[Oe List ...] Order Polity document

[Len Hockley]

Hi Shelley,

Think the REPOSITORY, http://twiki.wedgeblade.net!! This is just the 
submissions we need to make such documents available for everyone.  Do you 
think we could borrow it, make a copy of it, and scan it before it goes to 
your folks?

Len Hockley


At 08:32 PM 11/12/2006 -0500, you wrote:
>This may be a very silly inquiry ... but I was cleaning out my files today 
>and came across 2 copies of "A Collection of Brief Essays on the Dynamics 
>of Order Polity."  I thought before I threw it out I'd see if it's 
>something someone else might like to have for any reason.  If not, the 
>recycling center will be happy to take it. :)
>
>Shelley Hahn
>_______________________________________________
Dear Shelley,
Your inquiry is not silly at all. You always prompt such a refreshing 
perspective with your honest questions and probes.
But before you chuck the copies I would like to advocate for their value 
(not just because I was one of the authors "on-behalf-of".)
In 1976 Joe Mathews asked those of us so assigned as the Global Panchayat 
(an experimental construct with ever-changing folk over its many decades' 
duration ) to write this document describing the polity of our Order. We 
began in the spring and had a final draft by August. The team consisted of 
Lynn Mathews, David Morton, Faith Vance, John Epps, Isobel Bishop and me. 
When we completed our assignment Joe looked us in the eye and said, "Can I 
present and defend this to the Orders in Rome?" to which we assured him, 
"Yes!" As always, he asked for our 3 good reasons, and we had them ready. 
:) I don't know if he ever did take this to Rome, as he died the next year. 
I was always struck that the theme of Joe's last "spins" with the centrum 
priors, during the days before he died, had to do with our polity.
I believe this is one of the most important documents in our archives, as 
it captures, as well as we were able at the time, the ground-breaking 
polity of our Order. I found this assignment -- to be part of formulating 
this document -- one of the most life giving experiences I ever had -- 
second only to participating in writing the first HDP Consult Handbook 
Document after the 1975-76 launch of the first 8 projects. My reasons for 
admiring this corporate writing effort has nothing to do with its style, as 
we had yet much to learn about how to communicate well the powerful 
insights we had come upon to the world beyond our own fold. However, it 
attempts to capture in its own often abstruse style, what we and many 
beyond us have recognized was "genius" relative to our global/local polity.
As I approach semi-retirement I have on my list of "writing projects" 
rendering that document into something that the 21st century organizational 
development professionals might find of benefit. I know I have consistently 
drawn upon so much of our corporate wisdom that is reflected therein as I 
have guided my client organizations over the past several decades. It is 
good stuff!
In these days when even the Chicago archives seem to be endangered by what 
appears to be a clean sweep of all that we knew, respected and loved , I 
deeply appreciate your model, Shelly, of consulting with colleagues before 
"chucking" stuff from our past. Perhaps there soon will be something like a 
virtual colleague archive -- a technology that connects the several file 
cabinets and umpteen file boxes in the Crockers' garage with someone else's 
comparable basement or attic collections of treasures.
With appreciation and affection,
Marilyn

Marilyn R. Crocker, Ed.D
Crocker & Associates, Inc.
123 Sanborn Road
West Newfield, ME 04095
(207) 793-3711
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/oe_wedgeblade.net/attachments/20061112/d5a298b1/attachment-0001.html