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My Books

  • Seeing Systems
    (Click images for more information.)

    Seeing Systems

  • Leading Systems

    Leading Systems

  • In The Middle

    In The Middle

  • The Possibilities of Organization

    The Possibilities of Organization

  • Space Work

    Space Work

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Comments

Deb

I so agree with your examples from the Block and Oshry writings, joined together adding new perspective. Recent experience in a "leaderless" organization helped bring home the message in your post that true leadership is distributed.  Conversations are key to releasing the potential in developing an abundant, rich, trusting community.  When conversation is controlled or squelched, the community loses traction to individual agendas and fragmentations.  Silo thinking returns.  Bureacratic, imperialistic leadership and muted controlled conversations is often the result. It creates unnatural churn and loss of creativity as well.

I've cited excerpts of your blog post in mine. Thanks for the thoughtful post.  --Deb

Richard Strathern

Having attended the "Power Lab" in 1987 Barry's insights on systems and organization are more true than ever! The article is a great read on how to get "citizens" to lead in small groups by choosing door "B." Another gentleman during the Fench Revolution, William Joseph Chaminade, applied this to the institutional church and society at large.

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that way, leaders are foreground while citizens, followers, players and anyone else not in a leadership position is background. This love of leaders limits our capacity to create an alternative future. It proposes the only real accountability in the world is to the top. The effect of buying into this view of leadership is that it lets citizens off the hook and breeds dependency and entitlement. What is missing or dismissed are the community-building insights about how groups work, the power of relatedness, and what occurs when ordinary people get together” says Block.

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