In Open Space Technology meetings, action plans begin with baby steps. In the action planning phase of an Open Space event, I ask participants to identify key projects that need to be started or ideas that need to be moved forward. In order to focus small, self-organized workteams, I distribute a small form that helps to capture immediate next steps.

As a result, I am always looking for questions to focus planning groups on concrete collaboration. I found a few today at Reforming Project Management Theory and Practice:

Very useful, combined with a question that asks the group to identify a time and place to meet again.

My friend and fellow Bowen Islander John Dumbrille is beginning to engage with issues of accessibility for Web sites. He has some recent posts on his blog which look to me to be the beginning of a white paper. It will be interesting to see how his thinking evolves along these questions:

The question is an interesting one from a web design point of view, but my curiosity is piqued a little more in thinking about these same questions applied to organizational structures. Connecting people, all people, in common endeavours requires attention to diversity AND functionality. It’s not a question of one size fits all, as John also points out, but many sizes serving many.

At the very least it’s given me some nice food for thought for our regular coffee breaks together.

Good luck to my friends in Te Tau Ihu as they continue with their hikoi to protect Maori rights along the foreshore and seabed in New Zealand. This is a busy week upcoming in Maoridom. Follow all the news through Google.

Ten or so pieces of notable linkage:

More links at my de.licio.us

In response to my post on the Emergent Organizations paper, Anne Stadler sent me a James Broughton poem which captures the essence of her thinking at the moment on emergence, responsibility and action:

Broughton, by the way, had a wonderful aphorism that reminds me of Anne’s longtime collaborator, and one of my mentors, Harrison Owen: