William Pasmore has noted that organizations are myths that are created by a group of people who have come together to solve an ill-defined problem that they cannot solve alone and are able to change the organization at will…or words to that effect.

If human beings can think it they will do it! Simple example: Twlenty Thousand Leagues Beneath the Sea was authored before the advent of submarines. WE can create ways of working together that benefit most everyone with this new technology.

What has history taught us about organizations? That they are adaptable..that essentially they are made of values supported by the resources of power in the form of the spiritual, psychological, and material; and, depending on the values, will and ability of those with that power to get others to act acording to their plans, they have control. The greater their control the more stringent the rules, thus leading to less freedome for most. If the acts are ‘good’ there may not be a lot to complain about, if they are so restrictive that individual and group freedom is uncomfortable the pot boils and sturm and drang evolve.

The nub seems to be that there is a human race awareness that there has to be a balance between control and freedom, as Marvin Weisbord often notes. However, this new technology is not going to wait, as humanbeings have a ‘will’ and are curious buggers, and our biggest muscle is our brains, especially when collectively put towards a task. (Our most important muscel is our ‘heart’.)

Our current task appears to be to want to get out from underneath the restrictions of industrial organization structure and operations…for the good of the organizations and individuals I would like to think. What will be interesting to see is how this all evolves. It could be that the technological 2.0 sharing, Open organizations will live together side by side with the traditional. That is just as we now use to sell directly to individual and group buyers on eBay as well as shop in person at Macy’s, the two technologies or processes, store retail and electronic sales, seem to be going through such an evolution. Perhaps all organizations’ puropose would not fit a 2.0 model, and of course there will be blended organizations using both structures and processes.

Much of this will take care of itself as young folks who have grown up with electronics and who are comfortable using the technology to create new ways of working.

The larger concern, I beleive, is not organizations, but the strong influence of the one or two percent of the wealthy class that actually ‘control’ our economics and thus the governments and the laws. This goes back to control and freedom, only on a very large macro scale.

I can imagine the fear they have that the heathens are at the gates of their empires. So Mike is right! It depends on how the transition takes place the results it delivers to make the power brokers trust this new age.

One of the salves that might be applied is the development of greater understanding and verification that human beings collectively are more alike than different. This begs the the need for greater and faster research on the social side of our quest for ‘freedom’. Equally important along the way will the application of social networking analysis and future search methodologies.

Hey, but what do I know…I’ve only been an OD consultant for 30 years….I have much to learn!

Do I have to call in by phone or it will be possible to communicate through the internet?
Will the recording be made available?

Thanks.