Self-organizing groups are—themselves—leaders. They are different—new to many of us—and the people within them, and close to them, notice. One difference is that everybody within the group is a leader and a follower. Also, many nearby others and observers of the group are also leaders—especially those who decide to slow down and pay attention to the group because they notice that it’s different. Certainly those … [Read More]
What does a nerdy researcher who studies self-organizing work groups do in her spare time? Why participate in and observe other types of self-organizing groups, of course! This week it was a flash mob here in Seattle. Seven 2-hour dance rehearsals, one 7-minute performance, and tons of fun. It also involved about a dozen Advil over the week. And I’m still sore (although mastering the … [Read More]
You can expect amazing things from these groups, but what those things actually are, you can’t entirely know ahead of time. Think about a self-organizing group that you’ve seen somewhere: like several jazz musicians or rappers spontaneously improvising amazing music in the moment or a flash mob of people somewhat spontaneously performing a Michael Jackson or Lady Gaga song in a city park. You can expect to be surprised and wowed. Or you can expect nothing and still be surprised and wowed.
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