I just came across this picture of Bonzai from December 2010. Like many indoor cats, she had a thing for lying near—and ideally laying on—laptop and computer keyboards. She preferred our older Mac laptop, which put off more heat that our PCs and newer Mac laptop. Like many cats of her generation, she felt that lying on newspapers was just too old school, too 1995 … [Read More]
Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays are the three days each week that I consciously prioritize my family, my close friends, and my individual well-being over my work as a self-organizing groups researcher. I minimize my connection with the broader world on these three days each week—don’t use the internet (unless in service of my family, such as finding the perfect recipe for chocolate cake) and don’t … [Read More]
I’ll be speaking at the ISPI conference in Orlando in a few weeks (Wednesday morning, April 13th) on this subject. Hope to see some of you there. Here’s the 2-page handout… 7 Tips for Rapidly Fostering Self-Organizing Work Groups As an individual: Prioritize working/being with people who help you trust your instincts while stretching/expanding those instincts. As you can, let go of people and groups that … [Read More]
This week, as I rattled excitedly on about the groups I’m studying right now (as I always do—I recently decided that this flaw is part of my charm), my friend Annie said “But I need to make a decision! How do self-organizing groups make decisions?!” Damn girl, good question. This post is for you, Annie, and for anyone else currently struggling with too many options … [Read More]
Self-organizing work groups value collective spontaneity over individual ideas and planning. For me, there’s just no other way of working that’s as interesting, rewarding, fun, and impactful. The tradeoff, though, is that I can’t individually control/plan my way into a self-organizing work group the way I individually planned my way into groups in the past. To become part of a group that values collective spontaneity over individual planning, I’ve learned that I have to prioritize “spontaneous Lori” above “planning Lori.” And I have to actually listen to spontaneous Lori, God help me.
From 2004 to 2006, I was part of two life-changing, self-organizing groups at the same time: one group of employees actively experimenting in a global for-profit organization and one group of learners actively reflecting on our own experiences in an educational organization. Thanks to these groups, I came to recognize myself as a self-organizing group member, started learning to recognize these groups elsewhere, and was so … [Read More]
Continuing from previous blog. The last two things I see in these groups that helps them sustain themselves are that: 7. As a group, they rely on the group’s strengths (and notice that this is happening) Group members do this in the moment—sometimes talking about it and often not. Here are several examples I’ve seen in the groups I study and am part of: Members … [Read More]
I attended a special, brief flash mob for Father “ROG” today on the Seattle University campus. I’ve never met him, but he inspired me today. I learned that Father Rog (aka, Fr. Gillis) is an SU jesuit and teacher who has cancer and has been in the hospital. He is apparently known for dancing a signature dance–not particularly well–to start teaching sessions. The impromptu flash … [Read More]
An interviewer asked me this question last year—you can still find my response on the Web if you look for it. I’m still fairly satisfied with what I said to him, with one glaring exception. In my three-paragraph answer (good Lord, will I ever be able to say anything concisely?!), I said “I think you have to be a human being to be in a … [Read More]
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