GSN Manifest/Charter (a start-up preliminary synopsis)
- Purpose and Vision
SoL (The Society for Organizational Learning) is a global learning community dedicated to fostering knowledge generation and knowledge diffusion for fundamental institutional change.
Our vision is to nurture organizations worthy of people's highest aspirations and fullest commitment.
The purpose of SoL is to discover, integrate and implement theories and practices for their interdependent development of people, their networks, and their institutions.
The SoL global community is united through its purpose, its principles and by shared theories, concepts and practices on learning how to learn and on learning how to share (i.e. on leading, learning, and working together.)
This document is intended to be reviewed regularly.
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Background
Throughout the Industrial Era, the population of institutions in the world has grown steadily. A large number of those institutions are corporations. There is also a growing number of non-profit and government organizations. Today, this diverse institutional population shapes the future in ways that would have been unimaginable even a few generations ago, directly influencing the success or failure of all efforts to make the world a better place.
The vast majority of today's institutions were established during the industrial era and still follow the industrial age model - hierarchies organized on command and control, people viewed as resources to be used to meet the institutions' objectives, managers who sit at the top apparently in control. As we enter a new era, industrial age institutions face unprecedented changes. While no one could possibly say what all these changes will be, there is a growing consensus that continual learning and knowledge creation are becoming the keys for survival and vitality. We believe that only through building learning-oriented cultures, will organizations become worthy of people's fullest commitment.
The first SoL community was established, in Boston and involves US-based organizations. It includes institutional members (MIT, Ford, Shell, Hewlett-Packard, Harley-Davidson, Intel, Detroit-Edison, EDS, FedEx, AT&T, the World Bank and eight other charter institutional members), and over 150 individual consultant and research members governed by a constitution and an elected council.
SoL seeks to embody as well as enable knowledge creation. Laying behind SoL are basic ideas about organizing to support knowledge generation and diffusion: namely that creating new knowledge involves new theory, methods, and practical know how, and that all three are equally vital to a healthy knowledge ecology. Consequently, SoL aims to align the aspirations and activities of researchers, consultants, and practitioners, honoring each unique contribution. But, what is especially important is SoL's commitment to integrate these activities. The fundamental challenges faced by institutions and societies worldwide cannot be addressed effectively by a fragmented knowledge creating process. Some of the most important new theories about management will come from practitioners, just as some of the most important insights about practical innovations will come from consultants and researchers. Regardless of people's professional labels, we must learn to work together to build knowledge that enables the institutional innovations that will be required in the coming years.
As in all living systems, the growth of SoL as a global network cannot be controlled or pre-determined. Just as every cell is unique, every embodiment of SoL's basic pattern of organizing will be shaped by the institutions and individuals who comprise its members. Each fractal (see definitions) will pursue their own aspirations and issues and will adapt SoL's basic design to the requirements of their social and cultural environment. The only requirement is that the fractal be committed to SoL's purpose and principles and be organized within the framework of the SoL International Constitution (to be defined). In this way, we hope that SoL will emerge organically as a unique global community dedicated to fundamental institutional innovation.
This thinking has led us to a particular strategy for how to organize SoL as a global network. One way to approach this would have been to extend internationally the work that has been done in the US-based institutions -- building outward from the Boston-based consortium, keeping it as a hub for the network. However, this would be inconsistent with the self-organizing principles embodied in SoL. Instead, we believe that it is important to build "inwards from the outward circle," by creating conditions for initiatives in other countries and cultures and tying them together with already existing and now-forming communities in Boston, other locations in the US, the UK, the Netherlands and elsewhere. This option allows for "self-organizing." It permits local initiatives to take the form that suits them best. And, it will allow for rapid growth of a global community shaped by the possibilities of each local community. The pursuit of this option means that the existing SoL fractal based in Boston will become one amongst many on the international scene.
- Guiding Principles
In pursuit of its purpose the members of SoL believe that:
- All human being are born with innate, lifelong desire and ability to learn, which should be enhanced by all organizations.
(Drive to Learn) - People learn best from and with one another, and participation in learning communities is vital to their effectiveness, well being and happiness in any work setting.
(Learning is Social) - The capacities and accomplishments of organizations are inseparable from and dependent on the capacities of the learning communities which they foster.
(Learning Communities ) - It is essential that organizations evolve to be in greater harmony with human nature and with the natural world.
(Aligning with Nature ) - Organizations must develop individual and collective capabilities to understand complex, interdependent issues; engage in reflective, generative conversation; and nurture personal and shared aspirations.
(Core Learning Capabilities ) - Learning communities that connect multiple organizations can significantly enhance the capabilities for profound individual and organizational change.
(Cross-Organizational Collaboration )THEREFORE, SoL and its Members intend, and will use their best efforts to:
- Make no decision and perform no function at a higher level than can be accomplished at a more local level.
(Subsidiarity ) - Conduct all deliberations and make all decisions by bodies and methods which reasonably represent all relevant and affected parties.
(Inclusiveness ) - Advance the Purpose in accordance with these Principles in ways which enhance the capacity of the community as a whole, as well as that of each Member.
(Shared Responsibility ) - Transcend institutional and intellectual boundaries and roles that
limit or diminish learning.
(Openness ) - Continually conceive, implement and practice governance concepts and processes which encourage adaptability, diversity, flexibility and innovation.
(Adaptive Governance) - Use research generated by the community in way that most benefits society.
(Intellectual Output ) - Open and fairly acknowledge intellectual contribution to Theories, Methods and Practices, both from within and from outside the community.
(Acknowledgment ) - Contribute to and/or participate in research, capacity building and practice, striving for the highest standards of quality.
(Participation and Quality)
- All human being are born with innate, lifelong desire and ability to learn, which should be enhanced by all organizations.
- Structure and Organizations
4.1 SoL Learning Communities
SoL fractals are organized around a basic pattern of knowledge creation and dissemination and are equally embracing the application of:
- Research - disciplined pursuit of discovery and understanding
- Capacity building - enhancing people's capabilities, individually and collectively, building on insights, methods and tools emerging from research;
- Practice - the application and the increase in know-how within organizations to improve institutional performance.
Together, these activities define the knowledge creating process in the broadest possible sense, spanning theory and practice, individual and institutional learning.
Each fractal has to be driven by their own meaningful purpose - a change agenda of their own, an issue or a mission to which they are wholeheartedly committed, and where belonging to an international SoL community can enable progress not possible otherwise.
SoL Learning Communitie are
- non-profit, membership societies
- "self-organizing", self-governing and self-regulating
- organized within the context of SoL International and its constitution
The purpose of SoL International is to facilitate achievements by the global SoL Community toward its purpose. The SoL community brings access to a wealth of theories, concepts, processes, tools, companies, consultants, researchers, projects, networks, etc. - all struggling with understanding the prerequisites for learning for individuals, teams, organizations, communities, networks, and societies.
The primary functions of SoL International will be to enable new SoL fractals to start to -facilitate the purpose of the community -to assess principles and quality standards -and to establish an infrastructure to enable sharing and learning throughout the global network.
Some of the characteristics of this new global community are outlined in Appendix 1.
A member of SoL International is a SoL fractal that has successfully passed through the SoL application process.
SoL International will be governed by a Council elected by its fractal members, guided by a Constitution adapted from that developed for the Boston-based fractal (see section below on "process of establishing SoL International.")
Each member organization is entitled up to ? representatives in the initial governing body (the Council) of the organization, representing the three different constituencies, "researchers, consultants, and practitioners."
The structure of SoL International will be defined by the fractals through the elected SoL International Council, in accordance with the Constitution, and commensurate with its coordination role and its duties as requested by the fractals. The same principles will apply to quality standards and quality control.
Although the financial structure of SoL International will only be established once there is an elected Council, it is anticipated that financial resources to support SoL International's coordination and other services, will come from members (a low percentage based on turnover), from conferences, workshops and courses, and from donors and separate project financing.
SoL International is registered in ------, but can have its seat wherever is best to serve member needs.
4.3 Organizing Principles
Organizing Principles (from Visa as a starting guiding reference)
These principles are part of the foundation for the formation of Visa, conceptualized by its founder, Dee Hock. These principles were also instrumental ingredient in the transformation from OLC to SoL. Dee is now putting them to work in his Chaordic Alliance.
1. It must be equitably owned by all participants. No member should have intrinsic preferential position. All advantages must result from individual ability and initiative.
2. Power and function must be distributed to the maximum degree. No function should be performed by any part of the whole that could reasonably be done by any more peripheral part, and no power vested in any part that might reasonably be exercised by any lesser part.
3. Governance must be distributive. No individual, institution, and no combination of either or both should be able to dominate deliberations or control decisions.
4. It must be infinitely malleable yet extremely durable. It should be capable of constant, self-generated, modification of form or function without sacrificing its essential nature or embodied principle.
5. It must embrace diversity and change. It must attract people and institutions comfortable with such conditions and provide an environment in which they could flourish.
- Process of Establishing SoL International
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Help identify potential local fractals around the world where strong interest is shown.
-identifying aspirations and critical issues
-15-20 potential fractals during 1999 - Start building a SoL community
-identify different patterns of interactivity between different potential fractals. - Establish a start-up group
- comprised of eight to ten representatives from different potential fractals, selected by the International Organizing Committee (Göran Carstedt, Rita Cleary, Arie de Geus, Joe Jaworski, Peter Senge and Iva Wilson)
- draft purpose and principles and incorporate into Constitution
- design initial application and approval process for new fractals
- modify SoL Charter - Start-up group invites initial fractal members based on criteria set out in application and approval process.
- Founding fractal members accept membership by signing SoL Charter and formal invitation, thereby accepting all rights and obligations set out within Constitution.
- Founding fractal members elect initial SoL International Council, based on election process as specified in draft constitution. Initial elected Council then:
- ratifies SoL International Constitution and Charter
- establishes official application and approval process for new fractals
- selects initial Managing Director for SoL International
- works with MD to
- establish initial organization function, structure and roles based on requirements to serve members
- register trademark and establish quality standards
- formally incorporate
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Help identify potential local fractals around the world where strong interest is shown.
- Definitions
- Fractal: a particular manifestation of a common "self-similar" pattern, especially one that repeats itself at many levels or across scale (from chaos theory -- see J. Gleick, Chaos, New York: Penguin Books, 1987).
- In SoL, we use the term "fractal" to suggest the commonality of integrating and creating new theory, tools, and practical know-how as it is embodied in diverse SoL communities, but also the simultaneous integration of thinking, feeling, and doing at all levels of social aggregation within the global SoL community: from national SoL communities to more local fractals, to working groups, and ultimately to the individual. In this sense, research, capacity building and practice are not isolated professions, but generic domains of activity which SoL communities seek to integrate.
Appendix 1
Some characteristics of the SoL global community
1. The right of free assembly -- by which local chapters (fractals) and members are not forced into existing forms. Local chapters can create their own initiatives. Members can leave an existing chapter (fractals), join newly formed chapters (fractals) and, if interested, hold multiple chapter (fractal) memberships.
2. The right to organize -- by which new chapters (fractals) can form, including chapters (fractals) that are not geographically defined chapters (fractals) (e.g. between members of the same industry, or among non-governmental or government organizations, etc.). Given SoL's purpose of building knowledge of institutional change through integrating research, capacity building and practice, any new chapter (fractal) must have a reasonable number of each of the three-member categories (corporate, research, and consultant members) that SoL's constitution recognizes.
3. The right of access to research results -- by which research done in any SoL chapter (fractal) worldwide is available to all SoL members. Obviously, this requires that all chapters (fractals) have an obligation to make public within reasonable time their research results, to local members and worldwide. A central communications structure will be established to coordinate information flow and resource exchange.
4. With these rights come obligations -- notably, to subscribe to the statement of purpose and principles as defined in the International SoL Constitution (to be developed by an International Organizing Committee, using the constitution developed for the Boston-based community as a starting point), to accept the policies and quality standards established by SoL International, and to pay the membership fee for belonging to the global network. These policies, standards and membership fees will be set by the elected SoL International Council.
5. The International Society for Organizational Learning will be not-for-profit. This principle is likely to broaden considerably the attractiveness of SoL International to organizations beyond private enterprises.
Appendix II (A brief history)
Starting at MIT over 15 years ago, a small group of top executives began to meet to explore these issues and discover what they could learn from one another. Building on work done at MIT and other academic institutions, as well as experiments in a handful of innovative firms, this group eventually grew into the MIT Organizational Learning Center (OLC), formed in 1990. The group shared the view that decision making processes in organizations are inherently learning processes. They also came to believe that significant change in the effectiveness of these learning processes involved new skills and capabilities, new infrastructures and, ultimately, changes in values and culture. Gradually, they realized that such changes were extremely challenging, especially for successful institutions, and could best be achieved through genuine cooperation and sharing among diverse organizations from diverse cultures.
Since then, we've learned that it is indeed possible to improve institutional learning processes, thereby accelerating innovation and enhancing the effectiveness of institutions. We are now at a point where we have witnessed very encouraging results, showing that it is possible both to enhance the learning capabilities of working teams and organizational units and to achieve significant practical consequences. In some cases, these results are beginning to extend broadly throughout large corporations. To enable the results to continue to deepen and spread, the MIT OLC has been recreated as the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL), a non-profit, member-governed organization.
The first such community of SoL is established, in Boston and involving US-based organizations. It includes institutional members (MIT, Ford, Shell Oil, Hewlett-Packard, Chrysler, Harley-Davidson, Intel, Detroit-Edison, EDS, FedEx, AT&T, the World Bank and eight other charter institutional members), and over 150 individual consultant and research members governed by a constitution enacted by an elected council.