> I am writing this open letter to elicit anyone's help in finding a way for
> me to become a paid contributor in the field of change management and/or
> learning organizations, training and org. development etc.
Dear organlearners,
I will post a copy of this response to Diana's email address. However,
since she had the strength to disclose her predicament to this forum, I
feel compelled to respond to her on this very forum.
Diana, first, a little bit of myself. I am no paid consultant to any
management team. I am a university teacher, trying to create a new
dispensation for the many unhappy creative students on our campus in
particular and for learning in general. I am also very much afraid that
finnaly someone would pull the plug out here, not because I will not be
able to make a living, but because I have not finsihed mt task.
I also love to wander the deserts, as I have mentioned before. In order to
do that, I run a small nursery for 20 years now by growing succulent
plants and exporting them overseas. This nursery gave me the practical
experience of what I otherwise only would have had to believe from the
books. It did not make me rich in material things, a thing which my
children find difficult to accept. Luckily, my wife did not marry me for
riches.
As I have mentioned before, it is now about 30 years that I have been
following the tenet 'to learn is to create'. My path became full of
wonderful and exciting discoveries, but also of pain and disillusion. Each
discovery led me further away from 'normal science' and eventually to an
immense paradigm shift, to use Thomas Kuhn's terminology. One of the
consequences is that I am still a Mr for the simple reason that no local
university (and probably few elsewhere in the worlds) is willing to manage
a study which will involve a paradigm shift in which they also may get
involved. Furthermore, consultants in and managers of normal science try
to keep me as far away as possible. But somehow the needy finds the way to
this battered midwife.
One of my discoveries is that which is essential to creativity and thus
learning. It concerns what I prefer to call the seven essentialities of
creativity. One of these essentialities is to make 'effective contact'. It
means that a new creation will only emerge if effective contact is made
between two or more 'parent' creations. It also means that the newly
emerged creation will only grow to maturity if effective contact is made
with the environment. I feel that you are running around in circles
because of this very essentiality. Allow me to describe this essentiality
in general terms. You will have to fill in the details.
Each of the creations participating in an emergence has to have at least
one active site with usually a much bigger, yet necessary, unreactive
baggage. Only the reactive sites can particpate in effective connections.
Furthermore, not all collisions between reactive sites become the
effective connection. The effective connection is the limiting case. This
means that the chaos of becoming have to be stretched until the limit is
reached. Only then will a organisation (structure, being) of the new order
emerge. The higher the order, the more the potential (free) energy
required to maintain this new organisation.
It is very important not to try and establish an effective connection
which is non-spontaneous. Not only does it require extraodinary amounts of
organised work, but it also leads to unstable organisations. This means
that the organisation decays as soon as the work which maintains it, is
reduced . There are some indicators to spot a non-spontaneous effective
connection.
* The emergent creation is mostly a symmetrical reflection on
the contributiong creations.
* The active sites of the contributing creations are mostly a
symmetrical reflection of each other.
* Insignificant transfer/commutation of information happens
during the making of the contact.
* Little change happens to the participating creations after the
effective contact.
> I seem to be going around in circles and would appreciate your
> contributions as to how I can get myself into work that I have just
> discovered I have been doing without knowing it. I have sat mesmerized
> while reading posts from such as Ben and At and feel more at home in this
> conversation than any other I have ever been in.
The difference between Ben's and my own contributions is quite remarkable.
However, what is much more remarkable, is that the understanding which
have emerged within you, actually employs these differences to set up an
effective contact. Furthermore, if you care to compare this new
organisation within you with Ben's and mine, you will notice how ours
become less intent while your own become more unique and powerful.
I think this asymetrical transitive character of your own emergence is an
important factor in your growing impatience. About 20 years ago, in my
early thirties, I was also extremely impatience. However, since I have
discovered the concept 'creation time' of an emergent creation, I have
been able to temper my impatience. Each creation has an intrinsical
creation time. This time can be dillated to any length, but not shortened
beyond its intrinsical value. Any attempt to do shorten it beyond this
value, will lead to an abortion.
> I have created and
> continue to create, more from my inate talent than any formal training,
> ideas that I know will work and understandings that I know to be true.
> They are confirmed everytime I read a post on this list. I have to
> believe that there is a way for me to get in, even without a long training
> process.
There must be a way. My granddaughter Jessica (an 'illegimate' child in my
society) is now 4 years old. Her mother, Cornelia, spent 5 years in
hospital with a terrible disease. Thus she has immense empathy with
anybody else in pain. What a perfect target for a sleaseball on the prowl.
Anyway, I have to act as Jessica's father in order for her to develop
normally. I try to promote her creativity as far as possible by acting as
her spiritual midwife. She is now grouped together with the 5- 6 year olds
at the nursery school. Last week she told me that she was made the leader
of her class. The next day I asked the teacher why - do the other children
not find it contradictive when the youngest becomes the leader? The
teacher said no - she is doing fine. I then asked the teacher what exactly
is it what Jessica does. She said that Jessica tells the other children
that they are old enough to do self whatever they would not and could not
do. Let us all take a lesson from this 4 year old girl.
> Does anyone have any ideas? I have skills in marketing, packaging, PR,
> training and consulting, though I have consulted to small companies on a
> variety of subjects. I know I would be a valuable member of any team and
> be able to be a strong leader, if given a chance.
You just have to procure that chance yourself. Maybe this contribution of
yours will do it. If not, devise other plans. Do not beat the money drum
to much. It makes people who are looking for things which money really
cannot buy, quite uneasy. For example, cannot buy creativity. It is
priceless. Let us drink a toast to the things which money cannot buy.
> I am so passionate about this work that I cannot believe that it has taken
> me so long to find it. I am so frustrated because I can't seem to find an
> "in". I am willing to uproot myself or do whatever I have to to begin
> this path. I am totally open.
"I am totally open"? Another blank check hey! Luckily for you, there is
not so many in the sphere of learning who will try to cash it on something
else. Apart from what I have said above, try and try and try again.
Sometimes you will get closer to the limit and sometimes not. But
eventually you will reach it. I would not have made this contribution if I
did not believe it to be true.
> Can you help? I have unsubscribed from the list for now because it hurts
> to talk about what I love when I cannot participating or contribute on a
> career basis, so please address your responses privately to:
At no stage before effective contact has been made, can any activity on
your part be considered as a failure or an error. Whoever thinks so, has
no place in the world of emergences. I love you for your spirit, and so do
may others. Please subscribe again and participate.
PS You remind me very much of my second oldest daughter, Jeanette. She
often cries because of the creativity which boils within her and which she
wants others to recognise. If I would said to her that I love her and that
she must come back, she would slam the door in my face. You would not be
the same even in this respect, would you?
Best wishes
-- -
At de Lange
Gold Fields Computer Centre for Education
University of Pretoria
Pretoria, South Africa
email: amdelange@gold.up.ac.za
--"Mnr AM de Lange" <AMDELANGE@gold.up.ac.za>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>