Holding Space in Emergent Systems

Birgitt Williams birgitt at mindspring.com
Tue Apr 30 09:14:38 PDT 2002


Harrison,
My belief and worldview is one that is grateful for the greater Open Space
of the world, created by our Creator, and for the Divine Operating Plan
inclusive of basic universal laws (givens) for which I am greatful and if
they weren't being attended to we might just have our planets colliding with
one another and so on. Within this Divine Operating Plan that I view as a
matrix of some sort (the finite mind has a problem grasping the infinite,
despite a deep knowing that is within me) every organism, including humans,
seem to have free will to make choices that are either life depleting or
life nurturing. As such, the visible world can appear to be self organizing
within this greater Divine Operating Plan. Whether our free will takes us to
a collective will that organizes ourselves to be life nurturing or life
depleting is still unknown. Thank goodness that the seen world (the world
experienced by our five senses) is not the total picture. I have a lot of
faith in the unseen world to assist us to choose a life nurturing future.

Within Open Space Technology, created by yourself, we have a magnificent
window to heighten our conscious awareness about our choices. That which is
experienced by the five senses in an OST meeting may appear to be self
organizing within a matrix developed and held by the collaboration of the
facilitator and the sponsor and any others who so choose as the meeting
unfolds. A matrix seems to be needed for the self organizing to appear. The
richness and depth of the "self organizing" within the OST meeting seems to
be impacted by the ability of the facilitator to work with the unseen world
(in my experience, this is the opening and holding of "space" which is not
empty space at all but indeed very full).

In the games you are referring to, a matrix is created, within which the
players have choice, usually again choices between life depleting and life
nurturing.

Blessings to you and all whom you make genuine contact with

Birgitt  Williams

Mentoring for Organizational Effectiveness

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Williams, Dalar International Consultancy



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  -----Original Message-----
  From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Harrison
Owen
  Sent: Monday, April 29, 2002 9:36 AM
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
  Subject: Holding Space in Emergent Systems


  I am, as some may know, afflicted with the notion that all systems are
essentially self-organizing, and that in Open Space we are basically dealing
with one more such emergent system. Holding Space, therefore has something
to do with the art and practice of sustaining self-organization. turns out
we are not alone. Programers who do games of an emergent sort seem to be
playing in the same sandbox. See the following:

  “One of the pleasures of what I do,” Zimmerman tells me, over coffee near
the NYU campus, “is that you get to see a player take what you*ve designed
and use it in completely unexpected ways.” The designer, in other words,
controls the micromotives of the player*s actions. But the way those
micromotives are exploited— and the macrobehavior that they generate—are out
of the designer*s control. They have a life of their own.

  Sound a little Familiar?  For more, check out Steven Johnson's book
"Emergence" (Scribner/2001)

  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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