Greetings Thomas and Agneta: You might try using some appreciative questions to get started. You could give people a choice about which of the four topics they want to discuss and you put them into pairs to interview each other. Then those pairs share that with another 2 pairs and then they work in the group of 6 from question 3 onward:
1. Tell about a time when you saw [put the topic here - for example, self-organization and leadership at work], either something you tried and it worked well or something that someone else did with great success. What was happening? Why did it work? What was it that touched you? 2. In your own circumstances, how do you apply the principles that you saw at work? What are your own best strategies? 3. If your organization was displaying these principles, what would it look like? [You have a group of six and you ask them to draw a picture on a flip chart of what it would look like] 4. Using their picture, they create positive statements that creates a vision of their picture such as, "We are the organization that." 5. Then they create personal action plans based on what they have learned about the process. Thomas, this is basically an appreciative inquiry approach. Good luck with this. Esther From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Thomas Herrmann Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 7:20 AM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: [OSLIST] Questions about selforganization SWEDISH WORKSHOP NOV 28TH Importance: High - Forwarded message from my collegue Agneta Falk (and me;-)) - Hi listmembers, We are having a day in Sweden at the end of November on Selforganization and Open Space. Unfortunately, Harrison is unable to make it here, so we will carry it out among ourselves in the Swedish Open Space Institute, hopefully with the help of Larry Peterson on DVD and you wave-riding folks on the list. As inspiration, we plan to enlarge and post the answers to the questions below in the conference room under four headings: 1. Selforganization and leadership 2. Selforganization and high performance 3. Selforganization and the importance of conversation and storytelling. 4. Prerequisites for self organization: natural systems (Stuart Kaufmann) - human systems We would appreciate it very much if you would help us to elaborate on one or more of these concepts and are looking forward to receive answers from all over the world!! If you have time to answer within a week we would be very grateful (answers received before Nov. 26 will of course also be posted). MANY THANKS in advance! Agneta Falk & Thomas Hermann for the Swedish Open Space Institute * * ========================================================== 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