FLOSS other than Software,

The Floss/foss ethics have been used in other area's other than software, Open Organization is a good example of this. Open Organization is a framework set-up by a group of individuals that set out rules and guide lines on how an organization can function. With the goal to have this organization to be open and transparent at all levels and also be accountable for it's actions. This idea of how an organization can run goes agents the original idea on how an organization works, with it's decision-making are closed, with individuals are unaccountable, and abuses of power are hard to prevent with the knowledge used and produced are hoarded.

With the open organization being set-up differently from the usual. With the ideal use of this new structure being used at every level from government and corporations to activist and volunteer groups. This old system usually have a small group of people with control and power over everyone else with the other members just doing what they are told. Open Organization on the other hand want to remove at some level the small group of people with all the controls and give it to the majority specially in decision-making and how the people use there time. With the decision-making being done by group consensus, so that everyone has a chance of speaking and participating in the discussion. Open Organization also promotes the idea of a charter or something similar, this is a documents that lays out the organizations goals and ideas. This allows any one at any point to challenge the organization and make sure that it is true to it original goals. Through group discussions the charter maybe changed or a smaller group with it's own charter be formed to deal with a certain idea or problem. This allows the organization to constantly change and advance to it's goals. ( Open Organization Decision-making guide)

Open Organization also promotes that the organization to publish in some form all of it's documents and discussions in away that anyone can have access to them and view them. This idea of being transparent is a fundamental part of the organization of this group. It allows group members to be aware of what has been done or going to be done. It also allows the group to be accountable for it's action by the group or anyone out side the group.

Another way of using Open Organization is to use it as a referees when looking at other organizational structures. This way of using Open Organization allows the user to critique the other and hopefully find improvements in the original structure or Open Organization itself. As Open Organization run by it's own guide lines, anyone can make suggestions to framework and discuss them with the group.

Home page for Open Organization.