OST and violent conflict (long)

[Harrison Owen]

At 11:01 AM 4/27/2002 -0500, Gil wrote:

>First and foremost, I can only agree in part with Harrison´s statement 
>that OS is pretty much the same in conflict-violence situations as it is 
>in "normal" situations.  We have very successfully used OST in many 
>conflict situations in companies, NGOs, communities and governmental 
>agencias.  Our learning, however, is that there is a point in the process 
>of escalation of a conflict (Glasl, Gnass and Brenson, 1998) in which OST 
>ceases to be a viable option, simply because there is no shared need to be 
>agreed upon or met, only the "need" to destroy one another.

Your point is well taken, but it doesn't change my experience. "Business as 
usual Open Space" (in my view) only works when there is an issue of common 
concern and the people are present of their own volition. It doesn't work 
when they are forced to be there and can agree on nothing -- which I think 
is your point. Ergo -- doing an Open Space for Sharon and Arafat at this 
moment in time would not be very productive. From where I sit, these two 
are what I might call "professionally conflicted" -- which is to say -- 
without the conflict they would loose their jobs. I had a Palestinian and 
an Israeli (independently) tell me that they felt "caught between the mad 
men." All of which is to say that there are times when folks really don't 
want any open space, and none can be provided.  However, I have found that 
even highly conflicted folks share areas of common concern, which if 
leveraged can begin a healing process that will change the context in which 
the Arafats and Sharons of this world operate. Things like Good Jobs, 
Effective Education, Better Roads -- bread and butter things that all 
people share. A useful strategy has been to invite conflicted people 
together around such issues in Open Space. Part of their experience is that 
they share more in common than in difference. It is sometimes almost 
amusing to watch sworn enemies lock arms "against" Blood Brothers. And 
suddenly life get a lot more complicated -- and possible. And if a few of 
the "professionally conflicted" are present they will suddenly discover 
some of their strongest supporters "consorting the with enemy." That can go 
a long way towards changing the context of discussions.

One of the basic tenets of Open Space Practice, ever since, has been  -- 
never use it (OS) when folks already have the plan, think they have to have 
the plan, or are the sort who "must" have the plan... in other words 
Control, Control, Control. Especially if The Plan is Kill the opposition. 
That such people exist is obvious, that they are destructive, devious, and 
malignant -- a given. But they can be worked around with a little, equally 
devious strategy -- out flank them. Re-context their narrow position. It 
has worked. It can work. but for sure, never use Open Space when such 
people set the issue. You loose every time.

ho

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 http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm

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