Connectivity, trust, etc.

[Michelle Cooper]

Chris:
I am enjoying the dialogue on trust/mistrust in open space. It has created
a lot of reflective thought on my part, but more on a personal level.  Your
comment about  potential positive outcomes despite worst intentions struck
home. I think that it is critical to inform the sponsors that the possible
outcomes may not suit their purpose, if we are clear about that purpose, so
that they can make an informed choice. Mistrust of colleagues, co-sponsors
and the risk of having an outcome that was not favorable to control by one
organization led to rejection of a proposal  that including using open
space. In this case, I would not have changed the proposal or participated
in another process. My analysis of the groups led me to believe any other
methodology would create more problems than exist already.  While losing
the contract does not make me happy, it is far more important to me to live
my values and to "do no harm".

I also like your term - counter clinical language. Here in Hamilton, the
language of the academics of the health system (with McMaster University
being a key point) is referred to as McBlab.

Michelle
   Michelle Cooper
The Cooper Group Consultants
200 Crestview  Avenue
Ancaster, Ontario
Canada L9G1E2
Telephone -     (905) 648- 4633
Fax -           (905) 648-1763


-----Original Message-----
From:   Chris Kloth [SMTP:kloth at TMN.COM]
Sent:   Monday, June 22, 1998 4:24 AM
To:     OSLIST at LISTSERV.IDBSU.EDU
Subject:        Connectivity, trust, etc.

A few thoughts evoked by recent additions:

Detley:

I also like the phrase "fright-biting" and have certainly seen examples
of it, self trust and self confidence seem related to credibility and
competence from earlier in this thread, the spiral you refer to reminds
me of Piaget's Developmental Spiral from the field of developmental
psychology which, in short, describes how very young children go through
periods of awkward, active experimentation followed by periods of quiet,
comfortable integration of the learning from the experimentation...in
healthy environments this is an ascending spiral, in unhealthy
situations it is a descending spiral.

Larry:

Your observation about trust, lradership, sponsorship and facilitators
resonate for me.  I believe the pre-work is always the key.  Our role at
that stage includes listening for and "testing" for the sincerety of the
sponsors' intentions.  This does not mean only working for people who I
"judge" as "good" (though I do think we have a right and responsibility
to say "no" when our gut says so). What it does mean for me is "warning"
sponsors how the potential of honorable outcomes, despitte their worst
intentions, are quite possible ...kind of an ironic approach...

Birgitt

Your reference to the 4 qualities of the facilitators of Open Space
relate to my sense of creating the conditions of dialogue...they are
quite similar to the elements that David Bohm and others have
identified...when you suggest that sustaining these conditions on an
"open space organization" includes building on the initial trust
building moments from open space events, allowing "that real anger/yuk"
(I love this counter clinical language) to surface over time and
building the capacity of the people/organization to apply the values and
principles they experienced in Open Space

I resist using the language "open space organization" in describing the
intended outcome of using open space technology because I think there is
more than one way to facilitate the creation of these conditions and
because I fear we Americans trivialize powerful ideas and tools by
adopting language that sounds like packaging...I value empowerment as a
way of working with people but hate how the word has been used to "sell"
interventions that were not empowering...I am finding that the same is
occurrring with the use of the term open space....I know I can't control
how others use language or methods...the way I resist my inclination to
"judge" people who, in my own very judgemental view, misuse tools aand
terms, is to try to be a model of what I mean, to clarify my own
language and to engage in dialogue

Chris