No subject

[Viv McWaters]

Hello Birgitt and others

This discussion about 'modified open space' is very interesting. I am
reminded of some facilitation training which I conduct where participants
are encouraged to learn the 'pure' form of a process before making
modifications. We stress the importance of understanding the rationale
behind each step and behind participatory processes in general so that
people can make informed choices rather than following a mechanistic
recipe.

There is often a great desire to try modifications before people have fully
internalised and understood a process - and there are many stories of poor
facilitation where people have seen a process in action and think they can
do the same without a deep understanding (or in some cases any
understanding at all!). Thus facilitation and facilitators are seen by some
to be ineffective, even dangerous.

The other end of this spectrum is where someone can 'play' with processes
with integrity and modify approaches to meet the needs of the group. This,
I think, is desirable because it helps us all develop as people and as
facilitators whereby we can make a difference in the world. For me it's
imagination and creativity in action and I apply the same principles to
opening spaces for people and organisations.

But the question remains of how to minimise the damage caused by
inappropriate use of open space. All I can do is continue to develop my own
understanding, and share that with others - any alternative associated with
control would be anathema to open space.

Cheers,

Viv



Viv McWaters
Integra Pty Ltd
45 Valentine Street, Ivanhoe 3079
Victoria Australia
Ph/Fax: 61 3 9499 9300

"Thus the task is not so much to see what no-one yet has seen, but to think
what nobody yet has thought about that which everyone sees." Schopenhauer