Holman – Public Intelligence Blog

2010/12/132010/12/13

Reference: Engaging Emergence in 824 Words

Augmented Reality, Blog Wisdom, Collective Intelligence, Collective Intelligence, Communities of Practice, Cultural Intelligence, Earth Intelligence, InfoOps (IO), Methods & Process, Open Government, Policies, Strategy, Threats

My book, Engaging Emergence, in 824 words

Posted on December 12, 2010 by PeggyHolman

I did a guest post for Pegasus Communications last week, providing an appetizer for my book. Below is a slightly longer version — with examples restored. If you’re looking for a taste of what it’s about, read on.

What would it mean if we knew how to face challenging situations with a high likelihood of achieving breakthrough outcomes?

EXTRACT: Since the early nineties, I’ve sought to understand how we turn difficult, often conflicted issues into transformative leaps of renewed commitment and achievement. I’ve used whole system change practices — methods that engage the diverse people of a system in creating innovative and lasting shifts in effectiveness. I’ve co-convened conferences around ambitious societal questions like: What does it mean to do journalism that matters for our communities and democracy? And I’ve delved into the science of complexity, chaos, and emergence – in which order arises out of chaos – to better understand human systems. In the process, I have noticed some useful patterns, practices, and principles for engaging the natural forces of emergent change. Here are a few highlights:

All change begins with disruption.

Engaging disruption creatively helps us discover differences that make a difference.

Wise, resilient systems coalesce when the needs of individuals and the whole are served.

EXTRACT: The practice of collective reflection helps surface what matters to individuals and the whole. It can generate unexpected breakthroughs containing what is vital to each and all of us.

EXTRACT: Joel de Rosnay, author of The Symbiotic Man, introduced the notion of “the macroscope”. Just as microscopes help us to see the infinitely small and telescopes help us to see the infinitely large, macroscopes help us to see the infinitely complex.

Read all 824 words (strongly recommended)….

2010/10/142010/10/14

Reference: Peggy Holman on Government and Change

03 Economy, 11 Society, Blog Wisdom, Collective Intelligence, Communities of Practice, Cultural Intelligence, Methods & Process, Real Time

The Challenge of Power (Extract)

There are virtually always political barriers!

What I have found to be true is that when the issue faced is more important than their position, people in power positions will engage. In other words, they’ll step up when:

the situation reaches the point that they realize that they can’t solve it alone;
it is critical to their success; and
they’ve found a partner to work with that they’re willing to trust.

Essentially, these are the conditions when anyone will engage. It’s just that people with more to lose tend to wait longer. By then, the situation is really messy and they’re desperate.

Don’t Hold On

Peggy Holman knows a lot about change in organizations and communities and she wrote Engaging Emergence to help people not only deal with unexpected and chaotic change, but even come out ahead by engaging it proactively.

But proactive engagement means letting go of some things just as much as discovering new things. To help you navigate, Peggy presents her list of The Five Things We Need To Let Go Of To Effectively Deal With Emergence:

1. Give Up Command and Control.

2. Give Up Habit and Routine.

3. Give Up Top-Down Decision-Making.

4. Give Up the Existing Order.

5. Give Up Thinking That You Have the Answers.

Read the full blog with paragraphs and examples for each of the above….

See Also:

Worth a Look: Engaging Emergence

Journal: Self-Organizing Emergence from Chaos

Review: The Change Handbook–The Definitive Resource on Today’s Best Methods for Engaging Whole Systems

Reference: Peggy Holman Free Video on Emergence

Who’s Who in Collective Intelligence: Peggy Holman

2010/09/262010/09/26

Journal: Self-Organizing Emergence from Chaos

Blog Wisdom, Collective Intelligence, Earth Intelligence, Methods & Process

← The Real-time Debut of Engaging Emergence

Making Sense Out of Chaos: An Audio Interview

Posted on September 26, 2010 by PeggyHolman

I did an interview on September 7th for the Community Learning Exchange –CLExchangeonair with Cheryl Fields on Blog Talk Radio.

EXTRACT:

Early in the book you tell the story of how your own perspective on engaging emergence began. Tell us about that experience?

In the 1990′s I managed software projects. I was excellent at figuring out the steps that needed to be done and then making those steps happen — planning the work and then working the plan.
As the projects got bigger and more complex, I ran into a one that involved enough people with different opinions that that old approach just didn’t cut it.
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to work with someone who understood how to work in a different way. Once I experienced it, I had to learn more.

2010/09/14

Reference: Peggy Holman Free Video on Emergence

Movies

Clicking on the portrait photo of group change leader Peggy Holman will take you to a website where you can–if you are patient–listen to an emergence among a collective.

View or download the Handout before you start the Video.

We think it is worth watching when you have time to reflect.

We recommended the book when it first went public. . . .

Worth a Look: Engaging Emergence

Worth a Look: New Book Engaging Emergence

Peggy was one of the 55 pioneering authors of the book, COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace (EIN, 2008)

Who’s Who in Collective Intelligence: Peggy Holman

We recommended her earlier book:

Review: The Change Handbook–The Definitive Resource on Today’s Best Methods for Engaging Whole Systems

2010/08/162010/08/17

Worth a Look: Engaging Emergence

5 Star, Best Practices in Management, Collaboration Zones, Communities of Practice, Consciousness & Social IQ, Ethics, Key Players, Methods & Process, Policies, Strategy, Threats, Worth A Look

Phi Beta Iota: Previously recommended in Worth a Look: New Book Engaging Emergence, we reiterate our regard for Peggy Holman, arguably one of a handful of leaders shaping our collective intelligence capacity today–Tom Atlee, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Harrison Owen, Thom Hartman, Jim Rough, Robert Fuller, Mark Tovey, are others, all helping shape community Open Space Open Source Collaborative Information-Sharing and Sense-Making.

Review: The Change Handbook–The Definitive Resource on Today’s Best Methods for Engaging Whole Systems

From the Author

At long last, it is available. I am delighted to say that Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity is now for sale from Amazon, Berrett-Koehler, Barnes and Noble, or through local bookstores.

I have a confession. I have an ambitious goal for the book: to meet today’s needs in the way The Fifth Discipline did 20 years ago. And you can help make that happen.

Continue reading “Worth a Look: Engaging Emergence”

2010/07/132010/07/14

Worth a Look: New Book Engaging Emergence

Worth A Look

Dear Colleague,

Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity is almost here…I’m excited to share the news that my book will ship from the printer on August 6th.

To get that buzz going, I’m asking everyone I know to help me get the book off to a fast start! Please consider picking up a copy of the book, perhaps even ordering a second copy as a gift for a friend. Or forward this message on to people you think would find the book of interest so that they can pre-order a copy for themselves.

I’m thrilled with how the book turned out. Esthetically, it is beautiful. And based on the feedback from many of you, people are finding the content useful and inspiring. I look forward to your feedback.

Engaging Emergence offers principles, practices, and real-word stories for bringing compassion, creativity, and wisdom to the entire arc of change-from disruption to coherence. For more about the contents, click here.

You can even check out the text.

Pre-order the book from Amazon

Thank you again for your support — of me and of the book.

Appreciatively,

Peggy Holman

Phi Beta Iota: Peggy Holman is one of the top grass-roots leadership and self-organization gurus in the USA, and easily among the top 100 in the world. She may be the most active practitioner of Open Space Technology as conceived by Harrison Owen.

Review: The Change Handbook–The Definitive Resource on Today’s Best Methods for Engaging Whole Systems

Review: Society’s Breakthrough!–Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People

Review: Wave Rider: Leadership for High Performance in a Self-Organizing World

Review: Evolutionary Activism by Tom Atlee

2008/09/062009/09/06

Who’s Who in Collective Intelligence: Peggy Holman

Alpha E-H, Collective Intelligence

Peggy Holman convenes conversations that matter using generative processes that call forth the best of who people are and can be to unleash the energy and wisdom to move dreams to action, resulting in more resilient, agile, collaborative and alive people and systems. The second edition of her book, The Change Handbook (Berrett-Koehler, 2007), has been warmly received as an aid to people in reinventing their organizations and communities. Peggy has an MBA from Seattle University. See www.opencirclecompany.com.

Collective intelligence and the emergence of wholeness