OS in Asia convergence 2

[David Koehler]

In a message dated 5/30/00 5:43:30 PM Central Daylight Time,
cowandp at gil.com.au writes:

<< 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. >>

Denis,

I wonder if this is a result of the role we have established with the group?
Perhaps when we view the group as a "client" in what amounts to a one time
event, then the expectation is that the event will have closure, and
hopefully convergence.  But what about an ongoing relationship?  I believe
there might be more room to bump up the convergence aspect of OS to an even
higher level by allowing chaos more of a chance to reign.  This can happen
more safely when there is another time and place to continue having the
discussion, because the need for closure isn't really in the picture, until
it happens naturally.

Let me just share a brief experience.  I am currently working with a public
sector labor and management group (actually a municipal fire department) that
has had some very nasty relationship problems.  The format we have settled
into (without formerly calling it Open Space) is that we do Open Space every
two weeks around the issues generated by the group (for two or three hours at
a time, usually in a couple of different issue groups).  All the principles
of OS apply.  Each meeting  has a little different mix of participants, but
it is ackknowledged that whoever comes is the right people.  Some of the
issues that have been worked on have even caused the labor contract to be
amended.  But at the end of each session, there isn't the pressure to have
closure, unless the issue is ready.  This has also allowed the conversations
to happen very informally in the days between the meetings.

By opening the space for having the discussions that are needed, the union
has avoided the political problems associated with having an inside group and
and outside group.  Everyone is invited.  Those who show up participate.
Those who don't do so by their own choosing.

What I have found is that chaos is very helpful when allowed to roam in open
space.  It is however, essential that politically, the space be truely
opened, otherwise it all becomes a tug of war.  So far we have used this
format for almost five months.  It seems to be working so far.  Relationships
are still very fragile.  But since progress on some of the key issues is
being made, I suspect that soon, relationships will begin to mend.  That's
when convergence will really happen.

I would be interested in other perspectives.

Thanks,
Dave Koehler

>From  Thu Jun  1 00:11:07 2000
Message-Id: <THU.1.JUN.2000.001107.0200.>
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2000 00:11:07 +0200
Reply-To: florianfischer at ff-wey.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Florian Fischer <florianfischer at ff-wey.com>
Subject: os-training at moscou
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dear collgues,
i´ve just got a call from our friend michael m pannwitz from moscou,
asking me to mail the following message, because up to now they
don´t have internet-contact  at their place thereover.
its a pleasure for me to be the ferryman.
florian fischer

dear collegues,
yesterday we arrived in moscou from berlin ? it´s a 2 hour flight ?
for the training of some 50 collegues from russia, kasachstan,
ukraine, usbekistan, kirgisistan and tadschikistan.
the 4-day open!space-training is part of the annual meeting of
"intertraining", a network of consultants and trainers in the
non-profit sector.
the training will begin begin tomorrow, june 1.
we will send a daily message on the process of this first training
in the former soviet-union.
leave us, we are more than excited.
jo (toepfer) and michael.