|
Community Purpose:
We have begun a series of coordinated events to launch Cactus SoL. There are many individuals who have been practicing learning organization principles throughout Phoenix in isolation. Several of us have been involved in global communities and are now discovering that we have colleagues in our own backyards. Cactus SoL provides an opportunity for individuals and organizations to come together in deep and generative collaborative learning in our local area. Cactus SoL also serves as a linkage to important initiatives and resources provided by the SoL global community. A specific charter and/or purpose is still to be developed.
Twenty-five individuals participated in the first Cactus SoL event which focused on "enabling sustaining community." Each community coming together to form Cactus SoL has deep commitment to living and further developing organizational learning principles. At our first event we had a knowledge café on "enabling sustaining community." Some of the ideas from the group include: The importance of time for reflection, generation of questions and the willingness to stay in deep questions, understanding the true nature of connectedness and commitment, learning to understand the biology of love and it's implications for our community, and learning to define success in new ways to sustain community.
Membership Structure:
Proposed membership structure and criteria (some variation on Consultant, Researcher, Practitioner; and Individual/Organizational strongly recommended) We want to engage as closely as possible an equal balance among the three groups in our membership. We have seen other groups with a heavy number of consultants not have the synergy that might occur with a more even blend. Since we have a heavy balance of consultants and researchers/educators at this time, we are working to engage more business community members before defining our structure. It is my hope that we will take time to benchmark some best practices and structures from other SoL communities before finalizing our own structure. Also, I have a personal hope that time will be spent developing a good structure for self-governance and self-organization as we grow this is held in good stead. I think about the potential of using a model such as the one Greenleaf calls a "council of equals." Or perhaps there will be some other structure that emerges out of the group and maintains the integrity of effective self-governance. Perhaps we will start by benchmarking some best practices and structures from other SoL communities and/or other outstanding communities, creating a vision of what is possible before solidifying our own structure.
Events:
Quarterly meetings are starting to take shape. The January meeting will have a focus on Social Action Research Projects.
People Involved:
The following people who are working on the Development of this SoL community include:
Holly Adkins - Consultant
Karen Perna - Intel
Theresa Gallagher - Mayo Hospital
Steve Alma - The Tech Group
Hal Hashman - The Tech Group
Cheryl Rider Martinez - City of Phoenix
Steve Trimble - Ottawa University
John O'Connell - Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management
Bob Bendotti- Dean, Paradise Valley Community College
Michaelle Shadburne- Paradise Valley Community College
Susan Brink - Orbital Sciences Corporation
David Garner - Greyfox, Ltd.
Nick Zeniuk, Interactive Learning Labs /Founding Global SoL member and Coordinator Knowledge and Innovative Network
Deborah Vogele Welch, Reflective Leadership Associates/Coordinator for Cactus SoL
Ernie T. Pomeroy - ETP Development
| 
