beyond convergence (and training)

Wed Jan 30 19:00:22 PST 2002

Hello Michael,
I smile when I experience where you are going with your passion. It is
different from where I am with my passion. I look forward to seeing where
your creativity takes you and I know we will all be richer for your
contributions.

As you know, two years ago, I took off on a path of my own out of what I
felt strongly about regarding Open Space Technology and the conscious Open
Space Organization. Within what emerged as our Genuine Contact program, we
have key ingredients that we attend to. We keep the form simple and
consistent to ensure that our "customers" are provided with a simplicity and
consistency to allow them the framework to work with complexity in a way
that they can count on (this is where the consistency comes in). I find it
easier to refer clients to a facilitator/consultant when I know there is
this consistency in work. The standards we set within  our "Working with
Open Space Technology" session fits with my belief and experience that when
the framework is clearly known, there is a greater sense of freedom for
exploring within the framework. I believe the success of promoting Open
Space Technology in the world is to offer it in a way that is consistent and
duplicable in what is offered by the facilitator.This has been my passion
with this work.

And you are pursuing a different path with this from which we will all
learn.

Thank you,

Birgitt

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Michael
Herman
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2002 5:25 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: beyond convergence (and training)

hello all,

as promised... an invitation to explore convergence, non-convergence,
training, non-training, and the opportunities now offered by the guide,
non-guide, oslist and more.

have posted the following at metanet (see below to access that space),
along with a bunch (maybe two bunches) of reflections on this to get us
started.  please join us there if you can.  have been cooking this with
corrigan and weaver most recently and for several years with so many
others.  anyway, here is the beginning of what i've posted there:

--

beyond convergence (and training)

evolution is now and open space:  convergence as control,
non-convergence as built-in training, the do-it-yourself open space
training workshop, and 24-hour online support.... an exercise in
connecting the dots.

when i met harrison at ralph copleman's open space conference (thanks to
sheila isakson) six (wow!) years ago, he said something like, "...open
space should disappear in, pick a number, say 5 years...  that is talk
about it should disappear... as it becomes 'just the way we do
business.'"  this isn't the average guru sort of statement and it struck
me...  caught me?  ...knocked me down and dragged me away and pressed me
(nay, "invited" me) into service of this notion that we might actually
be able to run business as usual ...as open space.  actually, i'd come
into that circle suspecting and hoping that this was the case, so i was
glad for a concurring opinion from somebody with so much more experience
than i.

so this is the direction that i've been working on for some years now,
as have many of you, i know.  in recent months, i've been connecting a
number of dots for myself and seeing some new possibilities for a more
integrated and seamless practice to help us work closer to business as
open space.  i want to connect those dots for you (and me) here and see
what any of you might add.

in short, i want to suggest that we might now be able to peek beyond
control (and convergence!) enough to see how a mini ost training could
now be embedded into every open space event, long or short, and that the
technology we've learned to rely on can let lots more learing and doing
go on at once as we move from business as usual to business as open
space.  i'm thinking that we might now initiate, accelerate or
accentuate a shift from convergence to extension, from training to
practice, and from broadcast to conversation.

and to be clear before i really start here... NOTHING i say here means
to (1) be critical in any way of what anyone is doing with various
shapes of convergence, training or anything else.... OR (2) be saying
that there is any one right way to do converging, non-converging,
training, learning, conversing or any of it... just to be clear.

what i want to do is offer a whole mess of observations, assumptions,
and ideas.... dots if you will... and share something of the forms that
i see when i start connecting them.  to be sure, i suspect that john
engle, brian bainbridge, chris corrigan, michael pannwitz, and others
are already doing much of what i'm saying here.  hoping to root out the
truth(s) of this, perhaps fill in a few gaps, and make the whole lot of
it available to all.

--

how to read more and join us at metanet...

go to this page:  http://www.tmn.com/new

if you're new to metanet:  When you get there, you will have to register
by clicking 'new account in upper right corner.  (very simple, private
stuff).  then look for "other conferences" -- type "openspace" (all one
word, no quotes) and you'll be in. then you can surf around at your
leisure and read conversations that go back to mid-2000. for busy folks
like all of us, this system is great because it keeps track of what
you've read.  look for the 'beyond convergence (and training)' link and
click.

if you're already registered, you can get in through that same page,
just click 'access conferences' in the upper right.

hope to see you there...

--

Michael Herman
300 West North Avenue #1105
Chicago IL 60610
312-280-7838 voice
312-280-7837 fax

http://www.michaelherman.com
...an invitation.

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