Who is the Client?

[Harrison Owen]

A propos of what I am not quite sure -- but as our discussions have gone on
recently, I found my self thinking about Who is the client?"  The easy
answer, and one that I subscribed to for a long time -- "The person who
pays the bill,"  doesn't seem so easy any more. I am finding that the role
of client is a variable one, changing with time and circumstances. At the
initial point of contact, the client is obviously the person at the other
end of the phone, table, or email. Conversations about intended result,
possible approaches, and the up and down sides of all of the above, are
essential. Should there be a Go Decision, and opening space is the chosen
means (and in my case, of course, few would believe that I could do
anything else, even if I wanted to), I find that the "client" changes
rather radically in my mind from the "point of contact" to the group as a
whole. And in terms of the group, my concern is not only about the
immediate objectives (a strategic plan, new product, organizational
renewal/transformation etc.) but also about the longer term function of the
group and the enrichment of the lives of the constituent individuals.

This change of mind set can have some rather odd consequences, as for
example, a conversation I found myself having with the "original client"
(the bill payer) which went something like as follows: " I am not here to
save your job, or even your organization. I am here to enable this group of
people to function at the highest possible level combined with a profound
sense of satisfaction and joy in who they are and what they are
accomplishing. If your job is secured, and this present organization
flourishes, that will be a marvelous bonus." Surprisingly, the "client"
didn't blink an eye. In fact his only comment was, "Of  course."

With the focus on "the group as client" my primary concern is the group's
realization of its own power and its own capacities. Doubtless there are
cases where it would be useful for the group to learn new approaches or
methods, but where the group already has the power and the capacity which
remain hidden solely because neither have been exercised, I find myself
intensely holding the space so that the group will see itself as it is in
reality. This can get very uncomfortable -- for everybody. At such times, I
can truly understand Jeff Aitkens feelings -- " I sometimes find the
conversations frustrating and disappointing, and I long for a process such
as "Dialogue" to help focus our attention in ways that might deepen the
level of the conversation." But out of that discomfort come remarkable
breakthroughs. And anything I do seems only to impede the breakthrough, if
only because it may appear that I did it -- when the reality is -- They Did
It.

Doubtless there are situations where the pathology present in the life of
the group is such that only radical, direct intervention, to say nothing of
surgery, will save the day. But strangely enough, I have never personally
encountered such a situation. People (even dire enemies) can, and do, treat
each other with respect, listen deeply, and inter-act constructively, all
without external assistance -- so long as they have the space/time to do
so. I think all that is a natural act in which intervention at worst gums
up the works, and at best makes the natural appear to be a matter of
artifice. As they say in The Great State of Maine --"Don't fix it if it
ain't broke."

So what do you think?

Harrison


Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 USA
phone 301-469-9269
fax 301-983-9314
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh

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