Convergence Design

[Harrison Owen]

At 12:27 AM 1/27/00 -0800, you wrote:
>Harrison wrote:

>"Chris -- I suggest being a little careful here. If it was true that all
>the issues were posted by the Planning Committee members
>(could have happened) there is no issue. But since that was probably not
>the case (never has been, in my experience) you are
>running the distinct possibility that the actual conveners will feel
>disempowered. That would be a major loss. If there is still time,
>I would suggest that (at the very least you invite all the conveners of
>the several issues to join the committee. That is where your
>energy is -- with the conveners. Use it!"

Chris Replied:

.  This exercise is primarily for the government folks to develop some
>personal committment around the issues the community elucidated.  They
>have a deep well to drink from (45 sessions and a lot of concrete
>action) and my intention is to set them loose on the work and figure out
>what role they can play to be supportive.
****************************************
Further Thoughts from Harrison:

Chris -- Not to add to your workload, but it occurs to me that you actually
have TWO very important groups that need to get together. One, of course is the
Government Folks who need to get their stuff together. I guess they are called
The Planning Committee, and you probably can't change that now. But it seems to
me that they are no longer the Planning Committee (It has all been planned and
happened) -- They are in fact just one other sub-group from the meeting who now
have to get their stuff together in response to what happened. That sounds like
a good and necessary undertaking. BUT there is at least one other group (The
conveners) who are in a siimilar situation. I understand your hesitance to
invite them to come together because of all the other things that are
happening. But maybe it would be wise to let them make the choice? It could be
they don't want to come -- in which case they won't. Or they might...

I guess the center of my point is that there are two different needs and
functions here (at least). The Government folks have to get their heads screwed
on right. And -- ALL the people involved (or certainly the conveners) should be
given the opportunity to take responsibility for their thoughts leading to
action.

At the end of the day what I would be most concerned about is that a very,
very, very old paradigm is re-enforced. BIG BROTHER KNOWS BEST AND ALTHOUGH HE
WILL TAKE YOUR THOUGHTS INTO CONSIDERTATION (MAYBE), IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS, HE
WILL DO WHAT (HE PERCIEVES) IS BEST FOR YOU.

I am sure that is not your intention, and I believe you that the excitement
generated by the Open Space is such that much good has and will occur.
Never-the less I would be doing my damnedest to make sure that there is at
least the opportunity for all the folks to own their creation and take
responsibilty for its realization. It seems to me from what you have said that
even though the Government folks may have initiated the whole effort, they are
now off center stage. They have their own issues to deal with and they should
so that -- but everybody (as represented by the conveners and anybody else who
cares to show up) should be involved in the "What-Next. I think.

Harrison
Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854
USA
phone 301-469-9269
fax 301-983-9314
website
www.mindspring.com/~owenhh
Open Space Institute websites
www.openspaceworld.org
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