Safety Leadership

[Birgitt Williams]

Hi Terry,
OS could work very well in this environment. Remember that it does not
matter how big a space or how small a space that the space is opened up for.
What matters is that the space that is opened is true. You can determine the
truth of the real amount of space by getting clarity from the client about
the exact wording of the theme (focusing question) and the givens. Getting
at the givens is often difficult work because a client struggles with their
truth--basically you end up assisting them name what maybe has been assumed
and never named. Givens focus on legal, financial, process, structure, and
what will happen to the info after the OS. An OS works in a steeply
hierarchical environment as well as it does in a participative one. Much
depends on the work you do to set this up. And of course to build in
convergence to action in your OS process. Without voting and convergence, I
am convinced that situations like this just add to frustration. And the
givens will guide people regarding the convergence.

It is important too to prepare yourself internally to believe in the good
and wisdom of the people. Facilitation of Open Space comes from a place of
love and non-judgement. And believing that the inner greatness of people
will surface.

Birgitt

Birgitt Williams
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  -----Original Message-----
  From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Terry
Gibson
  Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2000 6:32 AM
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
  Subject: Safety Leadership


  May I call on your collective experience to help me explore that
possibility of using OS in a tough, male dominated, engineering environment.
We have a situation where a multi-national industry is engaged in trying to
get every member their workforce to develop personal responsibility in the
context of safety. Currently a three day programme exists based around
fairly traditional, but effective, value-based activities in the areas of
building more honest, effective communications and understanding the
processes within group interaction. It has been very much a "here's the
take, now feel the experience" approach.

  Residential workshops have been limited to 12 men from different teams but
now the client is asking whether it would be possible to achieve the same
objectives using intact teams of between 8 and 150 men. (Probably the
average is 20). This is an industry with employees used to directives from
above, and procedures learned through traditional sheep dip courses.

  I can see a role for OS in raising the important issues around safety,
communication, leadership, responsibilities etc existing within a specific
team. But I do not have the confidence to believe people will come willingly
'with passion', or that the apparent unstructured approach of OS would
appeal to the client. I am also not certain how much support people would
receive to follow through any identified actions - which would only end in
frustration etc.

  Does anyone have experience of any successes in this area they could
share?

  With anticipated thanks

  Terry Gibson
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