OS in Asia convergence 2

Denis Cowan cowandp at gil.com.au
Tue May 30 15:39:48 PDT 2000


G'day.

Over the years I have run a lot of future search type activities

often the focus has been to develop a series of vision statements etc.

as we have got to the end of the time I have often asked people to look at
the voting result and ask if it reflects What they would want personally.
What they would like to see added

On a very rare occasion it has sparked another line of thought and led
people down a more useful path to a different result.

Re open space.  This has sparked a thought for me here about facilitation
style.  I wonder if this segment on convergence is a reflection of our
facilitation style and not of the group need.

  If we as facilitators like closure (we may be operating out of our J in
Myers briggs terms) then convergence may have a strong closure element

If we as facilitators do not like closure (we may be operating out of our P
in Myers briggs terms) then convergence may be about opening up the nextspace.

Having a predisposition for the second rather than the first, I think I
only go for closure if the group belts me around a bit until I hear what
they want. ( remember - I am not good in the conscious world)

  Another spark.  - If I remember Kelly's construct theory  and the memory
is vague - Our view of the future is a manifestation of what we know now.
Therefore as we see and learn more our manifestation of the future may . So
are the issues brought into an open space a reflection of the past (Jimbo's
point ?). At the end of the event they may no longer be relevant.



Regards

denis



  At 10:44 29/05/00 -0700, you wrote:
>Jim,
>
>Great story!  I would second what several others have said about the focus
>of the "end of the day" work.  For me, voting is a reductionist approach
>that throws people back into a mode of win-lose.  I see the end of the day
>work as a time for synthesis, where the passions that have surfaced can come
>together in new ways that perhaps didn't exist before.  It is a reason that
>I DON'T work with the posted topics at this stage.  During the OS itself,
>the topics evolve.  How often have you noticed that when people come
>together, the posted topic is the starting place but the discussion moves
>into different territory entirely?  To me, you run the risk of staying
>locked in the old way of thinking when you use the original topic names.
>Instead, this closing time is a chance for new ways of seeing to emerge.
>The results are consistently more inclusive. I think this happens because
>what is most personal seems to also be most universal.  This is a powerful
>discovery as people check into what they care most about and hear others
>express similar sentiments.

denis cowan , brisbane , australia.  fax ** 61 7 32681869 tel ** 61 7 38363056
email:  cowandp at gil.com.au



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