the art of hosting & harvestingConversations that Matter

2013 Stewardship Institute

March 16, 2013

Lake Opechee Inn and Conference Center

Meaningful inputMission

The Case-for-Support

CHAORDIC THEORY

Introduction to the Charodic Minefield and Stepping Stones The church and the society in which the church exists is undergoing institutional stress and anxiety as we face the changes required by generational shifts and increased complexity. The ability for any organization to raise money, design mission, and execute vision will depend on walking this path between chaos and order. Chaos is not a question of how your day is going or what things are happening in your church nor is it a question of how well or poorly the church is managed. There is chaos in those situations but the term “chaos” used here is about letting uncertainty exist while creating stepping stones through the uncertainty so that the path leads us through the creativity which comes from the expressed longings of a group rather than the top-down control or order of a leader or leaders with a plan to be imposed.

CHAORDIC STEPPING STONES

What we know about financial development is that people invest in what they themselves have been a part of creating. This has always been the case and is even more the case today. Learning the Charodic path and its stepping stones and using them to host conversation is a way to create a conversation whose harvest will result in deeper investment by the participants. We tend to like to control our meetings, our churches and even the conversations in our work together. An emerging way of leadership however moves away from the top-down leadership style to a more collaborative form of conversation in which the collective intelligence and wisdom of the entire congregation is allowed to bubble up from within the messiness and seeming chaos of the kinds of new, open, hosted conversations which are not manipulated by too high a set or order or control needs by leadership and which does not lead with agendas, impose someone else’s questions or manipulate outcomes.

STEPPING STONES

What we know about living systems is that they are non-linear, complex and diverse. Real innovation happens at the edge of chaos and no in order or control. Chaos allows for new kinds of connections and new forms of solutions to emerge from within the collected intelligence rather than from top-down strategies. What bubbles up from within the chaordic path may be used in planning but planning follows this hosted space in which conversation is encouraged and from which a harvest is gleaned.

CHAOS

Living Systems: For three hundred years, rationalism has guided our way of beingWe figure things out in order to be in controlWe see organizations and communities as machines with parts

Defined roles and predictable outputIn an increasingly complex world, the mechanistic view may not be adequate to meet complex problemsComplex living systems exist in nature (bee air-conditioning)Can we begin to see our churches as living organisms?No one specific entity in wilderness is needed to control.

Two phenomena in living systems:Nature has the capacity to self-organize (everyone participates and contributes to the collective intelligence)Self-organizing can lead to emergence of entirely new properties

CONTROL

“Leadership: one who enables others to achieve a shared purpose under conditions of uncertainty.” This is learned behavior and like any such behavior it takes some practice. We will try and try again to have conversations within the space between chaos and order while, occasionally slipping back into order and sometimes even into control. This way of living as a church may be new to some, and it may feel that you are already doing it when in fact what you think is chaordic is actually deeply seated in order or even control. The way to practice this form of leadership is to use the tools in the Art of Hosting tool-kit. In time, we develop “Charodic Confidence” which is the capacity to stay in the dance of order and chaos without drifting back into the lock-step of order and control. The result will be a new generative emergence of collective intelligence which will lead to wise action and investment in the mission by the donors from whom you are seeking funding and other kinds of support. We move from conflict to clarity. Some will be pre-disposed to be more or less comfortable with chaos and others with order. The work here is to remain non-judgmental and live in between them with compassion for those whose discomfort will take time to abate.

LIVING SYSTEMS

Qualities of Living Systems in Chaordic Leadership: We only support what we are part of creatingA living system only pays attention to what is meaningful in the presentIsolated systems are doomed-silos must be broken downNo longer survival of the fittest but thriving of everything that is fitTinkering opens possibilitiesSteering and control is given over to teasing, nudging, titillating, invitingExcellent failures are learned fromOur range of creative expression increases as we join others. New relationships create new possibilities (Egypt, Wall Street)In the right conditions, humans can self-organize with great outcomesSelf-organizing shifts to a higher order of leadership results

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I love this graphic illustration of the space we are called to inhabit right now. I’m pointing to the odd label underneath this narrow path between order and chaos. The word chaord. The word chaordic is a portmanteau like the word “smog” – it's a combination of two morphemes – two words with their sounds and meanings. Just as smog is the sum of smoke and fog combined, chaordic refers to a way of being with both chaos and order at the same time. Both are present, neither is dominant. The sum of these two words is used to describe an emerging space between the two conditions – it’s often referenced as a chaordic space or a chaordic way of being.

This narrow space between the two is also referred to as the Chaordic minefield. It helps to explain why, when we stray too far over to order, we restrict our field of view too narrowly and we cannot see what is actually emerging. When we get lost in the chaos, we cannot sense the hand of God at work in the world about us, either. There is a narrow path that is not at all straight and bounded. Because of the influence of complexity, this path is constantly shifting - it’s often the kind of moving target that it takes a whole community to discern!

So let’s work through a couple of questions, OK? Given our cultural sensibilities in the Episcopal Church, on which side of the chaordic space do you think we tend to wander off? Our internal culture does not prepare us for being present to chaos. In fact, we often overreact and leap to controlling tendencies. My sense is that, many of us are quite fond of a command and control environment and we experience chaos as intolerable! It is experienced as a disruption of our coherence. Here’s an illustration of what that disruption might look like in many of our ministries. This also offers a humorous look at our overreaction to in-breaking chaos.

• “Leadership: one who enables others to achieve a shared purpose under conditions of uncertainty.”

PRACTITIONERS OF CHAORDIC CONFIDENCE

CHAORDIC STEPPING STONES

The Stepping Stones: Stepping stones in Chaordic Theory are a series of questions from which we select or which we design in order to stay in the space between order and chaos. There are eight stepping stones:NeedPurposePrincipalsPeopleConceptBeliefs that limitStructurePractice Here are some key questions for each stepping stone from Chris Corrigan’s work in the Art of Hosting http://chriscorrigan.com/Chaordic%20stepping%20stones.pdf

NEED

Need What is our compelling reason for doing what we are doing? What time is it in today’s world right now? What initiative do we need now? What are our present longings? What challenges do we face? What need does this project meet?

PURPOSE

PurposeThe need flows into the purpose which allows for clear statements which guide our best work and which may include some of the following questions: If this work should live up to its fullest potential, what do you dream (or vision) ispossible? What is the purpose we can adopt that will best meet the need? What could this work do/create/inspire? What is the next level for the for our work? Where should we be heading? What is the simplest and most powerful question we could keep at the core of ourwork?

PRINCIPALS

PrinciplesPrinciples of cooperation help us to know how we will work together. It is very important thatthese principles be simple, co-owned and well understood. These are not principles that areplatitudes or that lie on a page somewhere. They are crisp statements of how we agree tooperate together so that over the long term we can sustain the relationships that make thiswork possible. What are the principles we want to enact at for our learning networks? What is it important to remember about how we want to work with the participants inour initiative? What do we think is most important to remember as we design to meet the need andpurpose? What unique ways of doing work and being together can we bring to this work. If our team should live up to its fullest potential - what do you dream (or vision) possiblefor this team?

PEOPLE

PeopleOnce the need and the purpose are in the place and we have agreed on our principles of cooperation,we can begin to identify the people that are involved in our work. Mapping thenetwork helps us to see who is in this work for us and who will have an interest in what we aredoing. Who is in the room? Who is not in the room and how do we bring them in? How do we leverage relationships to propagate the ideas generated by our worktogether? Who will be interested in the results of our work?

CONCEPT

ConceptAs we move to a more concrete idea of what our structures are, we begin to explore theconcepts that will be useful. This is a high level look at the shape of our endeavour. Forexample, if our need was to design a way to cross a body of water, we could choose a bridge,a causeway or a ferry. The concept is important, because it gives form to very differentstructures for doing our work. In our work together we might explore here the different kinds of structures including circlesand networks and really understand what these are, how the operate, how they areembedded with various contexts and cultures and what implications each has for our work. What are the shapes that we might choose for our work? What is the deeper pattern of our work and what organizational forms are in alignmentwith that? How might we activate our principles to best do our work?

BELIEFS THAT LIMIT

Limiting beliefsSo much of what we do when we organize ourselves is based on unquestioned models ofbehaviour. These patterns can be helpful but they can also limit us in fulfilling our truepotential. We cannot create innovation in the world using old models and approaches. Itpays to examine ways in which we assume work gets done in order to discover the new waysthat might serve work with new results. Engaging in this work together brings us into a cocreative working relationship, where we can help each other into new and powerful ways of working together, alleviating the fear and anxiety of the unknown. What makes us tremble, and what do we fear about new ways of working together? Who would we be without our stories of old ways of working? What will it take for us to fully enter into working in new and unfamiliar ways? What is our own learning edge in working together? What do you need from our core team to feel supported in the places that make youanxious?

STRUCTURE

StructureOnce the concept has been chosen, it is time to create the structure that will channel ourresources. It is in these conversations that we make decisions about the resources of thegroup: time, money, energy, commitment, and attention. Who are we becoming when we meet and work together this way? How do we support the aspirations of the group? What is the lightest structure that will serve our purpose and need? What role might the Core team play when the project is over? How do we wisely combine the various organizational concepts to support our workand sustain the results?

PRACTICE

PracticeThe ongoing practice within the structures we build is important. This is the world of to dolists, conference calls and email exchanges. The invitation here is to practice working withone another in alignment with the designs we have created. What do we need to do to sustain our work together? What is our own practice of working in networks? How do we extend the spirit of the gathering into future asychronous environmentswhere we can't be face to face? How do we leverage relationships and support the work that arises from them? How do we sustain and nourish our relationships and collective aspirations? What commitments are we willing to make to contribute to the success of ourendeavour?

HARVEST

HarvestThere is no point in doing work in the world unless we plan to harvest the fruits of our labours. Harvesting includes making meaning of our work, telling the story and feeding forward our results so that they have the desired impacts in the world. What are the forms of harvest from our work that best serves the need? What intentional harvest will serve our purpose? What are the artefacts that will be the most powerful representations of what we havecreated? How will we carry the DNA of the our work forward? What are the feedback loops that we need to design to ensure that learning andchange accelerates itself? How will we stay open to emergent learning? What are the questions we need to carry about what we are learning by meeting thisway? It is very important to note that harvesting is an activity that needs to be planned up front, inthe spirit of “we are not planning a meeting, we are planning a harvest.”This

This little light of mine.I’m gonna let it shine. (3X)Let shine…(3X)

All around the worldI’m gonna let it shine. (3X)Let shine…(3X)

Everywhere I goI’m gonna let it shine. (3X)Let shine…(3X)

All through the nightI’m gonna let it shine. (3X)Let shine…(3X)

Lying in your armsI’m gonna let it shine. (3X)Let shine…(3X)

Music by Ana Hernandez (by permission)

HarvestThere is no point in doing work in the world unless we plan to harvest the fruits of our labours. Harvesting includes making meaning of our work, telling the story and feeding forward our results so that they have the desired impacts in the world. What are the forms of harvest from our work that best serves the need? What intentional harvest will serve our purpose? What are the artefacts that will be the most powerful representations of what we havecreated? How will we carry the DNA of the our work forward? What are the feedback loops that we need to design to ensure that learning andchange accelerates itself? How will we stay open to emergent learning? What are the questions we need to carry about what we are learning by meeting thisway? It is very important to note that harvesting is an activity that needs to be planned up front, inthe spirit of “we are not planning a meeting, we are planning a harvest.”This

How have you experienced the one or two best treasures we have to pass on to the next generation of Jesus Followers?

HarvestThere is no point in doing work in the world unless we plan to harvest the fruits of our labours. Harvesting includes making meaning of our work, telling the story and feeding forward our results so that they have the desired impacts in the world. What are the forms of harvest from our work that best serves the need? What intentional harvest will serve our purpose? What are the artefacts that will be the most powerful representations of what we havecreated? How will we carry the DNA of the our work forward? What are the feedback loops that we need to design to ensure that learning andchange accelerates itself? How will we stay open to emergent learning? What are the questions we need to carry about what we are learning by meeting thisway? It is very important to note that harvesting is an activity that needs to be planned up front, inthe spirit of “we are not planning a meeting, we are planning a harvest.”This