Rumbling on performativity_Frits Simon

ences are more important than others. However, my intention is unassuming: I try to
understand what happened from a CAS and/or complex responsive process-perspective
and by that, I also try to understand a CAS and/or complex responsive processperspective
on a conceptual level. I try to give words to what I experienced and to
what happened on topics as self-organization, power and social interdependency.
Afterwards I will come back to the question whether the ascribed importance to some
occurrences can have some special consequences.
Three occurrences
In my view three occurrences seem to be of special importance. First the lack of planning
of and the on-going discussions during the process, second the introduction of
the motto “Imperturbably remaining ourselves”, and third the sick leave of Paul Broersen.
These occurrences play their part in a breakthrough during the drafting process.
From a CAS-perspective a breakthrough promotes shifts in the process of self-organization,
either regressive or progressive. “A breakthrough consists of three statements:
the first about a potential or tension in the environment. The second about what
unacceptable is about the way of proceeding given the potential, tension or pressure,
and the third about suggestions for a new way of working.” (Zuijderhoudt, 2007: 183).
In other words: if something is demanded and the way it is handled is not productive,
alternative arrangements are needed. I will use these statements to explore a part of
the process of the drafting of the performance agreements. However, topics for
discussions remain if and which arrangements might be needed, and if and how to
generate alternative arrangements.
Given the short term– to be interpreted as the environmental tension - in which the
performance agreements had to be produced, the short sick leave of Paul Broersen
was a blessing in disguise. The sick leave eliminated the delaying discussions - given
the deadline an unacceptable way of working - about the amount of specifications the
draft should contain. The sick leave was the breakthrough to enable a pragmatic union
of the different perspectives - as a new way of working - also due to the just in time
return of Paul Broersen. The final result satisfied both factions in the board. The result
was not a rational and hardly conquered consensus. A not to be planned biological
viral infection unleashed the self-organizing momentum for a satisfying outcome.
To understand another breakthrough one has to know that profiling was a very sensitive
subject. Profiling implicates making choices about priority in extra funding, in
public relations and ensuring possibilities for growth. In the UAS, profiling was a
lingering subject; more or less an evaded taboo in policy by accepting profiles of many
educational and research domains. The relatively easy way a common and reduced
profile for the whole UAS was agreed upon was unintentionally conditioned by the
lack of planning of the whole process. The short term, an unavoidable deadline and the
potential implications of the performance agreements promoted that within a few
weeks a lingering (statement 1: unacceptable way of working) and touchy subject
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