Birgitt, Thank you for your reply and your thoughts. The conversation format worked smoothly for me, even added a level of depth I would say.
I am fascinated by accountability/responsibility and how things shift with it. One question came up there: I’m not sure about the difference between accountability and responsibility – will you tell me how you see it? Kind regards, Thomas > On 21 Jul 2019, at 3.33, Birgitt Williams via OSList > <oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote: > > Dear Thomas, > Thank you for your thoughtful reply. > > You raised the following points/question and I am responding to this "One > thing came to mind from a managers perspective. I think of a challenge > regarding legal responsibility for the assets. If it’s my company, I take the > risk by myself. If I am hired as manager for a company owned by someone else > and thinking about self-management, I feel unsure about giving away > decision-making power while remaining legally responsible. I would like to > have the owners in on that conversation." > > Your concern about accountability for assets is similar to the dominant > concern that comes up for senior leaders. It is always the senior leader that > is held accountable for the performance of the organization and thus the > concern raised is inclusive of the concern about assets...it is about the > reality that their is personal accountability for performance. > > Following, I am writing as though we were having a conversation. I am not > certain how this will come across in email format. I invite you to imagine > that these are my replies within a conversation. > > The senior leader makes strategic choices, with or without the involvement of > the owners of the company, or in the case of the non-profit, with or without > the Board of Directors. If including the Board of Directors or owners, I > suggest presenting this as a strategy that you are recommending to accomplish > a particular business goal ie: increasing employee engagement, increasing the > health and well being of the organization, or other. > > There is wisdom in keeping authority linked with responsibility and > accountability. In my experience, when the question of sharing decision > making comes up, it is helpful to consider this triumvirate of > authority/responsibility/accountability including whether the authority and > accountability can be linked appropriately with whoever already has > responsibility for various aspects of the organization. It starts to make > sense to distribute the authority and accountability to achieve alignment > with responsibility. In our geographic area we have a wisdom that says 'it is > a fools errand to take on responsibility if you don't have the authority to > go with it to get the job done'. > > Okay, if we are this far along in the discussion and the thinking/reflecting > about this topic, you may be saying "Birgitt, I get all of that. Yet i still > feel nervous about sharing the decision making and what we have discussed > doesn't really help me". > > I would then introduce the concept of "givens" to you. It is the job of the > senior leader to determine the "givens" or non-negotiables that the senior > leader has decided upon. Working at the "givens" is one side of the task of > figuring out how much freedom you are giving the people within which to be > creative, innovative, and make decisions. As one Director said to me "in my > decades of career, getting honest with myself about the givens has been the > hardest work I have ever done. And now that it is done, and the givens are > communicated, and everyone is figuring out what they now have authority and > freedom for, this is amazing. My only regret is that I didn't do this sooner > in my career. When I defined the givens, for the first time I defined the > space within which I truly want the people to be free to be their best. I can > be accountable for our performance within this frame of 'givens' and the > clarity about the space I have opened up in my organization." > > Thomas, this is the best I can do to describe the ways forward beyond the > tension created about sharing decision making. I am not on the same page as > some of the others on this list about self organized systems. I experience > value in having formal leaders, and in having appropriate hierarchy to > getting the job done. I am very passionate about leadership that supports a > culture of leadership. > > kind regards, > Birgitt > > > > Birgitt Williams > Supporting Next Level Leadership "Leading So People Will Lead" > Author, Senior Consultant, President Dalar International Consultancy, Inc > <http://www.dalarinternational.com/> > Founder Genuine Contact Program > <http://www.dalarinternational.com/genuine-contact> > Co-owner Genuine Contact Group, LLC > <https://genuinecontact.net/about/co-owners/> > Founder Extraordinary Leadership Network > <http://www.extraordinaryleadershipnetwork.com/> > > Learn with us for your skill and capacity development for leading and working > in the new leadership paradigm "Leading So People Will Lead" > > Upcoming learning module: Working with Open Space Technology > <https://www.dalarinternational.com/curriculum/open-space-technology/>. Three > different learning options to learn a process for facilitating meetings that > engage the people. Self-Study + One-to-One Mentoring + Mentoring Circle; > Self-Study + Real-Time Workshop + Mentoring Circle; and Self-Study + > Real-Time Workshop + One-to-One Mentoring + Mentoring Circle with real time > workshop dates three consecutive Fridays from 9am to 12:30pm EST on October > 18, 25, and November 1st. > > PO Box 19373, Raleigh, NC, USA 27613 > Phone: 01-919-522-7750 > > > On Sat, Jul 20, 2019 at 11:18 AM Thomas Perret via OSList > <oslist@lists.openspacetech.org <mailto:oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>> > wrote: > Birgitt, > > This seems spot on regarding lasting change, I liked it a lot. > > "The answer has consistently been about the leadership capacity of the > leadership team to lead an organization of people who are engaged in the ways > that were visible in the OST meeting. This is a vulnerable conversation to be > having and I feel a lot of respect for the leaders and the discussion.” > > I read your whole mail aloud to a friend and this part touched me especially. > > One thing came to mind from a managers perspective. I think of a challenge > regarding legal responsibility for the assets. If it’s my company, I take the > risk by myself. If I am hired as manager for a company owned by someone else > and thinking about self-management, I feel unsure about giving away > decision-making power while remaining legally responsible. I would like to > have the owners in on that conversation. > > Has something like this come up for you? If yes, will you say something about > it? > > Kindly, > Thomas Perret > > > > The answer has consistently been about the leadership capacity of the > leadership team to lead an organization of people who are engaged in the ways > that were visible in the OST meeting. This is a vulnerable conversation to be > having and I feel a lot of respect for the leaders and the discussion. > >> On 19 Jul 2019, at 4.07, Birgitt Williams via OSList >> <oslist@lists.openspacetech.org <mailto:oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>> >> wrote: >> >> Dear friends and colleagues in Open Space, >> When you facilitate an OST meeting in an organization, it is the formal >> leader who opens the space inside his/her organization for this meeting to >> take place. Whether the leader feels well versed in what OST is or is simply >> going along with something that has been recommended, that person has an >> experience that is also a big opportunity...for the single leader and/or the >> leadership team. >> >> If you also recognize the wonderful opportunity in front of this leader as >> you have discussions with the leader and leadership team, you may be >> interested in the five self study modules that our team is calling our Next >> Level Leadership learning track >> <https://www.dalarinternational.com/curriculum/next-level-leadership/>. The >> five modules are designed for just such a leader to go through in a self >> study mode to encourage some of the thinking that is important to lead an >> organization within the new leadership paradigm within which OST fits >> "Leading So People Will Lead". >> >> Since 1992 I have been fascinated by what happens when formal leaders >> including leadership teams sponsor and experience an Open Space Technology >> meeting in their workplace. There are a few different story lines that >> emerged. First, it is important to share with you that within how we teach >> about Working with Open Space Technology in our Genuine Contact program, we >> encourage facilitators of the OST meeting to have a 'debrief meeting' with >> these leaders (the sponsors). The questions we ask in the debrief meeting >> are kept simple and are intended for heightening learning from the shared >> experience of having been in an OST meeting. Yes, simple action-reflection >> learning. >> >> In my experience, OST always works. And always, the quality and quantity of >> outcomes surpasses all expectations. So...that is part of what is reflected >> on during the debrief meeting. Within an OST meeting, there is always the >> experience of leadership popping up by just about everyone; people stating >> that they experience a shared vision during the meeting; a real sense of >> community with good communication throughout; and self management within the >> container created. This is also discussed in the debrief meeting. Then comes >> the question that for me is of utmost importance. Here it is "During the OST >> meeting, you experienced exceptional performance by the people who >> participated as you have just discussed. If you are not getting that >> exceptional performance every day, would you like to?". >> >> Silence is the first response. >> The second response is "no, this is not our daily experience" >> Then comes the discussion of "we want this in our daily experience BUT we >> are not ready". I reply "you say you want exceptional performance. Your >> people have shown you within the OST meeting that they are capable of >> exceptional performance already. If you are not having this exceptional >> performance on a daily lived basis and you want it, what is it you are not >> ready for?" >> >> The answer has consistently been about the leadership capacity of the >> leadership team to lead an organization of people who are engaged in the >> ways that were visible in the OST meeting. This is a vulnerable conversation >> to be having and I feel a lot of respect for the leaders and the discussion. >> >> My personal favorite outcome of the discussion is the leader (leadership >> team) expressing an interest in developing personal and group leadership >> capacity so that they can successfully lead an organization with a >> participatory architecture along the same lines as the participatory >> architecture of the OST meeting. >> >> Initially I proceeded with these leaders by teaching them how to work with >> OST to get the most harvest out of an OST meeting and to structure their >> organization to allow as much freedom and choice as possible. I realized >> that something was missing. I had jumped ahead too quickly. Just because the >> leader (leadership team) stated willingness, there are steps to take between >> that stated willingness and feeling ready and engaged in thinking and >> working in a more expanded concept of leadership. >> >> Now when those leaders (leadership teams) say they are willing to lead >> their organizations as a culture of leadership, the kind of culture that >> needs a participatory architecture with lots of use of OST meetings....we >> have them go through what we call our Next Level Leadership learning track >> <https://www.dalarinternational.com/curriculum/next-level-leadership/>. They >> can do these five modules as self study with lots of reflection about their >> thoughts about leadership...and then have a one to one (or group) mentoring >> session to have a conversation about what they are thinking regarding >> leadership. >> >> Placing this learning track in their hands assists them with discernment >> about leading for the leadership paradigm of "Leading So People Will Lead"; >> assists them in readiness and developing a plan for their readiness; and >> assists them with engaging in the development needed for what is a very >> challenging leadership role...well worth it, but challenging. >> >> I hope that this has piqued your interest about one way to help leaders who >> are interested in leading for the kind of performance they experience in an >> OST meeting. This has been a passion of mine for a long long time...and I am >> very pleased with what happens when leaders take the time to go through this >> self study. Shift happens. >> >> in genuine contact, >> Birgitt >> >> Birgitt Williams >> Supporting Next Level Leadership "Leading So People Will Lead" >> Author, Senior Consultant, President Dalar International Consultancy, Inc >> <http://www.dalarinternational.com/> >> Founder Genuine Contact Program >> <http://www.dalarinternational.com/genuine-contact> >> Co-owner Genuine Contact Group, LLC >> <https://genuinecontact.net/about/co-owners/> >> Founder Extraordinary Leadership Network >> <http://www.extraordinaryleadershipnetwork.com/> >> >> Learn with us for your skill and capacity development for leading and >> working in the new leadership paradigm "Leading So People Will Lead" >> >> Upcoming learning module: Working with Open Space Technology >> <https://www.dalarinternational.com/curriculum/open-space-technology/>. >> Three different learning options to learn a process for facilitating >> meetings that engage the people. Self-Study + One-to-One Mentoring + >> Mentoring Circle; Self-Study + Real-Time Workshop + Mentoring Circle; and >> Self-Study + Real-Time Workshop + One-to-One Mentoring + Mentoring Circle >> with real time workshop dates three consecutive Fridays from 9am to 12:30pm >> EST on October 18, 25, and November 1st. >> >> PO Box 19373, Raleigh, NC, USA 27613 >> Phone: 01-919-522-7750 >> _______________________________________________ >> OSList mailing list >> To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org >> <mailto:OSList@lists.openspacetech.org> >> To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org >> <mailto:oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org> >> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: >> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org >> <http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org> >> Past archives can be viewed here: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org > <mailto:OSList@lists.openspacetech.org> > To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org > <mailto:oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org> > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > <http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org> > Past archives can be viewed here: > http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org > <http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org>_______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org > To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > Past archives can be viewed here: > http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org
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