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

[Harrison Owen]

At 11:00 AM 3/9/2002 -0500, Birgitt wrote:
>Harrison,
>
>For me, the sponsor (senior staff person involved) is the one who opens
>space in the organization for the facilitator to come in and lead in an
>Open Space Technology meeting . I have infinite respect for this senior
>staff person, for the risk they take in allowing us as facilitators to
>come in to their organizations. They are the ones who have to deal with
>all of the pieces, however good they may be, once the facilitator has
>packed his or her bag and gone home.  I agree that my job as the
>facilitator of the Open Space Technology meeting is to get the space open
>and to keep it open no matter who the space invader is at the time.
>
>I also carry out my work so that I am not setting the organization up to
>have space closed down by the client on Monday morning back at work. I
>cannot prevent the space being closed down come Monday morning, but
>because I am aware that Open Space Technology is a very powerful
>intervention in an organization and I see it as my job to do my best to
>create with the client a nutrient terrain within which the Open Space
>Technology meeting has its best chance of creating and then sustaining a
>more life nurturing, open and participative work environment.

Points all well taken -- but there was a time with a company of 50 folks
who were doing an Open Space on their future. By the middle of the first
afternoon, it was clear to all that there was no future. Everybody was in
fact very relieved that the moose was finally out from under the table.
Everybody, that is, except the President. Who also, of course, was "my
client" in the usual sense of the word. His anxiety was palpable, as was my
own, but it was clear to me that any attempt to close the space in a (vain)
effort to save the company would be counter-productive for everybody --
even though it might be palliative to the Pres. The space stayed open and
the company folded. Now that is an extreme situation for sure -- and quite
uncommon. but that is what I am talking about.

ho

>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 www.mindspring.com/~owenhh

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