FW: Facilitator training

[Harrison Owen]

At 05:43 PM 9/25/00 -0700, you wrote:
>"You have provided here an excellent
>example of what I was raising in my concerns of a few weeks ago of
>standards, ethics, and integrity...Or the lack of."
>  I feel a
>certain caution about becoming too strident about OST, which is, I believe,
>an essentially playful process.   I'd also be a little cautious about
>calling into question a colleague's ethics and integrity.  While many of us
>lack the historical background on OST that you enjoy (and so would not know
>and therefore acknowledge that the givens were YOUR contribution), I believe
>that even neophytes (in any field) can make worthwhile contributions.
>
>Laurel.

******************************

I believe it important to remember that Open Space Technology, and all that
has been written and thought about it -- is truly a collaborative, global
effort. It has emerged through the contributions of literally thousands of
individuals -- some known and some not. When I wrote the first edition of
"The User's Guide," way back yonder, I made precisely this point in the
dedication. Some may have thought it over-kill, but I literally included my
whole database (at that time) of colleagues, contacts, and friends -- by
name -- in the dedication -- Two pages of fine print -- just to be clear
that we all did it, and we all do it. Nobody owns it, and nobody ever will.

Things do get a little stickier when one is dealing with published,
copyrighted material. With such stuff, normal academic courtesy is in order
-- clear attribution of source, if at all possible. From my point of view
this is less about protecting intellectual property than assisting the
reader in following up on good ideas.  It is always helpful to know where
to go (specifically) should you want more.

Yet the truth of the matter is that we often forget where stuff comes from.
Faulty memory perhaps, but somehow something just seems to be in the air --
and from whence it came -- who knows? This situation is exacerbated in what
has now become The Open Space Community -- where sharing our experience and
thoughts is, and hopefully will be, the order of the day. Add to this the
playful quality that seems to define us -- and lapses will occur -- all to
be taken with a sense of humor. In my judgement it is the only way to learn.

There is an old ribald song (author forgotten --grin) that contained the words:

Plagiarize !
Plagiarize !
Don't shade your eyes....

Maybe not the best advice in the world -- but truthfully there is precious
little new under the Sun, so I guess we are all guilty. Certainly me. And
as one who has been plagiarized fairly frequently, I confess to a certain
twinge -- but it is not about loss of respect and credit. It is only that I
feel the reader deserves a "paper trail" back to source should they want
more. Academic nicety perhaps, but useful for all of that.

At the end of the day, however, I find it useful to give everybody the
benefit of the doubt. They are probably just as forgetful as I am -- and if
they are truly nasty, they will get their just deserts. Somewhere, sometime
their apparent claim for originality will be seen for what it is. In the
interim, I can only rejoice that what seemed like a good idea now has
broader circulation. And truthfully I do not have the time or energy to
worry about it. Personally, I choose to go over the next mountain, and
leave the terrain discovered to date to those who care to tarry. Not that
our history is unimportant, but it is our common history. It belongs to all
of us.

So Laurel -- thanks for your contributions -- neophyte or not -- they are
real. You too, Birgitt. You do good work! And I think I see a new mountain
up ahead.....

Harrison





Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 USA
phone 301-469-9269
fax 301-983-9314
Summer Phone 207-763-3261
Summer Address
189 Beaucaire Ave.
Camden, ME 04843
website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh
Open Space Institute website www.openspaceworld.org

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