Connective Tissue: Trust & Mutual Respect

[Ralph Copleman]

Chris,

Thanks for your off the cuff response, mid-length version, whatever.

Can you imagine mutual respect without trust (between people, not nation
states)?  I can't.  How about trust without mutual respect?  For me, same
answer.

Is it a distinction that matters?  Maybe this is a discussion of
semantics.  We can all do what's comfortable and work on the differences,
etc. that arise.  All grist for the mill.  I see your point about the
possibly less transactional quality of trust, but to me it's not
important.

I don't know what I'm going on about.  Let's talk of something else.

What goes on with distrust (or mistrust if you prefer) and/or mutual
dislike/disrespect in open space?

Ralph

>From  Thu Jun 18 16:29:35 1998
Message-Id: <THU.18.JUN.1998.162935.0100.>
Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 16:29:35 +0100
Reply-To: kloth at tmn.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.IDBSU.EDU>
From: Chris Kloth <kloth at tmn.com>
Organization: ChangeWorks
Subject: D(M)istrust in open space
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I am not very invested in making a case about trust or mutual respect.
Whatever legitimate distinctions there may be, they seem to me subtle
and not worth much more time.  As a matter of practice I have noted that
using the word trust seems to turn up the heat in certain situations,
which I think is my role at times.

What I would like to get reactions to from others is your question of
dis/mis trust in Open Space.  One of the types of situations I like to
use Open Space Technology in is when there is a very high degree of
volatility...not usually the environment for trust or mutual respect.
Since open space depends upon passion and responsibility I believe that
it has the capacity to give people something real to work on
together...which builds trust and mutual respect.  But I also believe
that building sustainable trust when there has been deep mistrust it
takes a long time working on real work together to see if people walk
their talk, longer than an  individual event allows for...though the
original event may lay a solid foundation.

What do others think?

Chris Kloth