Who is the Client?

[Harrison Owen]

At 09:52 PM 4/30/01 -0400, Doug. Germann wrote:
>Harrison--
>
>Well, maybe the "numbers guy" has had an epiphany--or is seeking one. I
>know several recovering accountants and lawyers.... <grin>
>
>Wonder why they do it, the first time? What reasons do they tell you? What
>do you suspect are the real reasons?
>
>Is it the age of the Baby Boomers, finally getting to their wisdom years
>and asking again, "What's it all about, Alfie?"
>
>Or are people figuring out that no one really organizes a group?
>
>Something else?

Interesting set of questions. I suspect the initial reasons are as various
as the people who come into Open Space. And that turns out to be just about
any sort you can imagine. At a deeper level, I believe that the willingness
to engage Open Space is a mark of a profound shift, even transformation of
human consciousness. And once in Open Space, this shift is confirmed and
extended. I think there is a growing (verging on general) realization that
organization as we have understood it to this point is no longer
functional, either as a productive entity or as a comfortable environment
for us humanoids. Not that the old hierarchical, Command and control, do it
by the numbers sort of place is "bad" -- just has outlived its usefulness.
We have neither the time or the energy to run up and down all those levels,
even if only in our minds. The world we inhabit is just to complex and fast
moving. And when we try to play by the old rules something rather nasty
breaks out which I call Soul Pollution, which appears as a direct result of
the toxins loosed in a dysfunctional environment. So we know "it" is not
working -- and we have a notion of what a better place to be might be like.
But how do you get there? Many of us have taken this occasion in history to
"design" the "perfect" organization, but when it comes to implementation,
it seems that we fall back to the old approach -- and it is command and
control all over again. And there is that nasty word -- "control." ... well
I think you can see where I am going, and if you want the "full treatment"
you might take a gander at my last book --- "The Power of Spirit."

So why Open Space, and Why Now? -- I really don't think we have any choice.
And it is not about this marvelous methodology, it is really about the open
space of our lives. At least that is my likely story.

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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