Story and idea of another convergence and action planning approach in OS

[Chris Corrigan]

I'm with you Harrison, and the categories sure didn't feel as forced as
all that.  There was no sense of the corners being shaved off pegs, with
all the attendant friction and sawdust.  Yes they voted with their
feet.:-)

Anyway, the real estate was divided into five parts (one was open) and
the group did choose to stretch the boundaries of the existing
categories and ignore one all together.  They were interested in
creating synergy out of their work by making sure that the ideas they
were raising also had currency in another context.  The interesting
thing is that there were no orphaned topics.  They just kept opening the
"pre-divided" slots until they accommodated all of their work.  In the
action planning sessions, every discussion report was considered.

I for one have never pretended that convergence and action planning is
"Open Space Technology" even if they are undertaken in the Spirit of
Open Space.  I do think though that inviting people to play with the
news wall and move things around might be a neat way of inviting
evolving convergence.  That might invite a day long engagement with the
enterprise of creating organization, in real time and as issues come up,
just like in real life.  And it would allow us to start the last half
day ready to get down to work. The milling would be encouraged to happen
over a longer period of time but by the last morning, all that would be
left to do is dig in.

Thoughts on that?

Chris

---
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Consultation - Facilitation
Open Space Technology

Bowen Island, BC, Canada
http://www.chriscorrigan.com
chris at chriscorrigan.com
-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
Harrison Owen
Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2002 1:44 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Story and idea of another convergence and action planning
approach in OS

At 10:58 AM 11/27/2002 -0800, you wrote:


Colleagues:

I'm just back from a two day strategic planning session with a report on
a non-voting application of convergence and action planning.

Seems to me that folks voted with their feet -- but I guess that is just
the old curmudgeon talking. given the fact that the real estate had
already been divided into four parts (rather like Gaul) I guess you
really didn't have any choice. But personally, I find the business of
categorization in Strategic planning to be majorly frustrating,
especially when somebody else makes the categories, as they usually do.
then you end up spending some effort, and typically a lot of effort,
forcing round pegs into square holes. I find that when the categories
actually emerge from the passions of the people, you end up with a very
different and, I think, more powerful enterprise. Yes there is some
milling about -- but useful milling about I think. People are really
trying to get a handle on this funny thing called Their Organization.
Anyhow, I am not sure I would have anything different, given the lay of
the land to start. But I sure hate forcing square pegs in triangular
holes.

Harrison



Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 USA
phone 301-365-2093
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
<http://www.openspaceworld.com/>
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
<http://www.openspaceworld.org/>
Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm

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