Introduction: From Practice to Theory and Back

Open Organizations is an organic developing framework for the function of new and existing organizations.

The values (motivation) of Open Organizations are expressed in its core objectives: to promote and enable transparency, inclusiveness (participation), autonomy, recognized interdependency, and diversity.

Open Organizations is largely the result of synthesizing the observed patterns in the functioning of existing organizations, up till now over a period of about two years. The theoretical basis for the synthesis has been formed from many varied sources, including systems theory. The motivation for forwarding this particular synthesis is the set of objectives given above.

Open Organizations is developing according to the understanding that theory and practice reciprocate. Developing practice will be used to develop the theories and patterns used in Open Organizations, whilst developments of the theories and new observations of patterns of function will be applied to its implementations (practice). In this way Open-Organizations will always itself be developing.

Actual implementations of Open Organizations will vary. Organizations of any size can use this framework as a starting point, to help them think about the way (process) they work and organize by, rather then as the end point to reach. They can adopt what they choose from it and develop onwards through their experience, hopefully with the aim of remaining an Open Organization.

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presentation prepared for eXtreme computing event in June 2002 in London/UK. -> http://www.xcom2002.com/
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