Max/Mix was: Experience with geeks in OST forums

Harrison Owen owenhh at mindspring.com
Sat Dec 22 14:59:55 PST 2001


At 12:17 PM 12/22/2001 -0500, Bruce Craig
>Max/mix is term for a cross sectional group that is mixed to the max :)
>
>To set one up we ask for reps from all levels, genders, depts, etc to get
>a true
>cross representation of the group.  Often our clients think planning teams
>should just be senior folk - we particularly like to do a max/mix if the theme
>isn't clear - we get a chance to see what are the key issues on people's
>minds.

This is the Old curmuddgin speaking. And I know it is Christmas and
Hanukkah -- so I should be very charitable. Glowing with the season, as it
were. But every time I hear about Mix/Match it reminds me of Running Rats
in my college Experimental Psych Lab. Those rats just couldn't do it until
we programmed them -- set the course as it were -- Mixed and Maxed. Yes, I
know that very reputable folks like Kathy Danmiller (of Strategic Real Time
Change fame) and Marv Weisbord (Future Search fame) all do it. And they are
friends. But that doesn't make me like it any more. I ain't a rat. And most
Homo sapiens aren't either. And actually I don't think the rats like it
either. Why is that we presume that good folks seriously engaged in a topic
of their passion can't get together in new and useful ways? For 15+ years
we have seen it happen every single time space was opened. So why the
necessity of running rats (aka people)? Like sitting them down in tables of
8, carefully selected for the right MIX/Match? Maybe because the Space
isn't really open????

Harrison


Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 USA
phone 301-365-2093
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh

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