OS and AI

[Harrison Owen]

At 04:08 PM 4/24/01 -0700, Peg Holman Wrote:
>To me that means that given enough time in healthy conditions (and OS
>creates healthy conditions), people begin to focus on life giving forces.
>They do this without all the OD-like complications of AI's 4-D cycle.
>
>Having said that, I LOVE the transformative effect I've observed AI can have
>when people experience an AI interview.  So when the time is short or a
>client isn't ready to start with OS, I introduce AI.
>
>I sit very much with the question about AI that Harrison applied when
>experimenting with OS: what is one less thing to do and have the experience
>be whole?  For me, the 4-D methodology puts the facilitator too much in
>charge.  I want to see the philosophy and practice of AI flourish but
>without all the fuss.  When the appropriate situation arises, I would like
>to try doing an appreciative interview and then move directly into opening
>space.
>
>Peggy

Peg raises an interesting and delicate point -- the relationship between OS
and AI (to which I would add the whole spectrum of interventions out there
ie Dialogue, Cafe, Community Building etc). I will be the first to say that
I have learned much from each of these, and respect their authors/creators
profoundly. I also have to say that in my experience groups operating in
Open Space naturally  manifest precisely the same behaviors as these
approaches seek to achieve -- all without apparent intention or direct
intervention from a facilitator. So I am left with the question, why do
formally what seems to appear naturally, especially when the formal
intervention requires a lot more work?

And there is a deeper concern. When a group experiences Dialogue,
appreciation of each other, community... in the context of a facilitated
session, there is a natural tendency to assume that the "facilitator did
it" -- and further -- a repeat of those experiences will require the
services of a trained facilitator expert in those particular approaches. In
a word the group is, at some significant level, dis-empowered. They are
likely to think that what is a natural phenomenon can only occur as a
result of direct intervention from an outside source. Such
thoughts/feelings may make the facilitators feel better, as also the
client/sponsor who may think that such powerful experiences should only be
encouraged under strict guidance. After all it could get out of control.
But I think all of that is to deprive a group of its natural heritage. Good
for the facilitator, good for the client/sponsor -- bad for the group.

I also take Peg's point about the group/sponsor being "ready" for Open
Space. Some are, and some apparently aren't. But is this really true?
Phrasing the issue in this way makes it seem that when we "do" an Open
Space, we actually bring something to a group that it did not have before.
I find myself looking at things rather differently. From where I sit, all
groups exist in open space whether they like it or not. So it is not about
bringing something new -- but recognizing what is. Put rather more
directly, I think what happens in Open Space is that we just recognize the
open space of our lives. Nothing new, just a blinding flash of the obvious.
So somehow, talking about being "ready" misses the point -- we are all
ready (already) there.

At this point, I think we may be getting close to what I take to be the
heart of the matter. All of us at some point have spoken fondly, and
sometimes longingly of that wonderful thing -- The Open Space Organization,
as if it were something that we might achieve or create. Indeed, some of us
(myself included) have spent a lot of time and energy thinking about how we
might do just that. But what is the Open Space Organization?

Doubtless we could produce a long list of qualities and characteristics --
which might then lead to a disciplined and "effort-full" process to install
such a thing. But in doing all that, I think we miss the central and
critical point. We already are Open Space Organizations. It remains only to
do intentionally what we are already doing. To be intentionally what we
already are.

And what is "it" that we already are? My answer is -- we are Complex
Adaptive Systems! Or in other words self-organizing systems. That is all
there is. Now to be sure there are more than a few folks who actually think
they did the organizing, and then at great effort are responsible to keep
things organized...

Anyhow, I find it useful to just keep opening space, and the rest will
pretty much take care of itself. Lazy, narrow minded... perhaps. But it
seems to work.

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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