Re: [OSList] Fall / Spring Reflections

[Robert Chaffe via OSList]

Harrison
I also am challenged by change at the end of a very cold winter and the
onset of Spring.  The colour is returning with the flowering of the wattle
closely followed,today, by the fruit trees bursting with expectation and
the hum of the busy bees.

For me it is the reminder that a critical element in all (human) systems is
"respect". Beginning with self and then the system.

Self:  I can change I have the power to change, to do this I must
respect/use the gifts I have.

The system:  Thrives on diversity, respecting this diversity will ensure
sustainability - or in simple terms:
There Is more than one way,
Nothing/ no one is beyond change,
Life Is change,
Respect self and respect others,
Respect (embrace) change and
Live.


Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" captures the essence of change in the
seasons and more
"O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn’s being,
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead Are driven, like ghosts
from an enchanter fleeing, Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,
Pestilence-stricken multitudes:
O thou, Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed The wingèd seeds, where
they lie cold and low, Each like a corpse within its grave, until Thine
azure sister of the Spring shall blow Her clarion o’er the dreaming earth,
and fill (Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air) With living hues
and odours plain and hill: Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere;
Destroyer and Preserver; hear, O hear..."

"









*Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is:
What if my leaves are falling like its own!
The tumult of thy mighty harmonies

Will take from both a deep, autumnal tone,
Sweet though in sadness. Be thou, Spirit fierce,
My spirit! Be thou me, impetuous one!

Drive my dead thoughts over the universe
Like withered leaves to quicken a new birth!
And, by the incantation of this verse,

Scatter, as from an unextinguished hearth
Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!
Be through my lips to unawakened Earth

The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?**"*


Regards
Rob

On 31 Aug 2015, at 5:16 am, Harrison via OSList <
oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

There comes a moment here in Maine when the season turns. It is not a
gentle, creep up on you quietly, sort of thing. It is an all at once, very
suddenly, kind of thing. There is a change in the light, a different smell
on the wind, a chill on the air. Fall. It’s here. Ending. Beginning. Now.



A time of reflections.



It has taken me a lifetime of living. But. I have learned two things, or
maybe better, come to two conclusions. 1) All Systems are open. 2) All
systems are self organizing.



*All Systems are Open* is a complicated way of saying that everything is
connected, including all the things that aren’t really a “thing,” which we
don’t even know about. The net result is an infinite complexity which is
completely unthinkable. And what you can’t think, you surely can’t control.
So much for THAT vain hope.



*All Systems are self Organizing* -- I know of no way of actually proving
this one, but it does seem a natural concomitant of the first conclusion.
If you find yourself in an infinitely complex and interconnected
environment, where nobody is, or can be, in control, such systems as are
there, must have pretty well gotten themselves together all by themselves.
Of course there are a number of people who are sure that God did it, and
personally I don’t have any real problem with that. But ascribing it all to
divine agency doesn’t help us very much. We still don’t have much control
and the systems around us, including those we think we organized, have a
source other than our selves.



Life under the conditions described above (Open, Self Organizing Systems)
can seem a little peculiar to some people, but it is not so much irrational
as different. Certain “strange” things always seem to happen. For example,
Whoever comes are the right people, whatever happens is the only thing that
could have, wherever it happens is the right place, whenever it happens is
the right time, and when it is over it is over. Always works out  that way,
so I’ve found.



All this appears conducive to a very passive existence. Not much for us to
do. And the truth of the matter is that doing less always seems to
accomplish a great deal more. That said, there is one thing that we really
have to do. Follow the Law of Two Feet! Strange sort of law which says – If
ever you find yourself in a situation in which you are neither learning or
contributing, you must move your two feet until you find yourself a new
place where you can do the one, the other, or preferably, both. In a few
words: Follow your passion and take responsibility for it.



It took 80 years. Fun!



Harrison























Winter Address

7808 River Falls Drive

Potomac, MD 20854

301-365-2093



Summer Address

189 Beaucaire Ave.

Camden, ME 04843

207-763-3261



Websites

www.openspaceworld.com 

Re: [OSList] Inviting non-invitation

[David Osborne via OSList]

Building on the constraints conversation.Another lens I look at this same
dynamic through is control. When leaders are establishing constraints they
are often doing so to try to control the situation or outcome. When control
is to tight it inhibits the innovation and emergence that can flow form
self-organization. Similarly no boundaries can leave a system to loose for
self-organization to coalesce around emerging innovation and so cohesion is
less likely.

My thoughts along the way.

Enjoying the conversation.

David

On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 5:58 PM, Harrison via OSList <
oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

> Here’s a thought... Space/time is infinite, defined by our minds, and
> limited by our imagination. So “constraints” are only what you make them
> out to be. AND... it is always nice to have as much “space/time” as
> possible. A “genuine invitation” creates a LOT of space/time.
>
>
>
> Ho
>
>
>
> Winter Address
>
> 7808 River Falls Drive
>
> Potomac, MD 20854
>
> 301-365-2093
>
>
>
> Summer Address
>
> 189 Beaucaire Ave.
>
> Camden, ME 04843
>
> 207-763-3261
>
>
>
> Websites
>
> www.openspaceworld.com 
>
> www.ho-image.com
>
> OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives
> of OSLIST Go to:
> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>
>
>
> *From:* OSList [mailto:oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org] *On Behalf
> Of *Michael Herman via OSList
> *Sent:* Tuesday, September 01, 2015 1:15 PM
> *To:* Chris Corrigan; World wide Open Space Technology email list
> *Subject:* Re: [OSList] Inviting non-invitation
>
>
>
> People who write sonnets accept constraints.  monks and nuns accept
> constraints.  Musicians accept constraints.  Athletes accept constraints.
> People who live on islands accept constraints.  The idea here is that in
> accepting sometimes extremely limiting constraints, you are forced to go
> deeper in your work.  AS a manager if you also offer invitations into a
> constrained space, you may indeed create the conditions for some amazing
> things to happen.  “You have $3000 to work with on your prototype, but you
> have to work with two other people and get it done in two days.  Do you
> accept this invitation?  OK! Go!”
>
>
>
> yes!  and there is the chance to notice that there can be a difference
> between a manager imposing random constraints versus clearly articulating
> and/or translating the constraints that ARE already existing in the
> environment.  there is also the possibility for managers to overreact in
> the transmitting of environment to system, to editorialize and use outside
> forces as excuses for imposing constraints.  people can opt in to
> constraints that are randomly or otherwise badly articulated, but i think
> the ideal to strive for is the very cleanest transmission of the bigger
> picture environmental constraints.  the practice of invitation is a kind of
> search for truth(s) about what is.
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Michael Herman
> Michael Herman Associates
> http://MichaelHerman.com
> http://OpenSpaceWorld.org
>
>
>
> On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 12:03 PM, Chris Corrigan via OSList <
> oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
>
> My pithy statement about how self-organization works was not meant to be a
> tossed off reduction, but rather it has important consequences for managing.
>
>
>
> Enabling constraints can indeed be very rigid.  And in accepting the
> invitation to step into that container, one can make a conscious choice to
> confront the stress and see what comes of it.  Deadlines, limited
> resources, restrictive mandates, policies and procedures are all
> constraints that are “forced’ upon people at work.  As a manager you can
> always frame these as an invitation: “your mission, should you choose to
> accept it, is…”  As a participant you can choose to accept it. Or not.
>
>
>
> People who write sonnets accept constraints.  monks and nuns accept
> constraints.  Musicians accept constraints.  Athletes accept constraints.
> People who live on islands accept constraints.  The idea here is that in
> accepting sometimes extremely limiting constraints, you are forced to go
> deeper in your work.  AS a manager if you also offer invitations into a
> constrained space, you may indeed create the conditions for some amazing
> things to happen.  “You have $3000 to work with on your prototype, but you
> have to work with two other people and get it done in two days.  Do you
> accept this invitation?  OK! Go!”
>
>
>
> The truly magnificent Open Space gatherings I have been a part of in my
> life have had a clear set of constraints (sometimes rigid and narrow,
> sometimes broad but still defined, as in “we are talking about anything you
> want, but if if you want to stop doing social services and start building
> Volvos, that isn’t going to make it into the plan…”) and a clear
> invitation.  Good invitations are both attractors AND boundaries.  They
> require intention to accept them; buy-

Re: [OSList] Inviting non-invitation

[Michael Herman via OSList]

>
> it is always nice to have as much “space/time” as possible. A “genuine
> invitation” creates a LOT of space/time.



!!!

...which would seem to argue for articulating as clearly as possible any
REAL constraints in the environment, but not, as a manager, imposing
additional constraints cooked up for your own convenience or comfort
 and maximizing the direct connection between the people and the
larger(est) environment they are working in.  and, yes, then the natural
thing is to dig into just how real those REAL constraints actually are or
need to be.  





--

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
http://MichaelHerman.com
http://OpenSpaceWorld.org


On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 4:58 PM, Harrison  wrote:

> Here’s a thought... Space/time is infinite, defined by our minds, and
> limited by our imagination. So “constraints” are only what you make them
> out to be. AND... it is always nice to have as much “space/time” as
> possible. A “genuine invitation” creates a LOT of space/time.
>
>
>
> Ho
>
>
>
> Winter Address
>
> 7808 River Falls Drive
>
> Potomac, MD 20854
>
> 301-365-2093
>
>
>
> Summer Address
>
> 189 Beaucaire Ave.
>
> Camden, ME 04843
>
> 207-763-3261
>
>
>
> Websites
>
> www.openspaceworld.com 
>
> www.ho-image.com
>
> OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives
> of OSLIST Go to:
> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>
>
>
> *From:* OSList [mailto:oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org] *On Behalf
> Of *Michael Herman via OSList
> *Sent:* Tuesday, September 01, 2015 1:15 PM
> *To:* Chris Corrigan; World wide Open Space Technology email list
> *Subject:* Re: [OSList] Inviting non-invitation
>
>
>
> People who write sonnets accept constraints.  monks and nuns accept
> constraints.  Musicians accept constraints.  Athletes accept constraints.
> People who live on islands accept constraints.  The idea here is that in
> accepting sometimes extremely limiting constraints, you are forced to go
> deeper in your work.  AS a manager if you also offer invitations into a
> constrained space, you may indeed create the conditions for some amazing
> things to happen.  “You have $3000 to work with on your prototype, but you
> have to work with two other people and get it done in two days.  Do you
> accept this invitation?  OK! Go!”
>
>
>
> yes!  and there is the chance to notice that there can be a difference
> between a manager imposing random constraints versus clearly articulating
> and/or translating the constraints that ARE already existing in the
> environment.  there is also the possibility for managers to overreact in
> the transmitting of environment to system, to editorialize and use outside
> forces as excuses for imposing constraints.  people can opt in to
> constraints that are randomly or otherwise badly articulated, but i think
> the ideal to strive for is the very cleanest transmission of the bigger
> picture environmental constraints.  the practice of invitation is a kind of
> search for truth(s) about what is.
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Michael Herman
> Michael Herman Associates
> http://MichaelHerman.com
> http://OpenSpaceWorld.org
>
>
>
> On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 12:03 PM, Chris Corrigan via OSList <
> oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
>
> My pithy statement about how self-organization works was not meant to be a
> tossed off reduction, but rather it has important consequences for managing.
>
>
>
> Enabling constraints can indeed be very rigid.  And in accepting the
> invitation to step into that container, one can make a conscious choice to
> confront the stress and see what comes of it.  Deadlines, limited
> resources, restrictive mandates, policies and procedures are all
> constraints that are “forced’ upon people at work.  As a manager you can
> always frame these as an invitation: “your mission, should you choose to
> accept it, is…”  As a participant you can choose to accept it. Or not.
>
>
>
> People who write sonnets accept constraints.  monks and nuns accept
> constraints.  Musicians accept constraints.  Athletes accept constraints.
> People who live on islands accept constraints.  The idea here is that in
> accepting sometimes extremely limiting constraints, you are forced to go
> deeper in your work.  AS a manager if you also offer invitations into a
> constrained space, you may indeed create the conditions for some amazing
> things to happen.  “You have $3000 to work with on your prototype, but you
> have to work with two other people and get it done in two days.  Do you
> accept this invitation?  OK! Go!”
>
>
>
> The truly magnificent Open Space gatherings I have been a part of in my
> life have had a clear set of constraints (sometimes rigid and narrow,
> sometimes broad but still defined, as in “we are talking about anything you
> want, but if if you want to stop doing social services and start building
> Volvos, that isn’t going to make it into the plan…”) and a clear
> invitation.

Re: [OSList] Inviting non-invitation

[Harrison via OSList]

Here’s a thought... Space/time is infinite, defined by our minds, and limited 
by our imagination. So “constraints” are only what you make them out to be. 
AND... it is always nice to have as much “space/time” as possible. A “genuine 
invitation” creates a LOT of space/time.

 

Ho

 

Winter Address

7808 River Falls Drive

Potomac, MD 20854

301-365-2093

 

Summer Address

189 Beaucaire Ave.

Camden, ME 04843

207-763-3261

 

Websites

www.openspaceworld.com

www.ho-image.com

OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of 
OSLIST Go 
to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org

 

From: OSList [mailto:oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of 
Michael Herman via OSList
Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2015 1:15 PM
To: Chris Corrigan; World wide Open Space Technology email list
Subject: Re: [OSList] Inviting non-invitation

 

People who write sonnets accept constraints.  monks and nuns accept 
constraints.  Musicians accept constraints.  Athletes accept constraints.  
People who live on islands accept constraints.  The idea here is that in 
accepting sometimes extremely limiting constraints, you are forced to go deeper 
in your work.  AS a manager if you also offer invitations into a constrained 
space, you may indeed create the conditions for some amazing things to happen.  
“You have $3000 to work with on your prototype, but you have to work with two 
other people and get it done in two days.  Do you accept this invitation?  OK! 
Go!”

 

yes!  and there is the chance to notice that there can be a difference between 
a manager imposing random constraints versus clearly articulating and/or 
translating the constraints that ARE already existing in the environment.  
there is also the possibility for managers to overreact in the transmitting of 
environment to system, to editorialize and use outside forces as excuses for 
imposing constraints.  people can opt in to constraints that are randomly or 
otherwise badly articulated, but i think the ideal to strive for is the very 
cleanest transmission of the bigger picture environmental constraints.  the 
practice of invitation is a kind of search for truth(s) about what is.

 




 
--

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
http://MichaelHerman.com
http://OpenSpaceWorld.org

 

On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 12:03 PM, Chris Corrigan via OSList 
 wrote:

My pithy statement about how self-organization works was not meant to be a 
tossed off reduction, but rather it has important consequences for managing.

 

Enabling constraints can indeed be very rigid.  And in accepting the invitation 
to step into that container, one can make a conscious choice to confront the 
stress and see what comes of it.  Deadlines, limited resources, restrictive 
mandates, policies and procedures are all constraints that are “forced’ upon 
people at work.  As a manager you can always frame these as an invitation: 
“your mission, should you choose to accept it, is…”  As a participant you can 
choose to accept it. Or not.

 

People who write sonnets accept constraints.  monks and nuns accept 
constraints.  Musicians accept constraints.  Athletes accept constraints.  
People who live on islands accept constraints.  The idea here is that in 
accepting sometimes extremely limiting constraints, you are forced to go deeper 
in your work.  AS a manager if you also offer invitations into a constrained 
space, you may indeed create the conditions for some amazing things to happen.  
“You have $3000 to work with on your prototype, but you have to work with two 
other people and get it done in two days.  Do you accept this invitation?  OK! 
Go!”

 

The truly magnificent Open Space gatherings I have been a part of in my life 
have had a clear set of constraints (sometimes rigid and narrow, sometimes 
broad but still defined, as in “we are talking about anything you want, but if 
if you want to stop doing social services and start building Volvos, that isn’t 
going to make it into the plan…”) and a clear invitation.  Good invitations are 
both attractors AND boundaries.  They require intention to accept them; buy-in, 
if you will.  Peter Block says that a good invitation contains a barrier…people 
have to work to accept it.  They have to prioritize it to participate.  When 
those conditions are in place, “Whoever comes are the right people” loses all 
of its sometimes fatalistic tone: we don’t merely accept folks with a shrug and 
a “I guess this is the best we could do.”  Instead we see participants as folks 
who have decided to give something up in order to be there.  And that sharpens 
our attention to one another, creates the conditions for mutual respect and 
engagement, and gives creative and powerful conversations a real chance.

 

By contrast imposing an invitation and constraints on people rarely works.  An 
invitation that uses a sexy door prize with a genuine attractor is a bribe: 
“come to this conversation you don’t want

Re: [OSList] Inviting non-invitation

[Ron Quartel via OSList]

One other story comes to mind. I have a Libyan friend who grew up under
Gaddafi and managed to flee Libya as an adult. I met him when working in
England. I asked him what it was like to live in Libya and was shocked at
the answer - "There was more freedom". I countered with, "But you can't
leave" and he explained that he disliked Gaddafi as did most of the country
but Gadaffi imposed few rules. The rules that were imposed were extreme but
there were vastly fewer rules there than he found in the west / England. He
felt there was a greater freedom inside the fewer but stricter Libyan
constraints than inside the more but less strict constraints of English
life. Interesting.

Freedom comes in shades of grey. It's not black and white.

Part of the magic that OST brings I feel is the right balance between
constraints and freedom. Self-organization seems to thrive with the
presence of some constraints, but not too many.

I like your point Daniel about experimentation and probably why my own
experience of enforcement was a success - because essentially it had the
constraints of an experiment. With that in mind, is it therefore OK to
enforce a change as a benevolent dictator (e.g. CEO, manager) if you are
wise enough to treat the change as an experiment and communicate thus?


Ron Quartel

FAST Agile




On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 9:03 AM, Michael Herman 
wrote:

> it occurs to me that one difference between what we're calling force or
> imposition or non-invitation on the one hand and invitation on the other,
> might be the number of people in whose interest an actor is working.  even
> the "bad" guys named we working in more than their own personal self
> interest, were passionate about something and took responsibility for it,
> but maybe they were working for too small a group.  or they were working
> too hard, overestimating what they knew about the interests of others.
>
> in every single act, from pouring a cup of tea to arising at the edge of
> the circle to post an issue on up to taking over a country, there is some
> desire as an individual to have some effect on the environment which
> includes a number of other people.  more and less impact, yes.  more or
> fewer people, yes.  more direct and indirect effects, yes.  but always we
> are changing the environment.  there is also a need to be listening to the
> environment, letting it change us.  in this way, non-invitation is action
> that refuses to listen.
>
> this reminds me of the tibetan teacher's story about sitting on the top of
> a hill at night, taking in the whole vastness of the night sky and still
> being able to hear the dog barking at the house at the bottom of the hill.
>  these different awarenesses are sometimes called big mind and small mind,
> non-local and local.  the teaching is that big mind isn't better than small
> mind, it's the going back and forth that strengthens us.
>
> i think it is the same with passion and responsibility, action and
> invitation, self-interest and others-interest, learning and contributing,
> and so on... it's the going back and forth that strengthens us... as we
> learn to do both at the same time, like when we ask a question for learning
> that changes the direction of the conversation and people say afterward
> "this question was a great contribution to our progress."
>
> it seems what the aikido teaching points to is similar in the sense of not
> opposing, but not surrendering either.
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Michael Herman
> Michael Herman Associates
> http://MichaelHerman.com
> http://OpenSpaceWorld.org
>
>
> On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 10:22 AM, Ron Quartel via OSList <
> oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
>
>> This debate happens in the world of agile also. Specifically when we talk
>> about Extreme Programming over Scrum. Should a team be told to do the
>> Extreme Programming practices or do we invite them to try them is a debate
>> that rages again and again. (Extreme programming is a very disciplined way
>> of developing software while scrum prescribes no disciplines.)
>>
>> The challenge with Extreme Programming is that the practices are counter
>> intuitive and many will find them distasteful. E.g. why do I have to pair
>> program with a junior developer? That will slow me down and we will get
>> less work done.
>>
>> I don't claim to have an answer to force vs. invite but I can share my
>> story on how I came to love Extreme Programming (XP).
>>
>> XP was forced on my dev team. We were given a new dev manager who said we
>> are going to do XP. If you didn't like it you can use the law of two feet
>> to leave the company. (Not those words exactly but I'm sure you get the
>> drift.) Now I loved the team I was with, the place I worked and the work we
>> were doing but absolutely hated XP. But I promised to give it six months
>> and if the team had not decided that XP was a load of rubbish and were
>> still doing it after 6 months I will leave and find another job where
>> sanity still rained. I hated everyth

Re: [OSList] Inviting non-invitation

[Michael Herman via OSList]

>
> People who write sonnets accept constraints.  monks and nuns accept
> constraints.  Musicians accept constraints.  Athletes accept constraints.
> People who live on islands accept constraints.  The idea here is that in
> accepting sometimes extremely limiting constraints, you are forced to go
> deeper in your work.  AS a manager if you also offer invitations into a
> constrained space, you may indeed create the conditions for some amazing
> things to happen.  “You have $3000 to work with on your prototype, but you
> have to work with two other people and get it done in two days.  Do you
> accept this invitation?  OK! Go!”


yes!  and there is the chance to notice that there can be a difference
between a manager imposing random constraints versus clearly articulating
and/or translating the constraints that ARE already existing in the
environment.  there is also the possibility for managers to overreact in
the transmitting of environment to system, to editorialize and use outside
forces as excuses for imposing constraints.  people can opt in to
constraints that are randomly or otherwise badly articulated, but i think
the ideal to strive for is the very cleanest transmission of the bigger
picture environmental constraints.  the practice of invitation is a kind of
search for truth(s) about what is.



--

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
http://MichaelHerman.com
http://OpenSpaceWorld.org


On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 12:03 PM, Chris Corrigan via OSList <
oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

> My pithy statement about how self-organization works was not meant to be a
> tossed off reduction, but rather it has important consequences for managing.
>
> Enabling constraints can indeed be very rigid.  And in accepting the
> invitation to step into that container, one can make a conscious choice to
> confront the stress and see what comes of it.  Deadlines, limited
> resources, restrictive mandates, policies and procedures are all
> constraints that are “forced’ upon people at work.  As a manager you can
> always frame these as an invitation: “your mission, should you choose to
> accept it, is…”  As a participant you can choose to accept it. Or not.
>
> People who write sonnets accept constraints.  monks and nuns accept
> constraints.  Musicians accept constraints.  Athletes accept constraints.
> People who live on islands accept constraints.  The idea here is that in
> accepting sometimes extremely limiting constraints, you are forced to go
> deeper in your work.  AS a manager if you also offer invitations into a
> constrained space, you may indeed create the conditions for some amazing
> things to happen.  “You have $3000 to work with on your prototype, but you
> have to work with two other people and get it done in two days.  Do you
> accept this invitation?  OK! Go!”
>
> The truly magnificent Open Space gatherings I have been a part of in my
> life have had a clear set of constraints (sometimes rigid and narrow,
> sometimes broad but still defined, as in “we are talking about anything you
> want, but if if you want to stop doing social services and start building
> Volvos, that isn’t going to make it into the plan…”) and a clear
> invitation.  Good invitations are both attractors AND boundaries.  They
> require intention to accept them; buy-in, if you will.  Peter Block says
> that a good invitation contains a barrier…people have to work to accept
> it.  They have to prioritize it to participate.  When those conditions are
> in place, “Whoever comes are the right people” loses all of its sometimes
> fatalistic tone: we don’t merely accept folks with a shrug and a “I guess
> this is the best we could do.”  Instead we see participants as folks who
> have decided to give something up in order to be there.  And that sharpens
> our attention to one another, creates the conditions for mutual respect and
> engagement, and gives creative and powerful conversations a real chance.
>
> By contrast imposing an invitation and constraints on people rarely
> works.  An invitation that uses a sexy door prize with a genuine attractor
> is a bribe: “come to this conversation you don’t want to have and win an
> iPad!".  And invitation that forces people to show up because “that’s what
> I’m paying you for” is coercion.
>
> When Michael Herman and I did trainings years ago, the training guide he
> put together had this Kurt Hahn quote on the cover: "There are three ways
> of trying to win the young. There is persuasion. There is compulsion and
> there is attraction. You can preach at them; that is a hook without a worm.
> You can say "you must volunteer." That is the devil. And you can tell them,
> "you are needed" that hardly ever fails.”  This is good advice.
>
> It’s easy, when your system is already command and control, to end up
> doing things like badly.  The art of invitation IS the art of Open Space.
> It’s a good practice to learn.
>
> Chris
>
>
> On Sep 1, 2015, at 9:19 AM, Daniel Mezick via OSList <
> oslist@list

Re: [OSList] Inviting non-invitation

[Chris Corrigan via OSList]

My pithy statement about how self-organization works was not meant to be a 
tossed off reduction, but rather it has important consequences for managing.

Enabling constraints can indeed be very rigid.  And in accepting the invitation 
to step into that container, one can make a conscious choice to confront the 
stress and see what comes of it.  Deadlines, limited resources, restrictive 
mandates, policies and procedures are all constraints that are “forced’ upon 
people at work.  As a manager you can always frame these as an invitation: 
“your mission, should you choose to accept it, is…”  As a participant you can 
choose to accept it. Or not.

People who write sonnets accept constraints.  monks and nuns accept 
constraints.  Musicians accept constraints.  Athletes accept constraints.  
People who live on islands accept constraints.  The idea here is that in 
accepting sometimes extremely limiting constraints, you are forced to go deeper 
in your work.  AS a manager if you also offer invitations into a constrained 
space, you may indeed create the conditions for some amazing things to happen.  
“You have $3000 to work with on your prototype, but you have to work with two 
other people and get it done in two days.  Do you accept this invitation?  OK! 
Go!”

The truly magnificent Open Space gatherings I have been a part of in my life 
have had a clear set of constraints (sometimes rigid and narrow, sometimes 
broad but still defined, as in “we are talking about anything you want, but if 
if you want to stop doing social services and start building Volvos, that isn’t 
going to make it into the plan…”) and a clear invitation.  Good invitations are 
both attractors AND boundaries.  They require intention to accept them; buy-in, 
if you will.  Peter Block says that a good invitation contains a barrier…people 
have to work to accept it.  They have to prioritize it to participate.  When 
those conditions are in place, “Whoever comes are the right people” loses all 
of its sometimes fatalistic tone: we don’t merely accept folks with a shrug and 
a “I guess this is the best we could do.”  Instead we see participants as folks 
who have decided to give something up in order to be there.  And that sharpens 
our attention to one another, creates the conditions for mutual respect and 
engagement, and gives creative and powerful conversations a real chance.

By contrast imposing an invitation and constraints on people rarely works.  An 
invitation that uses a sexy door prize with a genuine attractor is a bribe: 
“come to this conversation you don’t want to have and win an iPad!".  And 
invitation that forces people to show up because “that’s what I’m paying you 
for” is coercion.  

When Michael Herman and I did trainings years ago, the training guide he put 
together had this Kurt Hahn quote on the cover: "There are three ways of trying 
to win the young. There is persuasion. There is compulsion and there is 
attraction. You can preach at them; that is a hook without a worm. You can say 
"you must volunteer." That is the devil. And you can tell them, "you are 
needed" that hardly ever fails.”  This is good advice.

It’s easy, when your system is already command and control, to end up doing 
things like badly.  The art of invitation IS the art of Open Space. It’s a good 
practice to learn.

Chris


> On Sep 1, 2015, at 9:19 AM, Daniel Mezick via OSList 
>  wrote:
> 
> Ron, 
> 
> So interesting: 
> 
> You wrote one thing below, and that said, I know you mean you'd stay if it 
> actually worked:
> 
> "But I promised to give it six months and if the team had not decided that XP 
> was a load of rubbish and were still doing it after 6 months I will leave and 
> find another job where sanity still rained. "
> 
> 
> 
> Freedom
> ---
> 
> The key is freedom. The key (I think) is that YOUR commitment was to an 
> "experiment for 6 months", not "a forced march until further notice"  at 
> least in your mind. In your mind you were (and are) free...to "Law-of-2-Feet 
> it" out of there !
> 
> And so this is some small part of the (freedom) key: make a 
> 
> "a commitment to experiment" and then to 
> "inspect results" and then 
> "throw away what is not working" and 
> "keep doing what is working and do more of that" and 
> "do more experiments." 
> 
> In other words, to actually implement Agile ideas in an Agile way. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "Until Further Notice"
> -
> 
> Last time I checked, typical Agile adoptions are of the forced-march, "until 
> further notice" variety. Hello?
> 
> Let's see: If the "until further notice" style of Agile adoption actually 
> worked, then (in theory at least) we could now joyfully point to tens of 
> thousands of verifiable, happy, healthy, whole, genuine, authentic, 
> high-engagement Agile adoptions. Right? It would so be easy to locate ten 
> thousand of them...if it actually worked in the long run
> 
> Houston...we have a problem? 
> 
> 
> 
> Committing to Emergence  (

Re: [OSList] Inviting non-invitation

[Daniel Mezick via OSList]

Ron,

So interesting:

You wrote one thing below, and that said, I know you mean you'd _*stay*_ 
if it actually worked:


"But I promised to give it six months and if the team *had _not_ 
decided* that XP was a load of rubbish and were still doing it after 6 
months *I will leave* and find another job where sanity still rained. "




Freedom
---

The key is freedom. The key (I think) is that YOUR commitment was to an 
"experiment for 6 months", not "a forced march until further notice" 
 at least in _/your/_ mind. In your mind you were (and are) 
*/free/*...to "Law-of-2-Feet it" out of there !


And so this is some small part of the (freedom) key: make a 

 * "a commitment to experiment" and then to
 * "inspect results" and then
 * "throw away what is not working" and
 * "keep doing what is working and do more of that" and
 * "do more experiments."


In other words, to actually implement Agile ideas in an Agile way.




"Until Further Notice"
-

Last time I checked, typical Agile adoptions are of the forced-march, 
"until further notice" variety. Hello?


Let's see: If the "until further notice" style of Agile adoption 
actually worked, then (in theory at least) we could now joyfully point 
to tens of thousands of verifiable, happy, healthy, whole, genuine, 
authentic, high-engagement Agile adoptions. Right? It would so be easy 
to locate ten thousand of them...if it actually worked in the long run


Houston...we have a problem?



Committing to Emergence  (aka "experimentation and adaptation")


Commit to /an experiment to be inspected/. So simple. Even joyful!
Ironically, this IS the Agile mindset, but ... /not to be used when 
actually implementing Agile in large organizations/ apparently !


Is self-organization what actually scales? If so, why are we using any 
other approach?



The alternative-- a mandated and forced march to process change-- is 
standard, and often the source of many sorrows.


I really, really , REALLY like using Open Space in new Agile adoptions. 
Because it actually works. And also like using Open Space in  troubled 
Agile adoptions, of which I notice, there seems to be no shortage of supply.


The good news is, we are getting the [invitation] meme out there into 
the Agile world. We invite everyone to give it a try !



(If you like this rant, you may also enjoy: 
http://www.openspaceagility.com/about)



Daniel

PS Ron, nice suit !




On 9/1/15 11:22 AM, Ron Quartel wrote:
This debate happens in the world of agile also. Specifically when we 
talk about Extreme Programming over Scrum. Should a team be told to do 
the Extreme Programming practices or do we invite them to try them is 
a debate that rages again and again. (Extreme programming is a very 
disciplined way of developing software while scrum prescribes no 
disciplines.)


The challenge with Extreme Programming is that the practices are 
counter intuitive and many will find them distasteful. E.g. why do I 
have to pair program with a junior developer? That will slow me down 
and we will get less work done.


I don't claim to have an answer to force vs. invite but I can share my 
story on how I came to love Extreme Programming (XP).


XP was forced on my dev team. We were given a new dev manager who said 
we are going to do XP. If you didn't like it you can use the law of 
two feet to leave the company. (Not those words exactly but I'm sure 
you get the drift.) Now I loved the team I was with, the place I 
worked and the work we were doing but absolutely hated XP. But I 
promised to give it six months and if the team had not decided that XP 
was a load of rubbish and were still doing it after 6 months I will 
leave and find another job where sanity still rained. I hated 
everything about XP and agile and it took me way out of my comfort 
zone as a software developer. But then somewhere during the six months 
the sense of it started to dawn on me and I actually started enjoying 
it. By the end of six months I was a fan and am now an evangelist for 
XP. I like finding the haters and assure them it's OK to hate XP. When 
they get it, they become the biggest advocates.


So was it wrong to have XP forced on me? I will leave that up to you 
to decide. I often wonder if I would have ever come around to agile 
and especially XP if it had not been forced on me.


An analogy I have to learning XP is learning downhill skiing. There is 
a point where you have to do the unintuitive and lean down the slope. 
Your body is screaming NO but your ski instructor is telling you that 
is how you do it. Turns out he is right but you have to get through 
that disbelief and discomfort to get to the other side. OK that is 
forcing myself after he invited me to try it - so maybe there needs to 
be a little of both?


Ron Quartel
FAST Agile  - An agile software process 
incorporating Open Space Technology



On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 1:4

Re: [OSList] Inviting non-invitation

[Michael Herman via OSList]

it occurs to me that one difference between what we're calling force or
imposition or non-invitation on the one hand and invitation on the other,
might be the number of people in whose interest an actor is working.  even
the "bad" guys named we working in more than their own personal self
interest, were passionate about something and took responsibility for it,
but maybe they were working for too small a group.  or they were working
too hard, overestimating what they knew about the interests of others.

in every single act, from pouring a cup of tea to arising at the edge of
the circle to post an issue on up to taking over a country, there is some
desire as an individual to have some effect on the environment which
includes a number of other people.  more and less impact, yes.  more or
fewer people, yes.  more direct and indirect effects, yes.  but always we
are changing the environment.  there is also a need to be listening to the
environment, letting it change us.  in this way, non-invitation is action
that refuses to listen.

this reminds me of the tibetan teacher's story about sitting on the top of
a hill at night, taking in the whole vastness of the night sky and still
being able to hear the dog barking at the house at the bottom of the hill.
 these different awarenesses are sometimes called big mind and small mind,
non-local and local.  the teaching is that big mind isn't better than small
mind, it's the going back and forth that strengthens us.

i think it is the same with passion and responsibility, action and
invitation, self-interest and others-interest, learning and contributing,
and so on... it's the going back and forth that strengthens us... as we
learn to do both at the same time, like when we ask a question for learning
that changes the direction of the conversation and people say afterward
"this question was a great contribution to our progress."

it seems what the aikido teaching points to is similar in the sense of not
opposing, but not surrendering either.





--

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
http://MichaelHerman.com
http://OpenSpaceWorld.org


On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 10:22 AM, Ron Quartel via OSList <
oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

> This debate happens in the world of agile also. Specifically when we talk
> about Extreme Programming over Scrum. Should a team be told to do the
> Extreme Programming practices or do we invite them to try them is a debate
> that rages again and again. (Extreme programming is a very disciplined way
> of developing software while scrum prescribes no disciplines.)
>
> The challenge with Extreme Programming is that the practices are counter
> intuitive and many will find them distasteful. E.g. why do I have to pair
> program with a junior developer? That will slow me down and we will get
> less work done.
>
> I don't claim to have an answer to force vs. invite but I can share my
> story on how I came to love Extreme Programming (XP).
>
> XP was forced on my dev team. We were given a new dev manager who said we
> are going to do XP. If you didn't like it you can use the law of two feet
> to leave the company. (Not those words exactly but I'm sure you get the
> drift.) Now I loved the team I was with, the place I worked and the work we
> were doing but absolutely hated XP. But I promised to give it six months
> and if the team had not decided that XP was a load of rubbish and were
> still doing it after 6 months I will leave and find another job where
> sanity still rained. I hated everything about XP and agile and it took me
> way out of my comfort zone as a software developer. But then somewhere
> during the six months the sense of it started to dawn on me and I actually
> started enjoying it. By the end of six months I was a fan and am now an
> evangelist for XP. I like finding the haters and assure them it's OK to
> hate XP. When they get it, they become the biggest advocates.
>
> So was it wrong to have XP forced on me? I will leave that up to you to
> decide. I often wonder if I would have ever come around to agile and
> especially XP if it had not been forced on me.
>
> An analogy I have to learning XP is learning downhill skiing. There is a
> point where you have to do the unintuitive and lean down the slope. Your
> body is screaming NO but your ski instructor is telling you that is how you
> do it. Turns out he is right but you have to get through that disbelief and
> discomfort to get to the other side. OK that is forcing myself after he
> invited me to try it - so maybe there needs to be a little of both?
>
> Ron Quartel
> FAST Agile  - An agile software process
> incorporating Open Space Technology
>
>
> On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 1:40 PM, Daniel Mezick via OSList <
> oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
>
>> "Is it accurate to say that some self organizing happens by invitation
>> and some happens by coercion/force? "
>>
>>
>> Great question Lucas!
>>
>>
>> The [invitation] wall-poster you suggest feels wa

Re: [OSList] Inviting non-invitation

[Ron Quartel via OSList]

This debate happens in the world of agile also. Specifically when we talk
about Extreme Programming over Scrum. Should a team be told to do the
Extreme Programming practices or do we invite them to try them is a debate
that rages again and again. (Extreme programming is a very disciplined way
of developing software while scrum prescribes no disciplines.)

The challenge with Extreme Programming is that the practices are counter
intuitive and many will find them distasteful. E.g. why do I have to pair
program with a junior developer? That will slow me down and we will get
less work done.

I don't claim to have an answer to force vs. invite but I can share my
story on how I came to love Extreme Programming (XP).

XP was forced on my dev team. We were given a new dev manager who said we
are going to do XP. If you didn't like it you can use the law of two feet
to leave the company. (Not those words exactly but I'm sure you get the
drift.) Now I loved the team I was with, the place I worked and the work we
were doing but absolutely hated XP. But I promised to give it six months
and if the team had not decided that XP was a load of rubbish and were
still doing it after 6 months I will leave and find another job where
sanity still rained. I hated everything about XP and agile and it took me
way out of my comfort zone as a software developer. But then somewhere
during the six months the sense of it started to dawn on me and I actually
started enjoying it. By the end of six months I was a fan and am now an
evangelist for XP. I like finding the haters and assure them it's OK to
hate XP. When they get it, they become the biggest advocates.

So was it wrong to have XP forced on me? I will leave that up to you to
decide. I often wonder if I would have ever come around to agile and
especially XP if it had not been forced on me.

An analogy I have to learning XP is learning downhill skiing. There is a
point where you have to do the unintuitive and lean down the slope. Your
body is screaming NO but your ski instructor is telling you that is how you
do it. Turns out he is right but you have to get through that disbelief and
discomfort to get to the other side. OK that is forcing myself after he
invited me to try it - so maybe there needs to be a little of both?

Ron Quartel
FAST Agile  - An agile software process
incorporating Open Space Technology


On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 1:40 PM, Daniel Mezick via OSList <
oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:

> "Is it accurate to say that some self organizing happens by invitation and
> some happens by coercion/force? "
>
>
> Great question Lucas!
>
>
> The [invitation] wall-poster you suggest feels wall-worthy to me, so long
> as no one is obligated to examine it... or even look at it.
>
>
> My turn to ask a question: What might a world "void of manipulation" and
> "replete with invitation" actually look like?
>
>
> Daniel
>
>
>
> On 8/31/15 9:57 AM, Lucas Cioffi via OSList wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> Is it accurate to say that some self organizing happens by invitation and
> some happens by coercion/force?
>
> For example, from the perspective of someone who lives outside of Iraq,
> the way the Ba'ath Party took charge of Iraq through a coup seems like an
> example of self-organizing by force to us, because we're outside the system
> of Iraq.  I welcome some thoughts on this.
>
> Over the past few months (and working with Michael Herman for VOSonOS)
> I've seen that the spirit of invitation shouldn't end with the writing of
> the invitation, and instead it should be present throughout the open
> space.  When someone posts a topic on the marketplace wall, they are
> inviting others to a conversation, not taking over a time slot (like having
> a coup and taking over a small country).
>
> When someone wants to be a "dictator" of their open space session, yes
> others can use their two feet and walk out, but that comes at a cost to the
> social fabric of the organization.  A better outcome would be that the
> would-be dictator holds a welcoming space from the start.  So I'd recommend
> that another sign worth posting on the wall near "Law of Two Feet" would be
> "Spirit of Invitation".  I think it's wall-worthy, do you?
>
> Lucas Cioffi
> Founder, QiqoChat.com 
> Charlottesville, VA
> Mobile: 917-528-1831
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 5:07 AM, Paul Levy via OSList <
> oslist@lists.openspacetech.org> wrote:
>
>> I think the clue lies in the wonderful word "self".
>>
>> We are the selves that organise.
>>
>> Beautiful.
>>
>
>
> ___
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> Past archives can be viewed here: 
> http://www.mail-archive.com/oslist@lists.openspacetech.org
>
>

[OSList] OS Hotline Today! Tues Sept 1 @12PM Eastern. 90 minute session: Conflicts, Controversies, and Conundrums....

[Tricia Chirumbole via OSList]

Good day all!

You are warmly invited to a special *90 minute OS Hotline* replete
with *marketplace
and breakouts* via Qiqochat. We are gathering tomorrow,* Tuesday September
1st at 12PM Eastern time: http://bit.ly/OSHotlineUnleashed
*

*The theme*: *OS Hotline Unleashed! Conflicts, Controversies, And
Conundrums...*

Bring your most radical ideas, questions, and topics (On OST, opening
space, and kindred concepts) - you and all that you have to bring are w
elcome!

This will be a 90-minute open space, including a 15-minute Opening &
Marketplace, followed by three 25 minute sessions.
*To Participate: *http://bit.ly/OSHotlineUnleashed


See you soon!

Tricia Chirumbole

Facilitator. Coach. Champion.

Co-Creative Culture Building
Mojo Collaborative
www.mojocollaborative.com

571-232-0942
skype: tricia.chirumbole
twitter: @themojozone
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Re: [OSList] Inviting non-invitation

[Béatrice MELIN via OSList]

When someone wants to be a "dictator" of their open space session, yes others 
can use their two feet and walk out



Yes others can walk out ! and before they walk out, they can also contribute by 
saying out loud what they feel -most probably others share the same feeling 
facing a "dictator" facilitating his subject ?
 
that requires being passionate about the subject it self, and moreover it 
requires boldness, yes it requires boldness to face someone who "dictates" and 
sharing out loud with a person who unconsciously is in a dictator mode not 
being aware of it
and it requires high awareness to know what to decide :
do I speak now and take a risk (bullying, shame, being wrong, having 
misunderstood...) and how do i speak in order to achieve my point ?
or do I walk out right now if I feel it's a lost cause ?
 
interesting post, Daniel & Lucas, thanks for sharing :)
warmest Béatrice
 
 
 
Béatrice Melin
06.12.05.75.08
Skype : bea0102
 
Points Of You – The Coaching Game™ bientôt disponible en français !
www.points-of-you.us pour les professionnels
www.thecoachingame.com pour les particuliers

www.alidade-conseil.fr coaching et facilitation
 
 
 
 
 
 
> Message du 31/08/15 22:40
> De : "Daniel Mezick via OSList" 
> A : oslist@lists.openspacetech.org
> Copie à : 
> Objet : [OSList] Inviting non-invitation
> 
>"Is it accurate to say that some self organizing happens by invitation and 
>some happens by coercion/force? " 
>

>

> Great question Lucas!
> 
> 
> The [invitation] wall-poster you suggest feels wall-worthy to me, so long as 
> no one is obligated to examine it... or even look at it.
> 
> 
> My turn to ask a question: What might a world "void of manipulation" and 
> "replete with invitation" actually look like?
> 
> 
> Daniel
> 
> 
> 
>
On 8/31/15 9:57 AM, Lucas Cioffi via OSList wrote:
>

Hi All,

>

Is it accurate to say that some self organizing happens by invitation and some 
happens by coercion/force?  

>
For example, from the perspective of someone who lives outside of Iraq, the way 
the Ba'ath Party took charge of Iraq through a coup seems like an example of 
self-organizing by force to us, because we're outside the system of Iraq.  I 
welcome some thoughts on this.

>
Over the past few months (and working with Michael Herman for VOSonOS) I've 
seen that the spirit of invitation shouldn't end with the writing of the 
invitation, and instead it should be present throughout the open space.  When 
someone posts a topic on the marketplace wall, they are inviting others to a 
conversation, not taking over a time slot (like having a coup and taking over a 
small country).

>
When someone wants to be a "dictator" of their open space session, yes others 
can use their two feet and walk out, but that comes at a cost to the social 
fabric of the organization.  A better outcome would be that the would-be 
dictator holds a welcoming space from the start.  So I'd recommend that another 
sign worth posting on the wall near "Law of Two Feet" would be "Spirit of 
Invitation".  I think it's wall-worthy, do you?







Lucas Cioffi
Founder, QiqoChat.com
Charlottesville, VA
Mobile: 917-528-1831









> 
> 
>
On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 5:07 AM, Paul Levy via OSList  wrote:
>


I think the clue lies in the wonderful word "self".

>
We are the selves that organise.

>
Beautiful.






>
>
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>
-- 
>
Daniel Mezick, President
New Technology Solutions Inc.
(203) 915 7248 (cell)
Bio. Blog. Twitter. 
Examine my new book:  The Culture Game : Tools for the Agile Manager.
Explore Agile Team Training and Coaching.
Explore the Agile Boston Community. 




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