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Henri Lipmanowicz, Mary Ellen Sanajko, Ashley Cooper

(I did not take notes with the intention of being the official notetaker. This is my perspective on our time together! Ashley)

Henri, who called the session, started by wondering if there is value in naming some of the roles that emerge when people are in an open space or similar type group engagement. When people are invited to self-organize and take responsibility for what they are passionate about, for some it is hard to imagine what might be available to them if they step outside of the roles they are accustomed to playing when in groups. We brainstormed roles/actions that emerge that individuals can and do step into. This was a breif brainstorming session. A question that arised but was not addressed was the difference between archetypes and roles.

Our brainstormed ideas were phrased in terms of “None taker” but for my own liking, I’ve phrased some of them in terms of what the individual would do, “take notes.” We noticed that our list comprised of more roles than there often are people in a group. Often individuals end up doing multiple actions as they feel called and of course many different people can step into any particular role.

Roles or Actions... Possibilities to step into:

Mother Father shaman

Anne Stadler adding thoughts: Arnie Mindell (Process Oriented psychology inventor) named a concept that I feel describes the emergence of leadership roles in a self-organizing system: Time/Spirit?. You are a "time/spirit" when your personal evolutionary needs match the needs of a group, and you show up in a role. When that role is congruently presented by an individual in a group, it is satisfied for the group and other roles can emerge. If it is not presented congruently, it will recur in the group until it is (And it will recur in YOU until it is.)

When all necessary roles have emerged congruently, the group itself transforms to its next level of order. This proposition is in contrast to fixed roles and/or positions that have existed in group life historically, and that people are either born into, or are employed in.

So as I imagine or observe what roles are appearing in a group, I keep in mind that in a self-organizing system one does NOT stay in a role after it is appropriate for the needs of the group: a role is a "just-in-time" "in-the-now" phenomenon. One personal practice that arises from this is: noticing the role you are called up in, expressing it congruently, and dropping it when you've congruently offered it.