In thinking through the mechanics and design principles for self-organizing spaces, it seems a key element to ownership, engagement and / or buy-in is the extend to which an individual’s contribution are found value or useful to the group. Or perhaps it is that for some, it is this element that is most critical, while others find the ability to express or be heard is paramount and still others find the connections to others having the most meaning. There are standard theories in volunteer management / motivation that look at affiliation, achievement and power as the key factor propelling engagement in an organization (http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource001203_Rep1540.pdf).
Peter shared with me some thinking he had done on the SICW endeavor to come to some collective and growing community of researchers, activities, educators in this realm. It was gratifying to know that some of the thinking I had shared with him on self-organizing groups was taken up. That my ideas had some value. So then the question is how do we creating meaning and value within the context of self-organizing groups? How do we make accommodations for varieties of motivations? How do we meet varied needs for connection and engagement?
Part of me things that it is critical then to provide many levels of intensity for engaging and opportunities for coming in and out of a space. I will need to think on this a bit more.