Following up from Monday’s post I want to present another set of videos also recorded by Ravi Tangri at the 2007 Nova Scotia training session. This set of videos is Toke Moller teaching the art of the Chaordic Stepping Stones. This is the root of designing conversations that lead to action.

I came across this learning session that my friend Phil Cass led at the 2007 Art of Hosting training in Nova Scotia. Thanks to Ravi Tangri of Co-Creating Futures for posting up this video series and sharing it with the world.

The Art of Calling is related to understanding where our need lies and how we connect that need to the people that have the resources we need. Take some time to watch this video series and gain a deeper understanding of how you can more effectively find what you need.

I wanted to start with a short video today because I found it both interesting and strangely timely seeing as we recently experienced pieces of the chaotic and complex during my daughter’s recent 3rd birthday party.

Complexity Systems

The idea behind this thinking is that you provide boundaries around certain activities. If the group performs within those boundaries in a positive way then you continue to focus or tighten those boundaries to sharpen the desired outcome. If the boundaries are too rigid then they become negotiable to allow for the desired outcome to be brought forward. However, if the result is headed in completely the wrong way you close the activity all together and create brand new boundaries. In this way you are allowing for the evolution of positive outcomes while removing negatives.

Is this too stifling?

In the Art of Hosting we talk about growing innovation from the center of the chaordic path, that middle point between chaos and order. While I don’t feel I have a full understanding of complexity theory, from what I see so far I feel like it offers the same sort of place for innovation as the idea of the chaordic does but allows for more direct influence by leadership.

As a community advocate I don’t generally like the idea of greater control over outcomes; I feel like there is a level of disingenuous empowerment when that happens. The reality however is that many times strategy is developed and needs to be maintained. This use of complexity systems helps to direct boundaries that work toward those ends. In other words, some organizations are just not ready to hand over that much control and want a happy medium instead.

So this is my Monday bit of food for thought

How do you relate to the video and to the use of creating ordered outcomes via complexity?

Opportunity to Connect

I’ll be speaking at the Ohio Digital Government Summit today on the topic of community engagement using social media. If you happen to be at the summit feel free to use the twitter hashtag #ODGS09 so that we can all follow along. You can find me tweeting from @digitalocracy.