Global SoL Network
Start-up Meetings
(1999-2000)
Meeting I.
The first meeting was held October 31-November 2 in Atlanta. Participants included: Steinar Brendan (Norway); Goran Carstedt (Prep and Support Team); Arie de Geus (U.K.); Rafael Echeverria (Venezuela); Craig Fleck (Facilitator); Alain Gauthier (France); David Graybeal (Prep and Support Team - SoL Attorney); Nan Gill (USA); Christer Magnusson (Sweden); Anil Paranjpe (India); Leonardo Reis (Brazil); Dennis Sandow (USA); Vicki Tweiten (Prep and Support Team); Geri Wells (USA); Iva Wilson (Prep and Support Team) and Nick Zeniuk (USA). Within this group were people who are part of organizations that formed to become local SoL communities, and people who are part of organizations that were formed for other purposes (i.e., Steinar Brendan of Norway's Learning Network), but have come to be networked with the SoL community around the discovery of shared purpose and a desire to learn from and with one another.
Prior to the first meeting participants were given the preliminary synopsis of the SoL Manifest/Charter which included the purpose and vision, background, guiding principles, structure and organization, organizing principles, definitions, and characteristics of the SoL Global Community.
The challenge was how to facilitate and coordinate the emergence of a Global SoL Community
- of 100-1000 communities
- organized locally
- networked globally
The first meeting dealt with:
A vision for the Global SoL Network: Our hopes, expectations and concerns, and a consideration of three dilemmas that would have important implications for any design that was created.
The Dilemmas:
- The "Generative dilemma" - How to balance the desire to draw on tradition and the desire to support the creation of that which is new?
- The "Integrity Dilemma" - How to balance our interests in unity with our desire for diversity?
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The "Stewardship Dilemma" How do we balance openness and cohesion?
On the cohesion side we considered issues like central governance, a headquarters, a constitution, and quality standards. On the openness side, we thought about local communities operating in a totally self-governing, self-assessing manner.
Five elements were identified that the group considered important in the deliberations around governance structures:
- Organize around the periphery
- SoL with no constraints
- Minimum governance for legal entity - maximum stewardship
- Elected democratic framework
- Build local communities for recurring patterns of relationship
- The group began to explore different government structures
- Reflected on aspirations, expectations, values and concerns
- Aspirations included: movement, stewardship, building a model organization, a better world for our children, and universal dreams
- Expectations included: influence (be part of the creation), impact (better world), purpose (demonstrate organizational learning)
- Values: open, generative, self-preservation, respect, trust, history, competence
- Concerns: openness, elitism, wisdom
Meeting II.
The second meeting was held November 13-15, in Bordeaux, France. Participants included: Steinar Brendan (Norway); Goran Carstedt (Prep and Support Team); Irene Dupoux-Couturier (France); Arie de Geus (U.K.); David Graybeal (Prep and Support Team - SoL Attorney); Nan Gill (USA); Tony Hodgson (Facilitator); Christer Magnusson (Sweden); Eve Midleton-Kelly (U.K.); Anil Paranjpe (India); Leonardo Reis (Brazil); Agota Rusza (Hungary); Dennis Sandow (USA); Vicki Tweiten (Prep and Support Team); Geri Wells (USA); Iva Wilson (Prep and Support Team) and Nick Zeniuk (USA).
In an initial presentation he made, Göran Carstedt remarked, "that if SoL is to become a global network of networks and is to be relevant to our times, we have to understand the new emerging logic for networks.
Göran challenged the group with some guiding principles for global networks in the new economy. He referred to a meeting he had had with Kevin Kelly, and presented some of the relevant points in Mr. Kelly's book, New Rules for the New Economy.
The bulk of this meeting was spent exploring distributive stewardship models of governance. We began by looking at a model created by Dennis Sandow that was based upon the aspirations, expectations, concerns and values that had been identified in the first meeting. This model has both an emerging and a design property and is grounded in the concept of stewardship. There was strong consensus around the value of such a model as well as interest in looking at variations of the model.
We ended the meeting with the agreement that we would meet in London on January 24-25. We will continue the organizational design work at that time and consider legal issues. We will try to come to closure on recommendations regarding the desired type of legal entity, use of trademark, and fractal application process. In London, David Graybeal will present sample legal documents for the various organizational options we have discussed.
Meeting III.
The third meeting of the Start-Up Group was held on January 23-25 in London.
Participants included: Steinar Brendan (Norway); Goran Carstedt (Prep and Support Team); Irene Dupoux-Couturier (France); Alain Gauthier (France); Jose Domingues (Brazil); Christoph Mandl (Austria): Arie de Geus (U.K.); David Graybeal (Prep and Support Team - SoL attorney); Nan Gill (USA); Tony Hodgson (Facilitator); Michael Kelleher (U.K.); Manfred Mack (France); Christer Magnusson (Sweden); Eve Midleton-Kelly (U.K.); Anil Paranjpe (India); Leonardo Reis (Brazil); Agota Rusza (Hungary); Dennis Sandow (USA); Vicki Tweiten (Prep and Support Team); Geri Wells (USA); Ursula Versteegen (Germany); Iva Wilson (Prep and Support Team); and Nick Zeniuk (USA).
In his opening presentation to the group, Göran Carstedt referenced the work of Dee Hock and Dee's new book, Birth of the Chaordic Age (1999). Dee Hock was part of the process for the birthing of the Society for Organizational Learning.
Participants explored that which would be happening if the Global SoL Network was established and pursuing its purpose. In a "Play the Future" exercise participants addressed the following questions: You are the Global SoL Network, what does the next year hold for you? You are at January 2001: looking back, what have we accomplished? There were many responses to that exercise, and several key activities emerged. They included:
-Establishing a project market place in which people from around the globe could work together to design, implement, research, and share findings
-A group of stewards who would be working with emerging local communities to support their development and participation in the global network
-An international event which would be held to bring the community together and further develop the connections within the network
We also continued to talk about the governance structure of the organization and the legal documents needed to legally bring the Global SoL Network into being. We wanted to get a clearer picture of that which was truly necessary to actualize the vision of the global network. After much discussion it was decided that very little was necessary, and therefore, it would be in the best interest of the long-term sustainability of the organization, to take those steps which are deemed absolutely essential and defer formalizing any governance structure at this point in time.
In many senses, the Global SoL Network already exists. There are a variety of local communities in formation or operation around the globe. They have varying degrees of connectivity with each other. This activity has an energy and life of its own, and it is expected that it will continue independent of the schedule of the Start-Up Group settling on a governance structure.
Issues, which were considered essential to be addressed in the short term, included the following:
-The legal relationship of the emerging local communities
- With the founding SoL community in Cambridge, MA
- Establishing a financial base for SoL International
- Developing a communications infrastructure for SoL International
Work groups were established to address each of these issues
Regarding the issue of governance, it was decided that it would be highly advantageous to gain more experience working with each other, both in what is now being called the Stewards' Group (formerly the Start-Up Group) and between the local communities, before formalizing a structure. We would then be less likely to institutionalize structures, which have limited capacity to support us in actualizing our purpose. It is anticipated that we will continue functioning in this manner for at least another year.
The London meeting concluded the Start-Up phase. As we enter the next phase of evolution, the Startup Group those who have met now in the three different workshops to develop ideas for the governance and structure of the Global SoL Network, will be guiding the efforts of this stewardship-driven network. The idea is to practice a living exchange over the next year, using a minimal governance structure with an unincorporated association and preliminary Constitution, which everyone can relate to, and strengthening the relationships with the larger network.
Submitted by: Vicki Tweiten