Art	
  of	
  Hosting	
  
	
  
Please	
  credit	
  The	
  Art	
  of	
  Hosting	
  Community,	
  www.artofhosting.org	
  
The Chaordic Path
.	
  
Chaos—Order—Control	
  are	
  different	
  states	
  of	
  being	
  and	
  experiencing.	
  We	
  tend	
  to	
  feel	
  
safest	
  in	
  the	
  state	
  of	
  order,	
  or	
  for	
  some	
  people,	
  in	
  control.	
  	
  Being	
  out	
  of	
  control	
  is	
  scary	
  
if	
  we	
  are	
  looking	
  for	
  predictability.	
  	
  If	
  we	
  have	
  a	
  mechanistic	
  view	
  on	
  organisations,	
  our	
  
tendency	
   will	
   be	
   to	
   stay	
   within	
   the	
   realms	
   of	
   order	
   and	
   control,	
   where	
   things	
   are	
  
predictable	
   and	
   stable—and	
   where	
   we	
   produce	
   status	
   quo	
   or	
   “more	
   of	
   the	
   same”—
which	
  in	
  some	
  cases	
  is	
  exactly	
  what	
  is	
  needed.	
  	
  
The	
  world	
  and	
  times	
  we	
  live	
  in	
  are,	
  however,	
  neither	
  predictable	
  nor	
  stable	
  and	
  call	
  for	
  
more	
  flexibility,	
  as	
  “more	
  of	
  the	
  same”	
  solutions	
  are	
  not	
  meeting	
  the	
  challenges.	
  	
  If	
  we	
  
are	
  looking	
  for	
  innovative,	
  new	
  solutions	
  we	
  will	
  find	
  them	
  in	
  a	
  place	
  between	
  chaos	
  and	
  
order—the	
  chaordic	
  path.	
  	
  	
  
The	
   chaordic	
   path	
   is	
   actually	
   the	
   story	
   of	
   our	
   natural	
   world,	
   as	
   form	
   arises	
   out	
   of	
  
nonlinear,	
   complex,	
   diverse	
   systems.	
   	
   “At	
   the	
   edge	
   of	
   chaos”	
   is	
   where	
   life	
   innovates,	
  
where	
   things	
   are	
   not	
   hard-­‐wired,	
   but	
   are	
   flexible	
   enough	
   for	
   new	
   connections	
   and	
  
solutions	
  to	
  occur.	
  	
  New	
  levels	
  of	
  order	
  become	
  possible	
  out	
  of	
  chaos.	
  
As	
   in	
   nature,	
   so	
   in	
   organisations	
   the	
   path	
   between	
   Chaos	
   and	
   Order	
   leads	
   us	
   to	
   the	
  
new—to	
  collective	
  learning	
  and	
  real-­‐time	
  innovation.	
  	
  Instead	
  of	
  relying	
  on	
  controlling	
  
every	
   detail	
   in	
   our	
   organisations	
   or	
   communities	
   from	
   the	
   top	
   down,	
   many	
   leaders	
  
today	
   see	
   the	
   need	
   to	
   access	
   the	
   collective	
   intelligence	
   and	
   collective	
   wisdom	
   of	
  
everyone,	
   which	
   can	
   be,	
   at	
   times,	
   a	
   “messy”	
   process	
   until	
   we	
   reach	
   new	
   insight	
   and	
  
clarity.	
  
To	
  lead	
  our	
  organisation	
  on	
  the	
  chaordic	
  path	
  we	
  need	
  “chaordic	
  confidence”,	
  to	
  have	
  
the	
  courage	
  to	
  stay	
  in	
  the	
  dance	
  of	
  order	
  and	
  chaos	
  long	
  enough	
  to	
  support	
  a	
  generative	
  
emergence	
  that	
  allows	
  the	
  new,	
  collective	
  intelligence	
  and	
  wise	
  action	
  to	
  occur.	
  	
  	
  
As	
  we	
  tread	
  the	
  line	
  between	
  chaos	
  and	
  order,	
  individually	
  and	
  collectively,	
  we	
  move	
  
through	
  confusion	
  and	
  conflict	
  toward	
  clarity.	
  	
  It	
  is	
  in	
  the	
  phase	
  of	
  not	
  knowing,	
  before	
  
we	
   reach	
   new	
   clarity,	
   that	
   the	
   temptation	
   to	
   rush	
   for	
   certainty	
   or	
   grab	
   for	
   control	
   is	
  
Art	
  of	
  Hosting	
  
	
  
Please	
  credit	
  The	
  Art	
  of	
  Hosting	
  Community,	
  www.artofhosting.org	
  
strongest.	
  	
  We	
  are	
  all	
  called	
  to	
  walk	
  this	
  path	
  with	
  open	
  minds	
  and	
  some	
  confidence	
  if	
  
we	
  want	
  to	
  reach	
  something	
  wholly	
  new.	
  
In	
  this	
  space	
  of	
  emergence,	
  we	
  leave	
  our	
  collective	
  encounters	
  with	
  something	
  that	
  not	
  
one	
  of	
  us	
  individually	
  brought	
  into	
  the	
  room.	
  	
  	
  
The	
  art	
  is	
  to	
  stay	
  in	
  the	
  fine	
  balance	
  between	
  chaos	
  and	
  order.	
  	
  Straying	
  too	
  far	
  to	
  either	
  
side	
   is	
   counterproductive.	
   	
   On	
   the	
   far	
   side	
   of	
   chaos	
   is	
   chamos	
   or	
   destructive	
   chaos	
  
where	
  everything	
  disintegrates	
  and	
  dies.	
  	
  On	
  the	
  far	
  side	
  of	
  order	
  is	
  stifling	
  control—
where	
   there	
   is	
   no	
   movement	
   that	
   eventually	
   means	
   death.	
   	
   When	
   we	
   move	
   toward	
  
either	
  of	
  these	
  extremes,	
  the	
  result	
  is	
  apathy	
  or	
  rebellion—the	
  very	
  opposite	
  of	
  chaordic	
  
confidence.	
  	
  Staying	
  on	
  the	
  chaordic	
  path	
  is	
  where	
  the	
  balance	
  is	
  and	
  where	
  life	
  thrives.	
  
Chaos/Order	
  is	
  the	
  Place	
  for	
  Leadership	
  
The	
  practice	
  of	
  leadership	
  and	
  particularly	
  participatory	
  leadership	
  resides	
  in	
  the	
  place	
  
between	
  chaos	
  and	
  order.	
  	
  When	
  facing	
  new	
  challenges	
  that	
  cannot	
  be	
  met	
  with	
  the	
  
same	
  way	
  we	
  are	
  currently	
  working,	
  we	
  need	
  to	
  learn	
  new	
  ways	
  of	
  operating.	
  It	
  is	
  during	
  
these	
  times	
  of	
  uncertainty	
  and	
  increased	
  complexity,	
  where	
  results	
  cannot	
  be	
  predicted,	
  
that	
  leaders	
  need	
  to	
  invite	
  others	
  to	
  share	
  diverse	
  knowledge	
  to	
  discover	
  new	
  purpose	
  
and	
  strategy	
  and	
  decide	
  the	
  way	
  forward.	
  
Order/Control	
  is	
  a	
  Place	
  for	
  Management	
  	
  
The	
  practice	
  of	
  management	
  lies	
  between	
  order	
  and	
  control	
  where	
  activities	
  need	
  to	
  be	
  
maintained	
  and	
  executed	
  routinely	
  so	
  that	
  a	
  particular	
  standard	
  results.	
  It	
  is	
  the	
  place	
  
where	
   ‘more	
   of	
   the	
   same’	
   is	
   required,	
   e.g.	
   landing	
   an	
   airplane	
   safely,	
   operating	
   on	
   a	
  
patient,	
  etc.	
  Therefore,	
  it	
  is	
  where	
  predictability	
  is	
  called	
  for	
  and	
  where	
  procedures	
  and	
  
standards	
  are	
  clearly	
  defined	
  and	
  need	
  to	
  be	
  adhered	
  to.	
  	
  	
  
	
  
Link	
  with	
  the	
  Cynefin	
  Framework	
  	
  
The	
   path	
   between	
   Order	
   and	
   Chaos	
   is	
   informed	
   by	
   the	
   complexity	
   insights:	
   Order	
  
emerges	
  out	
  of	
  Chaos	
  and	
  is	
  stabilised	
  against	
  it.	
  	
  We	
  know	
  that	
  we	
  do	
  not	
  know	
  and	
  we	
  
stay	
  in	
  constant	
  learning	
  mode.	
  
	
  
The	
   path	
   between	
   Control	
   and	
   Order	
   is	
   when	
   we	
   begin	
   declaring	
   and	
   defining	
   best	
  
practices	
   or	
   recipes	
   or	
   procedures	
   to	
   follow.	
   They	
   are	
   not	
   emergent	
   and	
   fluid	
   but	
  
constrain	
  the	
  whole	
  system.	
  	
  
We	
  are	
  then	
  leading	
  as	
  in	
  the	
  
simple	
  or	
  complicated	
  domain	
  
with	
   the	
   inherent	
   risk	
   of	
  
increasing	
  the	
  possible	
  chaos,	
  
and	
  to	
  suppress	
  creativity	
  and	
  
learning.	
   Here	
   we	
   assume	
  
that	
  we	
  know	
  and	
  reality	
  has	
  
to	
  follow.