A First Step From Rome

[kenoli Oleari]

Another example of what we have been experiencing whenever a "system"
of people are assembled and given a context in which to talk to each
other about things that they know are important to them: that they
discover that they already have the "wisdom" to find their own way.
The "wisdom" is in the room!  It also underlines the huge damage that
is created by the structures and assumptions that tell people they
don't have the wisdom to discover, guide and implement their own
futures.

While this and many other examples indicate that the wisdom or
content do not come from the process, per se, they also indicate the
entirely hopeful fact that we do know ways of bringing people
together that are both not rocket science which can effectively free
this wisdom.  Process may not play the role it has been classically
portrayed as playing -- i.e. of doing something to someone -- but
this example clearly indicates that it plays an important role in
terms of what it can invoke.

As well as surfacing the important reality about the inherent wisdom
in systems, I think these kind of examples give us a different way of
looking at process.  Process may not play a causative role, but some
other role, perhaps more of a collaborative role.  I think all of us
have reactions to "process" because of the way it has been used "on"
us.  Open Space provides an elegant alternative, partly because it
seems to be a "non-process" process.  Perhaps the issue here is less
"what process," or how do we do away with process, but how can we see
process differently.  How does Open Space as a process relate to a
group that is different than our traditional beliefs about process?
Do we have other examples of this?  What can we learn about the role
of "process?"

--Kenoli

>One of the conference organizers wrote briefly about the return from
>Rome. Seems like something may actually have gotten started.
>
>Despite the worries and difficulties of our return trip to Israel
>(the invasion of Israel into Ramallah, the intense search and
>security checks of our patient Palestinian friends at the airport)
>the comraderie and friendship remained. I travelled back on the bus
>with the Palestinians from the airport to Jerusalem and they had
>their first meeting to decide what their next steps would be. They
>wanted to do it immediately in case there would be difficulties
>getting together in the near future.
>All the people I have spoken to since our return feel blessed that
>we had the opportunity to be together.
>
>The experience in Rome provides an opportunity for deep learning
>about this thing we call Open Space, and possibly an even deeper
>learning about possible pathways to peace. Since my time 10 years
>ago in South Africa, it has been clear to me that OS has enormous
>power for what we might call conflict resolution, but it is a
>resolution that does not eliminate conflict. If anything the
>conflict is magnified, but space is provided so that the conflict,
>and the energy it contains, may become a positive force. All of this
>takes place without any carefully crafted process or procedure. In a
>most remarkable way, it seems to happen all by itself. Which leads
>me to the conclusion that the apparent magic has nothing to do with
>Open Space Technology, and everything to do with the power of
>self-organization. All we do in Open Space is to create the
>conditions under which a completely natural process can start or
>re-start. If true, this is really good news, for it would mean that
>we already have at our disposal the "tools" necessary for peace. We
>have only to be fully what we are. Thoughts?
>
>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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--
Kenoli Oleari, Horizons of Change, http://www.horizonsofchange.com
1801 Fairview Street, Berkeley, CA  94703   Voice Phone: 510-601-8217,
Fax: 510-595-8369, Email: kenoli at igc.org (or click on: mailto://kenoli@igc.org)

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