FW: wiki sites

Mon Jul 21 13:14:56 PDT 2003

Michael (Herman),

I apologize for taking so long to continue this conversation with you. Life
happened and today is my first real computer day in weeks. I wanted to draft
a thorough response regarding the conversation that we had about the new
www.openspaceworld.net site. I notice that you have posted our OS list
conversation on that site. For now, I feel that the right place for my
posting is on the OS list because it involves our OS list community--and I
am fine if you also post it on the website in your questions section.

I admire all that you are doing with the websites, your energy and passion,
commitment and discipline. I wanted to be very clear about that so that you
will hopefully see that where I am coming from is a supportive place. I note
your invitations for us to participate in the websites and I would like to
do this but first I seek clarity about whether it is the right place for me
to commit some of my energy. This e-mail is about seeking that clarity and I
will be pleased to have the discussion that helps me to decide.

I also choose to recognize that by being the webmaster for the community
Open Space websites, that you are in a position of power. From that
position, by shaping the "givens" or what is not negotiable, you have great
power in shaping how Open Space Technology is perceived in the world now and
into the future. This is neither good nor bad. It simply is power of
position added to the power that we all have including power of presence and
power of communication. I believe that you will hold and carry out this
power of position well, with recognition that many people rely on the
reputation of OST for their ongoing business as independent consultants who
have focused their business on OST.

I know that our participants in OST meetings go through the same thing. They
receive an invitation and then they have to make a decision about whether
they choose to attend or not. Offering as much information in the invitation
as possible is helpful so that they can make an informed choice. And so, I
was seeking more information about what I was being invited into. I am not
wanting to interupt your opening circle, but wanting to go back to what this
is and what it is not so that I can make an informed choice.

There are always "givens" or non-negotiables in life, whether we like them
or not. Collectives of individuals (organizations) run into real problems
when the "givens" are implicit rather than explicit. This leads to the
making of assumptions that are not useful. And implicit assumptions, in my
experience, lead to the potential for misuse of and misunderstanding of
power. This happened to me within the www.openspaceworld.org site which I
brought to your attention. The pages that are "read only" shape the
tone/philosophy of the site and how it presents OST to the world.

When you invited us to contribute into that site as a wiki site, it appeared
that ALL was open to editing and change. And then I ran right into the
"givens" that were implied but never clearly stated, because the very pages
I wanted to put changes on where the ones that were "read only". You replied
saying that this was what gave the site its structure and so it could not be
changed except through you. In this circle of people that we are, there are
360 degrees of perspectives of what OST is and how to present it. It is no
surprise that my perspective is different than yours. Both are valid.
However, one perspective (may be shared by many) is created for the site by
structuring the implicit "givens" on that site. I think if it was the site
of one individual rather than the community site, this would be fine. But,
with a community site (assuming the community is the community on the OS
list), I would say that the "givens" should have a chance for conversation
and agreement so that the site is truly representative of the community.
Maybe you did  initiate this discussion to let us help in shaping the givens
and I missed it. If so, I apologize for raising this.

So now to the www.openspaceworld.net site. I want to participate if it is a
place that is in alignment with my energy and I want to support your work. A
question for me is, is my perspective about OST and how to work with OST
welcome on the site? Another question for me is will I accept the invitation
to participating in the site, when there is something in the invitation
that is philisophically different to what I believe in and different to the
message I want to give to the world about my work with OST. This took me to
asking you why the site focuses on OST "practitioners". In using this on the
splash page, there is already a philisophical shaping, an implicit "given".
I in no way want to challenge your (or others) personal use of that word for
your own business. My challenge arises when this is an implicit given on the
community site. I personally do not want to be viewed by my clients as
someone who is practicing OST. And so, my question arose for you about the
"givens" for the site. Who has set them, what are they, and can they be
changed? I know that there are thousands of people in the world involved
with OST and only about 300 on this list but the list is what we have as
what can be perceived as a community. I recommend that the "givens" for the
community Open Space Websites be discussed and decided on on this list. I
appreciate your invitation to sort out the "givens" within the wiki site,
but that does not seem to be the place to sort out the overarching givens
that govern the whole site (those that are already in place).

I think this is such important work that you are leading in Michael, and I
see the power in it to deeply affect all who are working with OST now and
into the future. I thank you and I hope that you find my contribution here
to be helpful.

Blessings to you and to all with whom you make Genuine Contact,

Birgitt

Birgitt Williams of Dalar International Consultancy
www.dalarinternational.com

As mentors to leaders and organizations we assist you in going beyond what
has been before. We provide inspirational and practical “how to” guidance
for leaders who want to achieve healthy and balanced organizations to
produce exciting, tangible results for the organization and for its people.
Our approach is holistic, creating a better future by tapping into ancient
wisdom.

We believe that Spirit matters and people are precious. We know that
organizations incorporating these values have exciting, tangible results
including wealth, prosperity, and abundance. These organizations tend to
their health and balance on a daily basis.

View the calendar for upcoming training in the Organizational Health and
Balance series of workshops featuring the Genuine ContactÔ program at
http://www.openspacetechnology.com/training.html

We invite you to join the Genuine Contact list serve at
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