Open Space -- The Credible incredible - Thank you for this rich and dynamic dialogue......

[Winston Kinch]

Thank you Harrison. You are really "in flow" this morning: in fact it seems you are way out in front (it being apparently Sunday morning wherever you are). And thank you Toke, for the questions! INMO, these deserve to go into the FAQ (lovingly edited by Chris of course).
Happy Saturday! (or Sunday)
Winston 
   ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Harrison Owen 
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
  Sent: Sunday, March 10, 2002 7:34 AM
  Subject: Re: Open Space -- The Credible incredible - Thank you for this rich and dynamic dialogue......


  At 12:04 PM 3/7/2002 +0100, Toke wrote:


    Our circle of open space learning bouncing in its round corners but not breaking - i find that healthy.
     - we have not found the Truth yet - but it would be wonderful to nail it down so that all our clients and family members etc would finally understand what we do ??!!

  I figure that if anybody ever really understands what we do -- we are in deep trouble. Our cover will be blown. In my case i try and do as little as I can decently get away with. When successful, I do absolutely nothing at all. And for reasons which i have yet to fully understand, sometimes I even get paid. 


    I hold a few questions now :

    What is the intent of the OST community in the first place?

  My answer would be to share, learn and support each other.


    Where and how does getting started with OST practice and long time OST experience dance in our midst ?

  I guess it might begin with the realization that everybody, no matter how many times they have opened space, are always doing it for the first time with "that" particular group. In a funny way, every Open Space for me is always the same, and always totally unique. So we are all newcomers, and should we forget that the arteries of imagination and learning close up pretty fast.


    How do we keep inspiring each other to go for integrity and staying the student ?

  Probably by keeping on doing what we are doing. A sense of humor and the absurd also helps.


    Where is the border line between a community of practise and a cult  who know best?

  If we ever find the person who knows "best" I guess we would then qualify for "cult Status." The word cult has always interested me. the present definition is a worry, but at root it means to "care for" -- So I guess, being a cult wouldn't be too bad if we could see our selves as a community that cared. 



    How to trust more than I have trusted until now ?

  Speaking only for myself, I find the alternatives to trust so exhausting and self-destructive as to make them unattractive. We "trust" every time we take a breath that the incoming air won't kill us. In most cases that's true, and in any case, stopping breathing does not seem a positive option.


    How to find the balance between accomodating clients and  inspire to be a more human  amateur and less just professional  pawn?

  I'm not quite clear what you are asking here, but to the extent that I understand, my thought would be that the real thing is to be clear who the client is, and further that the client can change in time. For example, when i start conversation with a group -- my contact person (the CEO-- whatever) is my client, but should we do an Open Space, my client becomes the whole group. My mission quite simply is to create the space in which that group can experience and realize its full potential. Should it turn out that my "original client" (the CEO) is the major road block, and he/she acts that out by becoming a Nasty Space Invader, I see no alternative but to protect the space in whatever way I can. After all I have indicated to the group that the space will be open, and should it close down suddenly through the actions of a single person, my integrity is at stake. 



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