere, then the need for knowing or creating the conditions seems > to dissolve, maybe into harrison's beer. we need to know more, > perhaps, if we want to make a better beer, but probably not about the > "conditions" for refrigeration, but about refrigeration as the > condition for beer. so the conditions that matter are the conditions > for high performance or productive work. and when we ask that, i > think we can quickly dissolve most of what people say into what > happens in our principles and law and circle and invitation and... > > inviting, like marshall rosenberg's 'non-violent communication, > emphasizes choice. invitation is request for attention, not demand. > even in writing an invitation with a leader/sponsor, i'm not ever > trying to make the invitation go a certain way, but i do invite > attention (theirs) to focus on various bits of what i'm > hearing/sensing in them and their situation, exploring the 'rightness" > of these bits to see what dimensions of everything they'd like to > invite others to focus on with them. > > my two cents. > > m > > > > On 5/24/07, douglas germann <76066....@compuserve.com> wrote: > > Michael, Harrison, Joelle, Andrew, Pat, Raffi, and all-- > > > > (Sorry for the previous posting--somehow hit the send key before I was done.) > > > > Would you be interested in entertaining a couple of musing questions? > > > > If (some people in command and control mode might still use the word > > "if") there is such a thing as self organizing, what would be its > > conditions? > > > > This seems to be to be a fruitful inquiry, and it goes beyond > > our usual important, complex, diverse, conflict, immediacy list. > > For me it perhaps overlaps but is not precisely the same as > > Harrison's list of 8 essentials. > > > > For instance, is invitation necessary for self > > organizing? What level of freedom? What order of > > equality of the participants? Are there physical > > conditions? Or is it just two or more gathering? > > > > Closely related: What is the difference between trying to control what a > > group does and inviting? (Harrison, you hinted at this in a post today > > when you say "I believe that there is an infinitely better possibility > > through which we may discover deep ways to realize our full potential as > > human beings, as well as doing something very useful and good in the > > world.") Is it simply a matter of degree, or is the difference > > qualitative? > > > > For instance, when Birgitt writes of "givens," or I help > > someone write the theme for their invitation, we are > > consciously directing the attention of the participants > > to something we want to examine or change. So for > > instance, we are inviting people to make positive change > > in the area of X, or to explore the issues and > > opportunities of X, and this necessarily takes their > > attention off Y, Z, Q and J. > > > > :- Doug. > > > > * > > * > > ========================================================== > > 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 > > > > > -- > > Michael Herman > Michael Herman Associates > 300 West North Ave #1105 > Chicago IL 60610 USA > > phone: 312-280-7838 > email: mich...@michaelherman.com > skype: globalchicago > > http://www.michaelherman.com > http://www.openspaceworld.org > http://www.chicagoconservationcorps.org > -- Michael Herman Michael Herman Associates 300 West North Ave #1105 Chicago IL 60610 USA phone: 312-280-7838 email: mich...@michaelherman.com skype: globalchicago http://www.michaelherman.com http://www.openspaceworld.org http://www.chicagoconservationcorps.org * * ========================================================== 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