04 October 2010

The World Café Community Identity

It is in my frame of mind to prepare a conversation for the group titled: “methods for strategic collaboration” but consciously admitting that the statement which appears as the objective of the group that “… blending The World Café Community with methods and models like open space technology, appreciative inquiry …” ignites smoldering the latent aspiration in the frame of my mind to bring certain absolute essential elements before the think tank of EU/EC- the elements that will absolutely and indefinitely influence the growth process of The World Café Community. Taking the privilege of being the member of the group, to this effect I have meanwhile gone through the conversation generated by Sanchez the creator of this group subsequently opinion and approaches of Peggy Holman, Peter Jones all in all concentrating on the dialogue and other methods at the same time between their discussions bringing The World Café Community as the method like other methods used in academic research or action research.

Perhaps, I would not make mistake to gratefully express my comment that this is either the effect of the nomenclature or cause of such naming the group which further stretches the statement of the objective in the similar fashion. From my understanding of development either at macro level or micro level either by the state or private corporate or private non-corporate sector I would be happy again to gratefully express my understanding and queries based on which I would like to take privilege as the member of The World Café Community to constructively look into its identity, and what it should be in my eyes but nothing intentional to clash with other opinion concerning existing identity.

Let me begin with Sanchez’s “Intentional Large Group practices” posted on 13 September 2010 in relation to what Sanchez relates “conversationally-based practices such as Open Space Technology, Appreciative Inquiry, and The World café …” concentrating my discussions on certain parameters with logical relations. Obviously there are complete differences in basic qualities between The World Café Community and other conventional methods so far being used by the academicians, researchers, and developmental practitioners based on strategic thinking, strategic planning and strategic collaboration. I understand and realize from the external environment of European Community that the emergence of The World Café Community is definitely imbibed in the historical emergence of European Union to match the existing subjective and objective condition in Europe in reality instead of being the product of imagination of a couple of persons.

The evolution of European Union is a long process that basically begins on 9th May 1950 which is now celebrated as the European Founding date- the day it was declared that all the European States shall stay together. Noting that this evolution of new Europe in the spirit of developing high cohesion and high integration in the style of an ideal organizational behavior as understood is imbibed in securing safe and secure European Community at post Second World War. This could be imagined the mission of the European Community and their political leaders at the moment preventing them from being further subjected to external onslaught because of Division of Europe while Second World War closes to end. Resources were scattered between and among the

countries, pragmatic political leaders were also spread over at different regions with diehard antagonistic attitude over the period with complete political and economical isolation between and among the European States in two
blocks. The tensions grew among the people with the political and economical frustrations creating pressures among the think tank of new Europe.

The evolutionary process of European Union continues further with the declaration of all European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 which is an attempt to boost the post Second World War ravaged political-economy in

respective the then West European States. It was followed by the development of European Community which was later named as European Commission in an attempt to enhance repairing the political and economical frustrations among the people at the same time healing the wounds in the mind-set of the people. The discontent and political frustration and effect of salvaging the devastating economy in respect of quality, quantity and time being infused with the breath-stopping effect of command economy reaches the increased diminishing
marginal utility to a supersaturated stage among the consumers and producers of goods and/or services in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe could not withstand the pressure of saturated diminishing marginal utility of the goods and/or services of command economy, saturated
diminishing marginal utility of outdated political ideology while the technological innovation find itself in the driving seat of world political-economy. In around 1990 the social and economical structures of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe collapsed with the spontaneous irreversible participation of the people. The unprecedented irreversible spontaneous participation of the people together with the collapse of social and economical structures of the command economy has the push effect on the further evolution of European Community to push forward the Declaration on 9th May, 1950 for all European States to state together resulting into the emergence of European Union in 1993.

The reasons of narrating the total evolutionary process of European Union in very brief is to explain strategic thinking, strategic planning and strategic collaboration work as consumers and suppliers to each other with further elongation of European Union which in no way is possible to demonstrate similar behavior for any of the methods that have been talked above. The emergence of European Union at present composing of 27 countries is historical landmark to rejuvenate the political-economy of the European community through its behavior like an ideal organization. Every organization, whether the ideal or non-ideal in its growth process is mandatory to pass through the adolescent stage and at this stage the organization will experience very volatile movement of its most fundamental elements- the human resources that exist in the internal environment of the organization. At this stage, it is clearly advised that the strategic thinking (leader/leadership) of the organization shall make aggressive steps to contain the volatile movement in the internal environment addressing the demand of human resources usually done through horizontal and vertical organization, among other things.It is arguable about the statues quo of European Union whether it is a State or a regional association with ertain requisites of social capital yet to perform (for example: mission, core values etc..) but immaterial because in my last conversations in certain groups of The World Café Community I considered it as a larger State with a larger boundary within which 27 independent States within their respective boundary and government exist. On the ther hand implicit and explicit spirit of the people as realized by the Head of the State manifested in their declaration in 1950 that the all European States to stay together, presently to this effect with European Union as the coordination body of the member states and to this effect European Union can also be considered as or to be transformed into larger European State with other States retaining their individual identity remaining within and also retaining the basic principles of forming European Union. Because that European Union constitutes three constituents of an ideal organization: people, tasks, and environment managed by a team is expected to, and has also behaved during its formative stage like an ideal organization.

The strategic thinking of European Countries to stay together at post Second World War declaration in 1950 was rightfully addressed, as I understand, with the people’s consciousness for volcanic eruption through people to people network work as the fundamental instrument to cause the fundamental changes in political and social development in around 1990. There was an abundant flow of people across the respective national boundaries
between both the free market and command economy and the whole word witnesses the unprecedented vigor of peoples’ mobility that sweeps away artificially created the walls of isolations imbibed in the partition of Europe where the European Community do not differ in their culture, food and too much in language. In fact, this is one of the glaring manifestations of organizational behavior in its adolescent stage that while the human resources in the internal environment become uncontrolled by the strategic thinking (leader/leadership) of the States (organization) the States has to experience horizontal expansions instead of ejection of human resources from the respective State.

As a part of natural science, the emotional behavior of the people reaches to its supreme especially in those previously belonging to command economy which, according to my understanding, has a push effect on the strategic thinking of all European States to stay together to enter into the development of organized behavior of the States. The entry of strategic thinking into strategic planning is imbibed in the attempt by the think tank to develop professionalism in the behavior of the States that develops high cohesion and high integration among the European States toward their declared mission in 1950 to stay together. From the perspectives of organizational development, the entry of the strategic thinking of all Europe into its next stage strategic planning is the emergence of European Union to bring organized behavior among the European States and European Community. Two examples are pertinent to show how the think tank of European Union controls the volcanic eruption of people’s discontent that had been reaching beyond control: First: granting freedom of the people to move across the national boundaries but within the boundaries of the European Union and Second: introducing single currency (EURO) as common currency for the European States who have joined European Union.

As a part of the natural process, European Union is yet to formalize its complete shape defining its vision, mission, strategy and programs to take the complete flavor of organizational structure which I have discussed in detail in my latest conversation “A Strategic Collaboration between Both Demand and Supply in the Changing World Political-Economy” for the group: Art of Harvesting. But, again because of the subjective condition that European States at post Second World War shall no longer remain with walls of isolation among and between them to match with the objective condition that European States staying together in an irreversible phenomena it begins demonstrating its organizational behavior to identifying its lower hierarchy as both consumers of and suppliers to European Union. With European Commission whose birth was preceded by the birth of European Union and without basic parameters for European State as the larger State to behave as an ideal organization, the strategic planning identifies The World Café Community as the product of European Union and within The World Café Community giving birth to a number of groups in an orchestrated fashion of organization development though maintaining similar gaps in The World Café Community to behave like an ideal organization.

The strategic planning of the think tank of European Union through its stretching up to different groups via The World Café Community is the most significant behavior, to my understanding, in the style of an ideal organization that the European Union has entered into its ‘prime’ stage which is known as the most stable stage of an organization. Though, carrying certain symptoms of an ideal organization yet to be properly addressed- an usual phenomenon in organizational behavior, European Union as the parent organization through its second product The World Café Community has entered into strategic collaboration within itself through the groups of The World Café Community developing people to people network in different regions of the World. Though the genesis of European Union is imbibed in the declaration of 1950 limited to all European States, the given changes in socio-political-economical structural changes has brought its jurisdiction of authority all over the world for the benefit of the poor and disadvantaged.
In the organizational behavior, at the bottom most layer different groups have begun certain types of discussions relevant to the causes of respective group discussions where the transportation of knowledge management will follow the reverse way to European Union via The World Café Community and The European Association. On the other hand, the knowledge management by the European Union on any issue will travel to the members via the European Association through The World Café Community. In either of the transportation system of knowledge management different modus operandi can be thought of conducive to the behavior of European Union. Thus the beginning from the declaration in 1950 of all European State up to the present status of European Union, its Executive Agency European Commission, the emergence of The World Café Community as the product of European Union, the groups as the product of The World Café Community, and the increasing number of members as the lowest ladder or as the base is the perfect display of an organization without any minimum doubt.

The stated evolution of organizational behavior, as much as I understand, is the clear differentiation between The World café Community and other methods like Dialogue, Appreciative Inquiry etc. stated above. The former is the social capitals which are institutions, relationships, attitudes, and values that govern interactions among the people and contribute to economic and social development (Ref. Understanding and Measuring Social Capital, A Multidisciplinary Tool for Practitioners, P-03, Grootaert Christian and Thierry Van Bastelmen, The World Bank, Washington D.C.) constituting both structural and cognitive social capitals and the later (methods) are the soft wares which do not have any of the elements that the social capital has.

Dialogue is one form of three different types of soft assistance: coordination, brokerage, and dialogue and advocacy that the developmental partners including United Nations provide to different States to facilitate the developmental interventions by the respective. Dialogue also as method by virtue of its characteristics is short duration intended primarily to build rapport with the respondents. On the other hand, in a large group discussion like seminar dialogue also functions to exchange information but not for a long time but also has little scopes to gather in-depth knowledge (information from the respondents). On the other hand, The Appreciative Inquiry is the method which is more or less similar to In-depth Interview (IDI) being used by the professional academicians, researchers and developmental practitioners to conduct academic and action research on the concerned issue.

The appreciative inquiry being used uses open-ended checklists as the tool to gather information can cover a considerable size of respondents like Focus Group Discussion (FGD) or from one to one interview as such has the opportunity to consume several hours a day or some consecutive days depending on the issue concerned. But dialogue is also used in Appreciative Inquiry method to build primary rapport with the respondents or building rapport with the respondents is inbuilt in the Appreciative Inquire Method.

None of the methods being developed and used as far as I understand has got any opportunity to work as Social Capital: both structural and cognitive social capital. Methods are developed one after another only in knowledge production (gathering information) based on the weakness of the previous methods being used. Method does not have any opportunity to translate knowledge being produced into certain deliverable (goods and/or services) and to transport the deliverables for further utilization by the consumers of knowledge. Further to the consideration of the evolutionary process of The World Café Community, and the role of the World Café Community as can be assumed to bring the benefits to the EU and EC, European Community as well as the World Community I would gratefully express my opinion that in no way The World Café Community can be considered as method rather as social capital and shall fill-in the gaps to bloom all the four entities European Union, European Commission, The World café Community and The Groups as complete social capital to form a linear relation among them to facilitate their interventions in development. As social capital the European Union, The European Commission, The World café Community and The Groups will use methods for producing knowledge as and when required.

Thanking you all and with very best of regards

Sincerely and honestly yours

tarit

Tarit Kumar Datta Gupta

Development Specialist &

Member of The World Café Community

Dhaka, Bangladesh