OST vs OD

[Elena A. Marchuk]

Wow,

Robert, Harrison, Meg, Kenoli.... and you all - nice community,

thank you for your amazing, thoughtful, insingtful and... empowerful
discussions on OS, OD and DO!

best wishes

elena
novosibisk, russia

----- Original Message -----
From: <Robert.Chaffe at NRE.VIC.GOV.AU>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Friday, September 27, 2002 8:35 AM
Subject: Re: OST vs OD


> Meg and others,
>  OD and Do.  You have sparked a need in me to get some thoughts off my
chest.
>
> The way I see it there are two parts.
>
>    One is the facilitator who creates and sustains the space for the
>    participants to "grow".
>    Two the participants themselves.
>
> Yes the process is simple but have you noticed that even people like De
Bono
> have some difficulty in selling SIMPLICITY.  Much of our modern world has
taken
> simple things described them in new words (jargon) then marketed them as
new and
> special.
>
> In the medical world we know that the best defense against infection is
simple
> hygiene, like washing your hands before touching food etc.  Not good
enough in
> the modern world I am asked to buy product XXXX because being a
manufactured
> product, it must be better than simply washing your hands.  Many of the
'killer"
> conditions of human kind can be most effectively dealt with by simple
lifestyle
> decisions, but do we exercise, eat food that matches our physical activity
etc.,
> in most case the answer is no.
>
> We have become conditioned to look for the "savior".  We have also been
> conditioned manage not lead.   Leading is dangerous, standing up and
saying "the
> king is naked" is not well rewarded.  Every one likes to think that they
can but
> when the time comes it is much safer to stay with the norm.   Just look at
the
> Congress of USA in its response to the current issues in the middle east.
It
> un-American to stand up for peace, win win and humanity.  It is the same
in many
> workplaces.
>
> Therefore as the facilitator of Open Space we are actually taking a stand
> against the norm.  This takes a special kind of person, let's not devalue
the
> things that these people DO.  Just as in the chemical world a true
catalyst, the
> agent of change is invisible in the final product so it is with open
space.
>
> The participants although encouraged to bring their passion and commitment
often
> find it very difficult to change their learned behavior.  We see people
blossom
> and groups create the most fantastic outputs within  Open Space.  We also
see
> people struggle as they are asked to take responsibility for their
passion.
>
> Then we go back into the world around us.  The facilitator, well we did it
> ourselves so why bother, it is so simple anyone can do it.   So we see the
> organisation reform about their old norms and get on with the job.  The
> participants filled with the experience bounce back into the world, only
to slam
> headlong into brick walls of the REAL world.  Confused, bruised and wiser
they
> may choose to keep going but many are not prepared for the hard yards
required
> to be successful.
>
> The culture for many conferences and forums requires the participants to
write
> the paper, referee other papers, be present, do a presentation, do a bit
of
> networking, eat and drink too much and go home.  Work at the conference or
apply
> learning - that's not in the brief.
>
> For me Open Space is a form of traumatic experience, and an experience
that
> needs to carefully processed so that I use the goodness in the most
effective
> way when I leave the space for other parts.  This is for both facilitator
and
> participant.   It also means that it takes a special environment in
> organisations to support the cultural change required to apply Open Space.
I
> believe that these organisations will be successful  but most likely not
the
> most visible or profitable at least until the world  changes to champion
> sustainable, simple, life of interdependence .
>
> Rob
>
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