[Board] Growth stages theory

[Tyler Mitchell]

I spent a bit of time a while back trying to get a handle on how OSGeo
has developed and where it might be headed - in terms of size, challenges, 
successes, etc.   While we are unique in many ways, I don't believe we are
so strange that looking at other organisations isn't helpful.

At one point I landed on this very short article that I thought 
might help us understand OSGeo's lifecycle:

http://www.mindtools.com/community/pages/article/newLDR_87.php

You can find out more about the Grenier lifecycle Curve and the various
"crises" that organisations experience at different points in their lives.

Where do you think we are at in terms of their "phases"?

I think we've managed several areas quite well, for example,
you got some full time professional staff helping to move things forward
 - though you could argue whether we've got through the leadership 
crisis stage or not.  We've been good at delegating and built up while 
keeping red tape low.

It feels like we're slogging through Phase 2, but I also see aspects of
increased delegation and coordination (Phases 3 & 4). 

I certainly feel there is potential growth still in collaboration and 
alliances - and this is partly why I landed on the idea of the various
network-based target groups I mentioned earlier - academic, gov/ngo, etc.

Anyway, just throwing it out there in case it helps with brainstorming.

Tyler