‽istis
ponders form and function (weekending July 13th 2024)
This weekending ‽istis is pondering form and function…
Attention and a few days of pondering
was sparked by hearing the words of Lesley-Anne Ryder to the Church of
England’s Synod and the discussion on safeguarding arrangements[i] at the morning session on Monday:
“Form, organisational form I’m taking
about, must follow functions. Leaping straight to an organisational
model before establishing exactly what the organisation must deliver is
counter-productive.”
And ‽istis wondered about what maybe
a dynamic process whereby form is perhaps changed either because an
understanding of functions have changed (back to Lesley-Anne Ryder: “So, we
have needed to refine our vision of the functions…”[ii]) or the functions have not been carried out well enough (the
safeguarding arrangements of the Church failing too many, too much, for too
long?[iii]) and the form has perhaps been found to be part of the problem
(failures because, not failures despite, perhaps?), or the form is not now
considered fully fit for purpose?
So ‽istis has wondered some more
about form and function:
‽ How form might reveal function past…
the legacy of training and breeding for specific tasks can perhaps still be
seen in the look and the shape and the temperament of many of the dogs met when
walking around
‽ How form might hint at function present
yet possibly hidden or obscured (more or less deliberately): the power
structures, beliefs and meta-narratives playing out in architecture and design;
the form of organisational structures and arrangements[iv] that overtly or covertly perpetuate privilege or poverty, that include
or exclude, that let everyone know just how things should work and how things
are
‽ How a football manager might plan
the form of the team (to possibly bring it home after many years of hurt) when
the opposition is Spain in the final[v], or when you are a goal down, or when it looks as though you are heading
for penalties
‽ How the athletes preparing for the
Olympics are seeking to optimise training so that their very physical form and their
skills are honed for just the right moment whether that is a 10 second burst,
or a five set match, or a 20metre dive
‽ How the form of a new government, a
Cabinet, a civil service may be shaped for ‘delivery’
‽ How the form of the armed forces may
or may not be fit for purpose[vi]
‽ How the form of a map and
boundaries (including national or state boundaries) may be determined by the
function required by the map and boundary-makers
‽ How the form of sentencing options
and prison arrangements might reflect the perceived (five) functions of a
criminal justice system - with prisons that may be either ‘warehouses for the
incorrigible or greenhouses for the redeemable’ (what a phrase heard on the
radio[vii] as this was being typed)
‽ How the form of a family may matter
less to children and young people and their optimal development than the
functioning of committed parents and carers in family and other arrangements
that may come in many shapes and sizes
‽ What factors may play a part in
shaping form in addition to function… perhaps including finances, political
will, ideology, belief, etc., etc.; possibly including imposed rules and limitations
- for surely 12 or more players from the England football team on the pitch at
the same time on Sunday might be desirable or even necessary, but would also
surely be considered bad form and, at the end of the day, just wouldn’t be
cricket - both literally and figuratively‽
And as thoughts about form and
function continue to swirl around (perhaps, possibly, maybe providing some
fresh ways to think about how we organise our lives or have them organised for
us) ‽istis is wondering whether the forthcoming dog walk in the day’s rather
chilly weather requires a particular garment? It’s a frequently worn
‘Rohan’ jacket bought c. 25 years ago but which now no longer bears the original
accompanying label that extolled its quality and spoke of the primary design
rationale: to blend form and function perfectly…
©‽istis
NB: further reflections and comments linked to this
week’s theme and past blog entries to be found on X/Twitter with replies,
retweets (which don’t necessarily indicate approval, sometimes the very
opposite!) and ‘likes’: @Pistis_wonders.
X/Twitter ‘follows’ and respectful comment and dialogue welcome...
[i] https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2024/12-july/news/uk/general-synod-digest-safeguarding-reform-moves-forward
& https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOyifAvqCOg
(18’46” in) Lesley-Ann Ryder independent
co-chair of the Response Group set up following two commissioned reports
earlier this year by Sarah Wilkinson (on the disbanding of the Independent
Safeguarding Board), and Professor Alexis Jay (on the future of safeguarding).
[ii]
And ‽istis wonders whether indeed the safeguarding sticking points for the
Church of England are to be found in unresolved issues and differences about
the function/s of the Church in relation to safeguarding. Perhaps until that is
resolved
[iii] “We
know we have not got this right in the past, but we can work towards getting it
right in the future.” Kashmir Garton,
interim chair of the National Safeguarding Panel (see Church Times article cited
above.
[iv] …including
the form and arrangements of prayers and blessings: included in a service, offered
in a stand-alone service, or even comprising a full and complete marriage
service (another focus of Synod) https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/living-love-and-faith
[v] https://www.uefa.com/euro2024/news/028f-1b597d73ac44-281bef77526d-1000--spain-vs-england-euro-2024-final-preview-where-to-watch-k/
[vii] To
punish, to protect, to reduce crime, to reform, to rehabilitate. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0020y75
c. 18” in to the programme - Bishop James Jones
