12-10-2011, 03:16 AM
LEADERSHIP & OPEN SOURCE PROTEST #ows
Here's bit of information (unfortunately, the article is poorly written) from Fox on how Occupy Atlanta blocked a local Congressman from speaking at their general assembly. Essentially, the general assembly's rules require consensus to pass any resolution or to allow anybody to speak. Nothing else will do. So, when the Congressman (a veteran of civil rights marches and used to taking a leadership role) asked to speak, one member of the assembly crossed his arms in strenuous opposition. He didn't like the idea of people attempting to lead the movement. It worked. The Congressman was denied an opportunity to speak, and the assembly rolled on, leaderless.Rejecting LeadersFluid, constrained leadership is an important part of open source protest. Fluid in that there are no fixed positions. Contrained in that it is limited to managing a single function. There isn't any overarching leadership.So far, we've seen fluid, constrained leadership with the Occupy movement. The folks that successfully accomplished the movement's plausible promise have faded into the woodwork, as they were supposed to do. However, the movement isn't out of the woods yet: there isn't any shortage of people on the sidelines anxious to take control of the movement. Fortunately, the Occupy movement is organized in a way that makes taking control difficult. Here are some of them:- Consensus decision making (blocks leadership as per the above).
- Geographic Decentralization. Not many people in any one location.
- No hieararchy or bureaucracy. A coup d'etat requires a bureaucratic hierarchy. To sieze control, all you need to do get the bureaucracy to accept your orders. If it does, you are now in control. Occupy doesn't have a bureaucracy to sieze control of.
- No behind the scenes space. Everything is out in the open/transparent. How do you cut a deal in a smoke filled room when there isn't one?
- Lots more here... any more and I'd have to write a pamphlet e-book on it. ;->
Posted by John Robb on Tuesday, 11 October 2011 at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (39) |
"Where is the intersection between the world's deep hunger and your deep gladness?"