Open Space 2000: An Operating System

Wed Mar 22 13:50:32 PST 2000

The interesting things about "systems," whether they are electronic or living, is that there is often more going on within a system than most of us can truly understand.  Intervening or modifying processes in a system is an activity that we should consider prudently "in context."  I know that many readers on this list-serve are systems-thinkers, and pursue systems interventions and changes with this in mind.  Open Space is definitely an operating system...a living system...which demands the same degree of respect for would-be interventionists as any other complex system.

regards,

Richard "Doc" Holloway
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Harrison Owen 
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2000 12:17 PM
  Subject: Re: Open Space 2000: An Operating System

  At 06:35 PM 3/20/00 +1000, you wrote:
  >Dear Friends
  >
  >At a recent lunch with an OS colleague (with suitable liquid encoragement -
  >perhaps a little more than two martinis!) I described OS as an operating
  >system (like Microsoft Windows 98) in contrast to other useful techniques
  >(eg De Bono, scenario planning and the like) as high powered, focused
  >applications (like MS Word).
  ************************************
  Given the crashing nature of win98 -- I am a little nervous with the analog. But the idea is a good one. Certainly folks have used all sorts of "interventions and processes (i&p)" in Open Space, but there is a worry and a caution. Some of these i&ps seem to close space down. I guess the real point is that you can do whatever you want, just don't infringe on the space of others. So any time I hear somebody saying, "Let's all do ______" I get quite nervous. Unless of course everybody really wants to do it. And then who am I to stand in their way. Good thinking!

  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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