How do I know when I’m self-organizing? How do we know if our group is self-organizing? Indicator #5: Feeling and doing things that feel spontaneous, fluid, and natural—both in the moment and in hindsight.
I am self-organizing when I feel and do things that feel spontaneous, fluid, and natural—both in the moment and in hindsight. Demonstrated, for example, by:
- Laughing
- Speaking the same words and making the same sounds at the same time as another or others
- Using language shortcuts (for example, using language that outsiders would not understand without some explanation and understanding each other even when you are not using perfect language, not using the exact right words, or not using words at all)
- Unexpectedly brainstorming ideas for ways to improve and evolve (at any level)
- Explaining to an outsider what another person is saying, without concern or pause for thought
- Comfortably speaking for a collective, with minimal concern and pause for thought
- Finishing another’s thoughts and sentences
As a group, we’re self-organizing when we feel and do things that feel spontaneous, fluid, and natural to us—both in the moment and in hindsight. Demonstrated, for example, by:
- Extended periods and brief moments of informality, spontaneity, and creativity as a group
- Seamless transition of ideas and thoughts among group members much of the time
- Comfortably disagreeing (much of the time), knowing that consensus isn’t always useful and required to move forward in the same general direction anyway and that group members will stick by each other through disagreement