anyone near Geneva who is highly experienced with Open Space?
romy shovelton
romys at compuserve.com
Fri Sep 15 02:18:14 PDT 2000
Hi everyone,
I've had an extremely interesting call from Waya Quiviger this morning -
see also one of her emails below. She is interested in possibly using Open
Space for the World Economic Forum in Davos. She and a colleague would
also like to come to our UK training in October - they are reviewing their
diaries as the dates may not work out this time.
Waya is interested in having someone call in for a conversation about Open
Space. Personally I would absolutely adore to do this - knowing the work
of the Forum, believing in its important, and having a number of colleagues
who are part of that world and attend each year. This would be an
extremely powerful group of people to work with and would need to be
handled very carefully.
Do we know anyone who is highly experienced with Open Space, lives in the
Geneva area, and might be able to meet with Waya?
I have offered to come over from the UK if not, and if travel costs are not
too much of an issue.
Look forward to hearing who might be in our community near Geneva.
warm wishes to all
Romy
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I am writing to you to inquire about the Open Space Workshop with Harrison
Owen and Birgitt Williams held in the UK on October 25th-27th. We, at the
World Economic Forum, would be keenly interested in learning more about the
open space technology concept, and would even consider using it in one of
our conferences. Would it be possible to obtain more information
(registration, fees etc) on the workshop via fax ? Thank you for your help
and understanding. I look forward to hearing from you,
Waya Quiviger
Associate
91-92 Route de la Capite
CH- 1223 Cologny/ Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: (42 22) 869 1212
Fax: (41 22) 869 1260
*
*
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>From Fri Sep 15 08:03:44 2000
Message-Id: <FRI.15.SEP.2000.080344.0400.>
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 08:03:44 -0400
Reply-To: birgitt at mindspring.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Birgitt Williams <birgitt at mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: when a client hires Open Space Technology,
is this what she gets?
In-Reply-To: <c5.91c7390.26eea477 at aol.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
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Hi Dave,
I think you are very right about the list serve as a great community of
people creating, co-creating, problem solving (root being to probe),and
questioning (root being to quest). And we support each other tremendously.
Whoever shows up are the right people. There are about 270 of us on the list
at present. I also think the Open Space on Open Space is another key and
great way to keep on learning from each other. There are thousands of people
who have come through Open Space Technology training in the last decade. And
there are thousands more who have read the User's Guide and are off and
running. And there are many who have done neither but been a participant in
an event and then facilitate their own.
I suspect that each of us on the list has our own perception and
interpretation of Open Space Technology and we work from that perception and
interpretation. When I take people through a training program (a learning
journey) I start with a list of all of the possible ingredients of the FORM
that can be identified that make up an Open Space Technology meeting and
then I ask the people to keep things in a minimalist perspective, honoring
Harrison's minimalist approach. They take items off, and then we proceed
with the rest of the program. And then we look at our lists again after an
examination of our individual and unique perceptions of the ESSENCE Open
Space Technology. There is no one right perspective, as you know. We each
use our insights, our observations, our intuition, and develop our own
perspective. And then eventually go back to our lists in terms of
ingredients of the FORM of what makes up Open Space Technology. It is
amazing how many items get added back in, and with the awareness of each
individual of why they personally have this as their personal list. It is an
amazing process, a privilege to watch, and what I consider very sacred work,
to go at this in the depths of the person.
I will speak to a group about all of the decision making that goes on in an
OST meeting. There is the ideal situation and then there is what we really
have to work with. And I speak to the group about the importance of not
tampering with the essence when they make their decisions and they will
likely make good decisions.
Birgitt
Birgitt Williams
Make Genuine Contact!
Dalar Associates: organizational
effectiveness consultants
Striving for Success? Ready to exceed
your expectations?
Contact us for consulting services, training,
conference and meeting facilitation,
and keynote speaking.
www.openspacetechnology.com <http://www.openspacetechnology.com>
-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of (David
Koehler)
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2000 5:11 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: when a client hires Open Space Technology, is this what she
gets?
In a message dated 9/11/00 2:27:27 PM Central Daylight Time, pholman at msn.com
writes:
<< Birgitt -- I think you're on to something -- how can we establish
competence
without resorting to something insipid like certification? >>
Just to jump in on this conversation, isn't that what we have developed in
part with the listserv? Here is a network of individuals who are in touch
with one another and with OST events that are taking place all over the
world. I'm not sure that we can ever be successful in guarding against
those
who might "sell" something incomplete and call it open space. Rather, it
seems we could do more to create awareness that a community of people exists
who know one another (even if only via the web), and who share and learn
from
each other on a daily basis. What we're in effect looking for is
authenticity. I think we give that to ourselves.
Thanks,
Dave Koehler
*
*
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*
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>From Fri Sep 15 08:05:02 2000
Message-Id: <FRI.15.SEP.2000.080502.0400.>
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 08:05:02 -0400
Reply-To: birgitt at mindspring.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Birgitt Williams <birgitt at mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Story of a 2.5 day Open Space with an Aboriginal Organization
In-Reply-To: <39BF55FD.CA2F8665 at interchange.ubc.ca>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Chris,
this is a fabulous story and I thank you for sharing it. I loved your
daughter's quick knowing of OST. I loved the claiming of OST by the people
you were with. And I loved the sacredness with which you worked. And I loved
that McDonald's was your mirror.
Birgitt
Birgitt Williams
Make Genuine Contact!
Dalar Associates: organizational
effectiveness consultants
Striving for Success? Ready to exceed
your expectations?
Contact us for consulting services, training,
conference and meeting facilitation,
and keynote speaking.
www.openspacetechnology.com
-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Chris
Corrigan
Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2000 6:25 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Story of a 2.5 day Open Space with an Aboriginal Organization
Colleagues:
I have just completed a 2.5 day open space with an Aboriginal organization
here in British Columbia with excellent results. It was an interesting
exercise on a number of fronts, and so as usual I am writing to share the
results and some of my learnings.
The British Columbia Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC)
represents almost 30 "Friendship Centres" here in BC. Friendship Centres
are organizations that have been around since the 1950s, providing services
to Aboriginal people in the towns and cities of Canada. During the 1950s,
there was a mass migration of First Nations people away for isolated and
remote reserve communities to the cities as people set out to look for jobs
and better lives for their families. In short order, these people formed
communities and then community organizations. Friendship Centres were among
the first to be formed, to provide assistance to individuals and families
making the transition from reserve life to city life. These days Friendship
Centres provide a huge range of services and programs and in many ways, look
like Aboriginal YMCAs, although not as well funded, and generally not
attracting as much of a middle class clientele.
Here in British Columbia we are embroiled in disputes about land rights,
aboriginal title and self-government. Friendship Centres, as Aboriginal
organizations, are trying to find a role for themselves in this debate. In
order to further their ideas and vision, the BCAAFC hired me to facilitate a
2.5 day Open Space around the theme: "Aboriginal Friendship Centres and
Self -government in BC." Executive Directors and Presidents from each
Centre were invited as was the BCAAFC Executive Committee and the staff. In
short, most of the BC Friendship Centre leadership was gathered in one
place.
DAY ONE
We had 41 people, who proposed 36 topics during the opening on day 1 (31
topics were eventually reported upon). I had the two meeting days divided
in the four sessions of 1.5 hours each with 1.5 hours for lunch. My opening
was complimented by a prayer from our Elder and an official welcome to the
territory of the Lil'wat Nation, on whose land we met in Whistler, BC, north
of Vancouver. (We were actually meeting in the same facility where I first
experienced OST five years ago). As has been my experience, people took to
the process immediately and got down to work on the issues with no trouble
at all. I had a partner working with me who was learning OST, and he helped
to organize the agenda wall and see about an even distribution of topics
throughout the 8 time slots we had available. He also remained in charge of
the proceedings for the entire event.
I received several comments during the first day about the process
including comments about how well it allows everybody to participate and how
free of conflict the discussions were. One woman said that she had been
coming to these meetings for years and met the same people and never heard
any of them speak. This was the first time she heard from some of them. I
asked her why she thought that is and she said it had to do with the safety
that was created. She felt that because individuals proposed topics that
they were passionate about, a great deal of respect was brought to the
discussions, and that the whole group held the space, not just the
facilitator. When facilitators work in controlling processes, participants
sometimes feel that they can lose themselves in conflict. Not so in Open
Space, where the whole group takes responsibility for keeping the space safe
and therefore, conflict is often eliminated, as was the case for this
meeting. And there were some contentious issues!
Another interesting comment came for a seasoned veteran of the Friendship
Centre movement, an Elder who has served on the Executive at all levels,
local, provincial and national. He said that this was the first meeting
where he learned something.
(As an aside, and by way of demonstrating how easy it is to get into Open
Space, comes this story: My three year old daughter was with me and at one
point, while groups were moving around, she came into the room with her
mother, and asked what the paper and the nice coloured markers were doing on
the floor in the centre. I told her that people used the markers to write
down things that they wanted to talk about on the paper. She then proceeded
to dictate to me a list of topics she wanted discussed. She was interested
in the following:
a.. How pens work
b.. How she can get her friend's allergies to go away
c.. How buildings are built
d.. How colour goes in
e.. How the inside of your body works
f.. How hinges work
g.. How bones grow back together crooked.
She then returned to our hotel room with my partner where I am told that
they held their own discussion groups on these topics. I relate this to
make the point that OST is easy enough for a three year old to understand
with very little instruction.)
We gathered in the circle for a closing prayer at the end of the day, as
is our tradition.
DAY TWO
Day two began in a novel way for me, because we had to change rooms. Our
large meeting room had been overtaken by a conference of McDonald's
Restaurant's managers from Western Canada (more on this below). We moved to
a smaller room which involved some work to prepare, but, despite my
anxieties, worked out fine. Day two began early with a sage smudge and a
prayer. The smell of sage permeated the facility, and its bittersweet (and
slightly cannabis-like) smell confounded the McDonald's managers who were by
now virtually swarming around our meeting space.
Playing fast and loose with time, the groups met at 9 instead of 9:30 and
finished at 10:30 for the first session, taking a half hour break before
convening the 11:00 sessions on time. As the news started to go up on the
wall, one woman commented how different the reports were from the actual
discussions in the groups. I have always suspected that this is the case
and I wonder if anyone else has figured out how to capture the energy and
passion that forms in the groups and is not reflected in the reports?
It seemed as the second day progressed, that the group discussions became
more intense and the breaks between discussions became lighter. This was in
contrast to day one, when people seemed to be feeling their way around, and
were more aloof in both the groups and the breaks. I can really see how
extending the discussions over two days brings a totally different qualilty
of experience to people. It is deeper and richer and the relationships
become stronger so that people feel freer with each other outside of the
meeting.
The whole notion of personal responsibility intensified over day two. One
participant, who missed convening her session because she was actually
attending to another participant who was suffering a nasty reaction to a bee
sting, used the evening news to apologize for "acting irresponsibly" by not
convening her session. The apology was offered with great respect and
humility to the group. It opened my eyes to how serious the
"responsibility" part can get taken.
As day two came to a close, I checked my "Open Space Evaluation" sheet: a
piece of blank chart paper with the question "What do you think of Open
Space?" on the top. The paper contained a couple of doodles of a happy face
and a light bulb and these telling words: "It's really round!"
DAY THREE
Again, we opened with a smudge and a prayer. I'm lucky to have these
openings available to me as it aligns people's thoughts nicely at the
beginning of the day and helps ground the crown for the work ahead of them.
Convergence consisted of the following steps:
a.. posters with topic names and numbers were placed around the room
b.. participants read reports (roughly 50 pages) for a half hour
c.. reflect and use the dots to indicate passion
d.. some topics were converged
e.. top dot getters were brought off the wall and placed in the centre
of the circle (there were ten of them)
f.. I invited champions to come forward to see these through the action
planing phase
g.. Nine champions came forward and a few more topics were converged.
Convergence was highly conservative, as is my preference. Only topics that
were closely related were converged.
h.. The orphaned topic was placed with the others with a meeting space
post it note on it in case anyone wanted to take the issue forward. As it
turned out, no one did.
i.. Discussions lasted 45 minutes. Several participants wished that
they could have had the whole day to actions plan.
(Note to OST facilitators who may be working with Carrier speaking people:
the word "dot" sounds a lot like the Carrier word "D'ogh" which is a rather
vulgar term for female genitalia. So when I suggested that folks grab seven
dots and indicate where their passion lay, it resulted in a truly inspired
outburst of belly laughs from one person!)
The closing circle was profound. I had wanted to use a talking stick (a
real one!) for the closing circle, but the organization did not bring
theirs. Instead I used a piece of lava rock. The Whistler area is covered
in old lava flows and the rocks lie everywhere, pitted from air bubbles that
were trapped in the molten lava. As it turns out these rocks are great for
using in sweatlodges as they hold heat. So when a number of people went out
on day two to collect sweat rocks for future use, the BCAAFC ED gave me one.
And I used it for the closing circle.
I opened by stating that lava is rock made from material that has welled
up from deep within the earth and taken form. It does not crack under
extreme heat and it is malleable and flexible. In my mind this summed up
the organization nicely.
As the rock went around, people shared very deeply. I was especially
touched by the Elder who said that the process was a new role model for
First Nations communities to show us how we could be together. Another
participant said that she was tired from the mental strain of the past few
days, and had even forgotten where we were in the month ("somewhere in the
middle!" she said). Later the ED of the organization remarked that he
thought that this comment represented the fact that she was no longer
thinking linerally. It fact, the ED recognized OST as a tool with
tremendous possibility for decolonizing First Nations people and communities
because it creates the environment for people the THINK in traditional ways.
I have said that before, and I am buttressed in that belief now.
Several people saw possibilities for using OST and have vowed to use it.
There was an almost fiercely protective sense that came over the group
regarding the process. They recognized it as theirs, as one which is, in
both form and content, real indigenous self-government.
We closed the third day with a prayer.
Now about those McDonald's managers: There could not have been a more
contrasting state of affairs. Hundreds of managers were milling around the
conference centre being pampered (almost parented it seemed) by corporate
staff. The whole place was full of golden arches, and incentive plan
recognition posters. And their grand kick off event was in the huge ball
room above us as we were closing. I could hear loud music pounding through
the ceiling, and my partner, who went to have a look, said that she saw all
the managers standing and cheering and waving different coloured flags.
Then she was told to move away by security guards who were actually standing
at the entrance to the ball room. It was chilling. You could not have
imagined a more closed space, one which generated a frightening totalitarian
feeling. And I don't use the term lightly. It looked like a nationalist
rally, complete with thugs at the door to keep out the rabble.
It was the sharpest contrast possible.
Chris
PS I will shortly post this story on my website with some pictures from
the event. It will be at
http://www.geocities.com/chris_corrigan/osstories.html with the rest of
them.
--
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Consultation - Facilitation
Open Space Technology
108-1035 Pacific Street
Vancouver BC
V6E 4G7
Phone: 604.683.3080
Fax: 604.683.3036
corcom at interchange.ubc.ca
http://www.geocities.com/chris_corrigan
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<DIV><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN=20
class=3D930581103-15092000>Chris,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN =
class=3D930581103-15092000>this=20
is a fabulous story and I thank you for sharing it. I loved your =
daughter's=20
quick knowing of OST. I loved the claiming of OST by the people you were =
with.=20
And I loved the sacredness with which you worked. And I loved that =
McDonald's=20
was your mirror.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN=20
class=3D930581103-15092000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN=20
class=3D930581103-15092000>Birgitt</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black" size=3D2>Birgitt Williams</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black" size=3D2>Make Genuine =
Contact!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black" size=3D2>Dalar Associates: =
organizational=20
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black" size=3D2>effectiveness =
consultants</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black" size=3D2>Striving for Success? Ready to =
exceed=20
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black" size=3D2>your expectations?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black" size=3D2>Contact us for consulting =
services,=20
</FONT><FONT face=3D"Arial Black" size=3D2>training, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black" size=3D2>conference and meeting =
facilitation,=20
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black" size=3D2>and keynote =
speaking.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black" size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://www.openspacetechnology.com/">www.openspacetechnology.com<=
/A></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style=3D"MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV align=3Dleft class=3DOutlookMessageHeader dir=3Dltr><FONT =
face=3DTahoma=20
size=3D2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> OSLIST=20
[mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Chris=20
Corrigan<BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, September 13, 2000 6:25 =
AM<BR><B>To:</B>=20
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<BR><B>Subject:</B> Story of a 2.5 day =
Open=20
Space with an Aboriginal Organization<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>Colleagues:=20
<P>I have just completed a 2.5 day open space with an Aboriginal =
organization=20
here in British Columbia with excellent results. It was an =
interesting=20
exercise on a number of fronts, and so as usual I am writing to share =
the=20
results and some of my learnings.=20
<P>The British Columbia Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres =
(BCAAFC)=20
represents almost 30 "Friendship Centres" here in BC. Friendship =
Centres=20
are organizations that have been around since the 1950s, providing =
services to=20
Aboriginal people in the towns and cities of Canada. During the =
1950s,=20
there was a mass migration of First Nations people away for isolated =
and=20
remote reserve communities to the cities as people set out to look for =
jobs=20
and better lives for their families. In short order, these =
people formed=20
communities and then community organizations. Friendship Centres =
were=20
among the first to be formed, to provide assistance to individuals and =
families making the transition from reserve life to city life. =
These=20
days Friendship Centres provide a huge range of services and programs =
and in=20
many ways, look like Aboriginal YMCAs, although not as well funded, =
and=20
generally not attracting as much of a middle class clientele.=20
<P>Here in British Columbia we are embroiled in disputes about land =
rights,=20
aboriginal title and self-government. Friendship Centres, as =
Aboriginal=20
organizations, are trying to find a role for themselves in this =
debate. =20
In order to further their ideas and vision, the BCAAFC hired me to =
facilitate=20
a 2.5 day Open Space around the theme: "Aboriginal Friendship =
Centres=20
and Self -government in BC." Executive Directors and Presidents =
from=20
each Centre were invited as was the BCAAFC Executive Committee and the =
staff. In short, most of the BC Friendship Centre leadership was =
gathered in one place.=20
<P>DAY ONE=20
<P>We had 41 people, who proposed 36 topics during the opening on day =
1 (31=20
topics were eventually reported upon). I had the two meeting =
days=20
divided in the four sessions of 1.5 hours each with 1.5 hours for =
lunch. =20
My opening was complimented by a prayer from our Elder and an official =
welcome=20
to the territory of the Lil'wat Nation, on whose land we met in =
Whistler, BC,=20
north of Vancouver. (We were actually meeting in the same =
facility where=20
I first experienced OST five years ago). As has been my =
experience,=20
people took to the process immediately and got down to work on the =
issues with=20
no trouble at all. I had a partner working with me who was =
learning OST,=20
and he helped to organize the agenda wall and see about an even =
distribution=20
of topics throughout the 8 time slots we had available. He also =
remained=20
in charge of the proceedings for the entire event.=20
<P>I received several comments during the first day about the process=20
including comments about how well it allows everybody to participate =
and how=20
free of conflict the discussions were. One woman said that she =
had been=20
coming to these meetings for years and met the same people and never =
heard any=20
of them speak. This was the first time she heard from some of=20
them. I asked her why she thought that is and she said it had to =
do with=20
the safety that was created. She felt that because individuals =
proposed=20
topics that they were passionate about, a great deal of respect was =
brought to=20
the discussions, and that the whole group held the space, not just the =
facilitator. When facilitators work in controlling processes,=20
participants sometimes feel that they can lose themselves in =
conflict. =20
Not so in Open Space, where the whole group takes responsibility for =
keeping=20
the space safe and therefore, conflict is often eliminated, as was the =
case=20
for this meeting. And there were some contentious issues!=20
<P>Another interesting comment came for a seasoned veteran of the =
Friendship=20
Centre movement, an Elder who has served on the Executive at all =
levels,=20
local, provincial and national. He said that this was the first =
meeting=20
where he learned something.=20
<P>(As an aside, and by way of demonstrating how easy it is to get =
into Open=20
Space, comes this story: My three year old daughter was with me and at =
one=20
point, while groups were moving around, she came into the room with =
her=20
mother, and asked what the paper and the nice coloured markers were =
doing on=20
the floor in the centre. I told her that people used the markers =
to=20
write down things that they wanted to talk about on the paper. =
She then=20
proceeded to dictate to me a list of topics she wanted =
discussed. She=20
was interested in the following:=20
<UL>
<LI>How pens work=20
<LI>How she can get her friend's allergies to go away=20
<LI>How buildings are built=20
<LI>How colour goes in=20
<LI>How the inside of your body works=20
<LI>How hinges work=20
<LI>How bones grow back together crooked. </LI></UL>She then =
returned to our=20
hotel room with my partner where I am told that they held their own =
discussion=20
groups on these topics. I relate this to make the point that OST =
is easy=20
enough for a three year old to understand with very little =
instruction.)=20
<P>We gathered in the circle for a closing prayer at the end of the =
day, as is=20
our tradition.=20
<P>DAY TWO=20
<P>Day two began in a novel way for me, because we had to change =
rooms. =20
Our large meeting room had been overtaken by a conference of =
McDonald's=20
Restaurant's managers from Western Canada (more on this below). =
We moved=20
to a smaller room which involved some work to prepare, but, despite my =
anxieties, worked out fine. Day two began early with a sage =
smudge and a=20
prayer. The smell of sage permeated the facility, and its =
bittersweet=20
(and slightly cannabis-like) smell confounded the McDonald's managers =
who were=20
by now virtually swarming around our meeting space.=20
<P>Playing fast and loose with time, the groups met at 9 instead of =
9:30 and=20
finished at 10:30 for the first session, taking a half hour break =
before=20
convening the 11:00 sessions on time. As the news started to go =
up on=20
the wall, one woman commented how different the reports were from the =
actual=20
discussions in the groups. I have always suspected that this is =
the case=20
and I wonder if anyone else has figured out how to capture the energy =
and=20
passion that forms in the groups and is not reflected in the reports?=20
<P>It seemed as the second day progressed, that the group discussions =
became=20
more intense and the breaks between discussions became lighter. =
This was=20
in contrast to day one, when people seemed to be feeling their way =
around, and=20
were more aloof in both the groups and the breaks. I can really =
see how=20
extending the discussions over two days brings a totally different =
qualilty of=20
experience to people. It is deeper and richer and the =
relationships=20
become stronger so that people feel freer with each other outside of =
the=20
meeting.=20
<P>The whole notion of personal responsibility intensified over day =
two. =20
One participant, who missed convening her session because she was =
actually=20
attending to another participant who was suffering a nasty reaction to =
a bee=20
sting, used the evening news to apologize for "acting irresponsibly" =
by not=20
convening her session. The apology was offered with great =
respect and=20
humility to the group. It opened my eyes to how serious the=20
"responsibility" part can get taken.=20
<P>As day two came to a close, I checked my "Open Space Evaluation" =
sheet: a=20
piece of blank chart paper with the question "What do you think of =
Open=20
Space?" on the top. The paper contained a couple of doodles of a =
happy=20
face and a light bulb and these telling words: "It's really round!"=20
<P>DAY THREE=20
<P>Again, we opened with a smudge and a prayer. I'm lucky to =
have these=20
openings available to me as it aligns people's thoughts nicely at the=20
beginning of the day and helps ground the crown for the work ahead of =
them.=20
<P>Convergence consisted of the following steps: <BR> =20
<UL>
<LI>posters with topic names and numbers were placed around the room =
<LI>participants read reports (roughly 50 pages) for a half hour=20
<LI>reflect and use the dots to indicate passion=20
<LI>some topics were converged=20
<LI>top dot getters were brought off the wall and placed in the =
centre of=20
the circle (there were ten of them)=20
<LI>I invited champions to come forward to see these through the =
action=20
planing phase=20
<LI>Nine champions came forward and a few more topics were =
converged. =20
Convergence was highly conservative, as is my preference. Only =
topics=20
that were closely related were converged.=20
<LI>The orphaned topic was placed with the others with a meeting =
space post=20
it note on it in case anyone wanted to take the issue forward. =
As it=20
turned out, no one did.=20
<LI>Discussions lasted 45 minutes. Several participants wished =
that=20
they could have had the whole day to actions plan. </LI></UL>(Note =
to OST=20
facilitators who may be working with Carrier speaking people: the word =
"dot"=20
sounds a lot like the Carrier word "D'ogh" which is a rather vulgar =
term for=20
female genitalia. So when I suggested that folks grab seven dots =
and=20
indicate where their passion lay, it resulted in a truly inspired =
outburst of=20
belly laughs from one person!)=20
<P>The closing circle was profound. I had wanted to use a =
talking stick=20
(a real one!) for the closing circle, but the organization did not =
bring=20
theirs. Instead I used a piece of lava rock. The Whistler =
area is=20
covered in old lava flows and the rocks lie everywhere, pitted from =
air=20
bubbles that were trapped in the molten lava. As it turns out =
these=20
rocks are great for using in sweatlodges as they hold heat. So =
when a=20
number of people went out on day two to collect sweat rocks for future =
use,=20
the BCAAFC ED gave me one. And I used it for the closing circle. =
<P>I opened by stating that lava is rock made from material that has =
welled up=20
from deep within the earth and taken form. It does not crack =
under=20
extreme heat and it is malleable and flexible. In my mind this =
summed up=20
the organization nicely.=20
<P>As the rock went around, people shared very deeply. I was =
especially=20
touched by the Elder who said that the process was a new role model =
for First=20
Nations communities to show us how we could be together. Another =
participant said that she was tired from the mental strain of the past =
few=20
days, and had even forgotten where we were in the month ("somewhere in =
the=20
middle!" she said). Later the ED of the organization remarked =
that he=20
thought that this comment represented the fact that she was no longer =
thinking=20
linerally. It fact, the ED recognized OST as a tool with =
tremendous=20
possibility for decolonizing First Nations people and communities =
because it=20
creates the environment for people the THINK in traditional =
ways. I have=20
said that before, and I am buttressed in that belief now.=20
<P>Several people saw possibilities for using OST and have vowed to =
use=20
it. There was an almost fiercely protective sense that came over =
the=20
group regarding the process. They recognized it as theirs, as =
one which=20
is, in both form and content, real indigenous self-government.=20
<P>We closed the third day with a prayer.=20
<P>Now about those McDonald's managers: There could not have been a =
more=20
contrasting state of affairs. Hundreds of managers were milling =
around=20
the conference centre being pampered (almost parented it seemed) by =
corporate=20
staff. The whole place was full of golden arches, and incentive =
plan=20
recognition posters. And their grand kick off event was in the =
huge ball=20
room above us as we were closing. I could hear loud music =
pounding=20
through the ceiling, and my partner, who went to have a look, said =
that she=20
saw all the managers standing and cheering and waving different =
coloured=20
flags. Then she was told to move away by security guards who =
were=20
actually standing at the entrance to the ball room. It was=20
chilling. You could not have imagined a more closed space, one =
which=20
generated a frightening totalitarian feeling. And I don't use =
the term=20
lightly. It looked like a nationalist rally, complete with thugs =
at the=20
door to keep out the rabble.=20
<P>It was the sharpest contrast possible.=20
<P>Chris=20
<P>PS I will shortly post this story on my website with some pictures =
from the=20
event. It will be at <A=20
=
href=3D"http://www.geocities.com/chris_corrigan/osstories.html">http://ww=
w.geocities.com/chris_corrigan/osstories.html</A>=20
with the rest of them.=20
<P>-- <BR>CHRIS CORRIGAN <BR>Consultation - Facilitation <BR>Open =
Space=20
Technology=20
<P>108-1035 Pacific Street <BR>Vancouver BC <BR>V6E 4G7=20
<P>Phone: 604.683.3080 <BR>Fax: 604.683.3036 =
<BR>corcom at interchange.ubc.ca=20
<BR><A=20
=
href=3D"http://www.geocities.com/chris_corrigan">http://www.geocities.com=
/chris_corrigan</A>=20
<BR> </P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C01EEB.A6998280--
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>From Fri Sep 15 16:40:02 2000
Message-Id: <FRI.15.SEP.2000.164002.0200.>
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 16:40:02 +0200
Reply-To: hoefliger at complex-change.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Ralph Hoefliger <hoefliger at complex-change.com>
Subject: AW: anyone near Geneva who is highly experienced with Open Space?
In-Reply-To: <200009150518_MC2-B367-DAF2 at compuserve.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Yes, we are!
Thank you very much, Romy, for the contact.
We contacted Waya and will discuss the possibility of using Open Space at
the World Economic Forum.
Best regards,
Ralph
COMPLEX CHANGE AG
Ruchacherstrasse 10
CH-8914 Aeugst am Albis
T +41 (01) 776 33 11
F +41 (01) 776 33 14
e hoefliger at complex-change.com
i www.complex-change.com
-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]Im Auftrag von romy
shovelton
Gesendet: Freitag, 15. September 2000 11:18
An: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Betreff: anyone near Geneva who is highly experienced with Open Space?
Hi everyone,
I've had an extremely interesting call from Waya Quiviger this morning -
see also one of her emails below. She is interested in possibly using Open
Space for the World Economic Forum in Davos. She and a colleague would
also like to come to our UK training in October - they are reviewing their
diaries as the dates may not work out this time.
Waya is interested in having someone call in for a conversation about Open
Space. Personally I would absolutely adore to do this - knowing the work
of the Forum, believing in its important, and having a number of colleagues
who are part of that world and attend each year. This would be an
extremely powerful group of people to work with and would need to be
handled very carefully.
Do we know anyone who is highly experienced with Open Space, lives in the
Geneva area, and might be able to meet with Waya?
I have offered to come over from the UK if not, and if travel costs are not
too much of an issue.
Look forward to hearing who might be in our community near Geneva.
warm wishes to all
Romy
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I am writing to you to inquire about the Open Space Workshop with Harrison
Owen and Birgitt Williams held in the UK on October 25th-27th. We, at the
World Economic Forum, would be keenly interested in learning more about the
open space technology concept, and would even consider using it in one of
our conferences. Would it be possible to obtain more information
(registration, fees etc) on the workshop via fax ? Thank you for your help
and understanding. I look forward to hearing from you,
Waya Quiviger
Associate
91-92 Route de la Capite
CH- 1223 Cologny/ Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: (42 22) 869 1212
Fax: (41 22) 869 1260
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