On comparing OST with World Cafe processes (long) - offshoot from open space and open space technology

[Alan Stewart]

Hi All



It's amazing, but not surprising, how the universe works or how Spirit moves, according to one's preferred paradigm. 

 

Yesterday my attention was drawn to Kenoli Oleari, first for his being acknowledged by Tom Atlee for his assistance in updating Tom's wondrous website. http://www.co-intelligence.org 

 

And then when reading Reinhard VISUELLE PROTOKOLLE posting I realised that I had overlooked Kenoli's of Feb 6, 2002 about his experience with The World Café (TWC) processes and his invitation "I'm wondering if others have had experience with this form."

 

With his musing: "It seemed to me that a comparison with Open Space could provide for a rich and stimulating conversation.  My interest here is in exploration to expand our understanding and not trying to decide which approach is better.  It felt to me like a good additional tool for certain purposes in certain situations.  It is also quite adaptable."



Perhaps what Kenoli's invitation has triggered for me is that I have a unique opportunity - and responsibility - to bring attention to commonalities between Café and OST processes, as I perceive them. 

 

And so, here goes. Some of you may remember that I have used World Café processes in particular circumstances and reported on aspects of this to our list earlier. As did Ingrid Olausson, who I think has recently left this list. See in our archives: "Open Space a la carte (long)" and "Opening Space in the Big End of Town." Dec 2000.  In these I touched on physical arrangements of Cafes, for example. sitting at small tables and ways in which recordings are done on paper table cloths.   

 

There is much to say, more of which may emerge as this conversation continues. I also believe that there could be advantage to seeing how OST and Café processes may be used to extend each other both through a deeper appreciation of their respective foundations and of their use in practice.  



For I sense that they are both processes in which people feel respected, included and give of their best.  



Going on this premise I wish to make five brief points for now. 

 

Overlap
 

In my experience there is substantial overlap in OST and TWC processes. Perhaps IMO the main one is the question of 'What do people DO in contexts underpinned by the respective principles of each?'

 

>From my perspective, they converse. By this I mean that they interact openly with each other, in a spirit underlain by the guiding principles:

 

  a.. We are here to treat each other well. 
  b.. We're in this together. 
To reiterate - on what I noted in the postings in Dec 2000 - one way of expressing the meaning of 'converse' is:

 

"The 'keeper' * for me was the wonderful notion that every time we talk openly with another human being, a third -joint-level of consciousness is created, from the best of both of us.  When we argue or debate, we actually seek to block the other's contribution and limit potential solutions or suggestions, limiting world consciousness."  Catherine Palin Brinkworth

 

* "What I took away." or "What I found of particular value." 



This comment was made by a person who had attended a 3 day gathering which I facilitated and which had both OST and TWC components. 

 

I have come to call both 'conversing processes.' More on this can be found on my new website www.creativestate.biz (which will have additional relevant material uploaded on Thursday 14 Feb).



Incidentally I sense that 'conversing' is not 'Dialogue', which in my understanding is a formal process which requires certain conditions in which to operate and specific instructions.




Intervention

 

I know some people are concerned about the level of intervention by facilitator/host in TWC gatherings. There are seemingly at least two reasons for this concern. One is that there is usually a directive from the facilitator for people to move periodically. The other is that Cafes are 'rather structured', 'overly results oriented' and 'not so much space for surprise.' Reinhard noted his unease about these latter.  

 


Such disquiet is perfectly valid IMO to those of us deeply committed to an OST way of being. 



In my experience the practices which give rise to these concerns are not necessarily integral to TWC meetings.  

 

I say this for two reasons: One is that in the way I use Café processes I do not ask people to move at particular times; they get up and go to another place whenever they wish. This derives from a feature of my practice in that I invariably invoke the principles of OST and L2F when facilitating Café gatherings. 



In so doing I believe that Reinhard's worrries are taken into account. Of course this is my practice and not that of people who are not 

 

I wish to make clear that I do not claim that this is an OST meeting; what I do say is that it is based on OST principles. 

 

The other is that I spent a very enjoyable day last November in the company of TWC people at the home of Nancy Margulies, near San Francisco. I have had a fine connection with this group since 1997, much correspondence since then and have visited with them several times previously.

 

A gathering of World Café Pioneers was held to coincide with my recent visit. Among the participants were people you may know of, Vicki Robin and Elizabet Sahtouris. 

 

Of salience here is that Nancy, Juanita Brown and I talked about having Café gatherings in which participants move as they see fit, without any directive from the facilitator/host. I suspect that this conversation may lead to less 'intervention' becoming more integral to their practice.  

 

Having said this I would add that there are circumstances in which there are substantial benefits from inviting people to move from their current table to gain a wider perspective of what is being brought forth elsewhere - and to interact with different people. David Isaacs, one of the creators of TWC, expresses it this way: "Moving people from table to table is an essential part of maximising diversity of people and ideas into a fabric of emergent knowledge/wisdom .... that we believe, already (all-ready) exists in an implicate form. Conversations at the World Cafe allow for the possibility that the collective knowledge can become aware or conscious of itself (explicate)." 



Principles
 

A look at the principles which underly TWC gatherings may be helpful. This is how Juanita describes them:

 

"All of us are working from a common set of Café operating principles which we are discovering help support the emergence of the magic in the middle whatever the particular Café format or style that best suits your situation. The principles are similar to the ones we've all been experimenting with as the World Café has evolved over these last years:

 

  a.. Create hospitable space 
  b.. Explore questions that matter 
  c.. Connect diverse people and ideas 
  d.. Encourage each person's contribution 
  e.. Listen together for insights, patterns and deeper questions 
  f.. Make collective knowledge visible.
 

This 'bald' list gives little indication of the profundity which underlies these principles and of how they are applied in practice. 

 

More details can be found at TWC website www.theworldcafe.com

 

More principles



To add another soup con (delicious morsel) here are other 'guiding principles.' These are invoked by Arun Wakhlu and his colleagues at the Pragati Foundation in Pune. They have a great conference starting today on bringing a peaceful resolution to the dispute over Jammu Kashmir.  See posting by Peggy: Open Space Works to Bring Peace! 2/2/2002 and also www.fhed.org.

 

Arun writes: "We will use tools like Open Space Technology to structure the proceedings, while at the same time giving space for Inner Guidance and spontaneous meetings. The guiding principles we will follow are :

 

    1.                  Awaken to, and Trust, the power of Love. 

    2.                  Listen, Reflect and Dialogue. 

    3.                  Initiate Loving Action, now. 

    4.                  Joyfully Expand the circles of Love. 

    5.                  Remember that we are One

 

This dialogue is the outcome of a deep longing for healing, peace and prosperity in Jammu & Kashmir." 

 

A speculation on what may evolve from considering OST and WTC principles and practice
 

In my opinion, based on my experience, there is scope for marrying the two processes in specific contexts. 

 

Those interested may wish to flesh out what these may be. 

 

A nice story of how I did for a particular purpose can be seen at: www.theworldcafe.com/storyconversing.html

 

Specifically I believe that both could be of value in the development of what Birgitt describes as 'The Open Space Organization', Harrison calls 'The Interactive Organization' and what I have named 'The Conversing Company (Organization). 

 

In closing I wish to emphasise that my purpose here is to open possibilities of building ideas together. Debating the respective merits of each approach may be valid but is not the main point. 

 

and to reiterate what Kenoli noted:

 

"It seemed to me that a comparison with Open Space could provide for a rich and stimulating conversation.  My interest here is in exploration to expand our understanding and not trying to decide which approach is better.  It felt to me like a good additional tool for certain purposes in certain situations."

 

Let's see what the conversation brings forth!

 

Good to converse, in the dance, with love

 

Alan 

Adelaide

www.creativestate.biz

 

PS Tom Atlee wrote a couple of days ago:

 

"My friend Vicki Robin, co-author of "Your Money Or Your Life" and organizer of many recent community "conversation cafes" on 911 and other subjects is going to be on the National Public Radio lunchtime program Talk of the Nation on Valentine's day Thursday Feb 14.  Talk of the Nation goes from 11 am to 1 pm.  She'll be talking about the 911 conversation cafes she organized recently in Seattle.  You can find your nearest NPR station at http://www.npr.org/members/ .  Note that not all NPR stations carry Talk of the Nation so, if you're not sure, give them a call beforehand."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.openspacetech.org/pipermail/oslist-openspacetech.org/attachments/20020212/37ea9676/attachment-0016.htm>