Rome was one year ago - any news?

Artur Ferreira da Silva artsilva at mail.eunet.pt
Thu Jun 26 14:35:30 PDT 2003


Dear Joelle (and Michael P):

At 15:28 26-06-2003 -0400, Joelle Lyons Everett wrote:

>In my 20+ years working as a facilitator (in Open Space and other forms),
>there have been a number of times when I have realized, on the last
>morning of a
>meeting, that where I thought we would go was not the place where we needed to
>be, and I had to decide how to create a space for what was needed.  I think
>that the rule book can only take us so far, and then we must be responsive to
>the group and to our own intuition.

I agree with you. But contrarly to what thinks the guy with the hat (and
the other one from central Europe), I call this an "intervention". Please
note that I also agree with the other two that self organization really
happens. Maybe the little divergence that remains may be clarified by
understanding how the facilitator intervenes to invite the self-organization.

I repeat something I wrote before. If someone (facilitator or sponsor)
needs to "open the space" is only because it was NOT open before; and if
someone "holds the space" it is only because there are possibilities of it
being closed (or re-closed), by space invaders, namely. But in our control
organizatioans how many executives do you know that are not space-invaders???

>The handbook must cover the basics, but it cannot cover every possible
>situation.

I know that. As an experienced user of a known IBM methodology for
Information Systems Planning (BSP - now a bit outdated) I was frequently
acused of asking the newcommers to follow the book, but myself I didn't. It
always happens. Experienced practitioners of any method always reinvent the
method in each application.

This is why trying to "certify" practitioners would put the best ones out
of the game and trying to have "commun effects" by all practictioners would
mean having the worst possible effects and reinforcing the control-like
structures.

>The group in Rome was doing difficult and painful work--maybe far more
>painful than they had anticipated.  So Harrison's intervention, asking them to
>choose again whether they wished to continue this difficult work, felt
>appropriate
>to me.

To me too. I was not criticizing him; I was complimenting him.

But also (as you have but understood) inviting him to comment on how this
relates with the "whatever happens..."

Bye, bye for today. I am very curious to see the mail tomorrow...

Hugs

Artur

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