Teacher Mentoring Report

Birgitt Williams birgitt at mindspring.com
Tue Aug 15 20:50:40 PDT 2000


Chris,
As per the teachings of people like Levy and Levy regarding Organizational
Transformation and what they called second order change, and then the
teachings of Harrison Owen, I think it would be wise to pay attention to the
Cycle of Grief and Grief at Work in your mentoring project. I suspect this
is about Organizational Transformation even though it is about mentoring.
With repeated Open Space Technology events within the same system, the
dynamics of the whole will shift whether you intend this or not. Sometimes
when this happens, it is good and stays good. Sometimes when this happens it
initially looks good and quickly turns to looking like mess. And sometimes
when this happens it looks like mess and stays that way and everybody makes
judgements about who is to blame. And "the system" or some other culprit
gets blamed. At least, that is my experience when we start to do repeat Open
Space Technology events, as you are proposing to do.

My experience with Appreciative Inquiry is that it has its place, but that
it precludes grief cycle work from doing its work and those items that need
to be spoken that are rooted in being mad or sad or in denial don't get
their chance to lead to their healing work. At least in the early stages.

In my personal experience, I have been in an OST meeting in which I was
angry. I needed to express what was so for me. Appreciative Inquiry caused
me to feel that it was wrong to offer my input from my passion. And I ended
up angrier. I was asked to think of highlights and positive stories, when
what I really wanted and needed to do was to share was was REAL for me.
Honoring me and my wisdom in the MOMENT. Experiences such as this one have
caused me to use caution with Appreciative Inquiry and to go back to the
root understandings of second order change work and to create contexts for
the space to be OPEN.

Birgitt

Blessings,
Birgitt

Birgitt Williams
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Rhett
Hudson/Chris Weaver
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2000 9:59 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Teacher Mentoring Report


Dear OSLIST,

This is a report on the progress of the teacher mentoring project in North
Carolina.  We are holding our first OS event on August 22-23, and toward the
end of the message I will be asking for advice on the development of this
meeting.

*
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