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Enabling Creative Chaos: The Organization Behind the Burning Man Event
In the summer of 2008, nearly fifty thousand people traveled to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to participate in the countercultural arts event Burning Man. Founded on a commitment to expression and community, the annual weeklong festival presents unique challenges to its organizers. Over four years Katherine K. Chen regularly participated in organizing efforts to safely and successfully create a temporary community in the middle of the desert under the hot August sun.
Enabling Creative Chaos tracks how a small, underfunded group of organizers transformed into an unconventional corporation with a ten-million-dollar budget and two thousand volunteers. Over the years, Burning Man’s organizers have experimented with different management models; learned how to recruit, motivate, and retain volunteers; and developed strategies to handle regulatory agencies and respond to media coverage. This remarkable evolution, Chen reveals, offers important lessons for managers in any organization, particularly in uncertain times.
- GenresNonfictionSocial Science
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
6 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 13, 2011
This truly lovely bit of organizational sociology is about “the difficulties oft creating an enabling organization: how can members establish sufficient structure and coordination that support but do not constrain their activities?” (Page 153)
Much of this book is about how the Burning Man organization lives between two tensions: first, the tension between under-organization and over-organization; second, the tension between collectivist practices and bureaucratic organizing. (This book relies on Chen's extensive participation as a volunteer in organizing Burning Man events through the late 1990's and early 2000's; if you don't know what Burning Man is, go buy Joe Winston's "Just Add Couches", watch that, then read the book -- without some familiarity with Burning Man, this book will make little sense to you.
The beauty of under-organizing is enormous creative freedom and space to innovate. The downside of under-organizing is the lack of stability and the real challenge that no decision ever stays made but instead everything must always be renegotiated. In contrast over-organizing offers stability and predictability, a framework within which other work can be done, and easier familiarity to outside organizations–but at the cost of rigidity and little responsiveness.
Chen relates this to the somewhat distinct collectivist versus bureaucratic tension. In collectivist organization the first responsibility is to the organization's members: her descriptions of collectivist practices seem reminiscent of co-op decision-making where all emotions are valid and floridly displayed and a process that ensures that everyone can speak may be valued more than a process that actually comes to decision. In contrast. bureaucractic organizations focus on well defined and abstract rules, but offer little room to respond to individual human beings with their often idiosyncratic needs.
Two other notions from Burning Man as described by Chen also are worth remembering, The first, to which she devotes an entire chapter, is a self-characterization of Burning Man as not a democracy but a “do-ocracy”. In a democracy, the Burning Man organizers assert, individuals are able to participate by voting on high-level policy. In a do-ocracy, in contrast to high-level policy is determined by leaders, but members are given wide latitude to try out ideas and see if they work–if they work, and have thereby been proven in the field, they then become high-level policy. I find this notion of a do-ocracy is very appealing to me as a way of organizing, particularly in an academic context.
Finally, Chen highlights the importance of “radical inclusion” to bring them success. As Chen describes it in burning Man, at least as an aspiration, there are no spectators only participants. This is embodied in a deep commitment to finding ways to involve volunteers in all aspects of your reservation–including frequently quote repurposing” volunteers whose first, or perhaps forth, volunteer assignment was not well-suited to their skill set. Her descriptions of day burning man's commitment o involving all volunteers, and finding a space and will for each of them, are just inspiring.
Much of this book is about how the Burning Man organization lives between two tensions: first, the tension between under-organization and over-organization; second, the tension between collectivist practices and bureaucratic organizing. (This book relies on Chen's extensive participation as a volunteer in organizing Burning Man events through the late 1990's and early 2000's; if you don't know what Burning Man is, go buy Joe Winston's "Just Add Couches", watch that, then read the book -- without some familiarity with Burning Man, this book will make little sense to you.
The beauty of under-organizing is enormous creative freedom and space to innovate. The downside of under-organizing is the lack of stability and the real challenge that no decision ever stays made but instead everything must always be renegotiated. In contrast over-organizing offers stability and predictability, a framework within which other work can be done, and easier familiarity to outside organizations–but at the cost of rigidity and little responsiveness.
Chen relates this to the somewhat distinct collectivist versus bureaucratic tension. In collectivist organization the first responsibility is to the organization's members: her descriptions of collectivist practices seem reminiscent of co-op decision-making where all emotions are valid and floridly displayed and a process that ensures that everyone can speak may be valued more than a process that actually comes to decision. In contrast. bureaucractic organizations focus on well defined and abstract rules, but offer little room to respond to individual human beings with their often idiosyncratic needs.
Two other notions from Burning Man as described by Chen also are worth remembering, The first, to which she devotes an entire chapter, is a self-characterization of Burning Man as not a democracy but a “do-ocracy”. In a democracy, the Burning Man organizers assert, individuals are able to participate by voting on high-level policy. In a do-ocracy, in contrast to high-level policy is determined by leaders, but members are given wide latitude to try out ideas and see if they work–if they work, and have thereby been proven in the field, they then become high-level policy. I find this notion of a do-ocracy is very appealing to me as a way of organizing, particularly in an academic context.
Finally, Chen highlights the importance of “radical inclusion” to bring them success. As Chen describes it in burning Man, at least as an aspiration, there are no spectators only participants. This is embodied in a deep commitment to finding ways to involve volunteers in all aspects of your reservation–including frequently quote repurposing” volunteers whose first, or perhaps forth, volunteer assignment was not well-suited to their skill set. Her descriptions of day burning man's commitment o involving all volunteers, and finding a space and will for each of them, are just inspiring.
April 25, 2013
Just not my cup of tea. Organizational sociology feels repetitive after so many classes about leadership and nonprofit organizations.
March 10, 2017
The sociology speak gets tedious but it is kind of interesting looking at how Burning Man works as an organization. And props to whoever reviewed this book who mentioned Burning Man: Just Add Couches. Definitely watch that movie if you are interested in Burning Man! It really captures the prankster and DIY ethos of the event and the inspiring weirdos who were out there in the beginning. Best movie I've seen on the subject.
May 11, 2014
Katherine Chen’s book Enabling Creative Chaos: The Organization Behind the Burning Man Event is an inside look into how organizations can strike the balance between under organization and over organization. Chen focuses her study on the organizational changes the Burning Man organization makes as it grows from a small group to an annual event. Chen proceeds to outline how various organizational issues in the Burning Man group are solved by the placement of both bureaucratic and collectivist practices, which avoid under organizing and over organizing respectively. Chen has strong evidence achieved through her dedicated observational study of the behind-the-scenes organization of Burning Man, as well as conducting interviews with a large number of both active and retired members.
By avoiding over organizing, Chen observes how members and volunteers of Burning Man are able to revolve their practices around their organizational mission of free expression, art, and community. Chen argues this ability is attributed to the organization’s many collectivist practices. Chen also successfully displays the negative effects under organizing had on the Burning Man organization by creating an atmosphere that was not suitable economically, physically, or even emotionally. Chen argues Burning Man was able to implement appropriate bureaucratic practices to stabilize and formalize the organization. Chen shows by using both the collectivist and bureaucratic practices, Burning Man was able to become such a unique and successful organization. As outlined by Chen, the rituals and organizational elements of Burning Man in this book are easy to parallel to greater sociological theories of culture, making it an applicable book to other sociological factors as well as organizations.
By avoiding over organizing, Chen observes how members and volunteers of Burning Man are able to revolve their practices around their organizational mission of free expression, art, and community. Chen argues this ability is attributed to the organization’s many collectivist practices. Chen also successfully displays the negative effects under organizing had on the Burning Man organization by creating an atmosphere that was not suitable economically, physically, or even emotionally. Chen argues Burning Man was able to implement appropriate bureaucratic practices to stabilize and formalize the organization. Chen shows by using both the collectivist and bureaucratic practices, Burning Man was able to become such a unique and successful organization. As outlined by Chen, the rituals and organizational elements of Burning Man in this book are easy to parallel to greater sociological theories of culture, making it an applicable book to other sociological factors as well as organizations.
February 24, 2010
The challenges that a festival such as Burning Man face are so interesting. The balancing act that the organizers face is truly unique and I was fascinated by their trials and tribulations.
It is also time to plan a trip to experience this event!
It is also time to plan a trip to experience this event!
January 6, 2012
great ethnography of Burning Man. Nicely linked to debates in organisational theory. A few more pictures would have been wonderful.
Read
January 17, 2013Definitely want to re-read this one, when I'm not rushing through it for class!
Want to read
August 30, 2013
April 4, 2017
I thought it was interesting enough, though maybe my two stars is a bit biased. I am not really into organizational theory and I think Chen may have let her biases influence her interpretation of her field work.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews