outcomes

Tue Nov 25 23:12:26 PST 2003

I was wondering whether we are also saying something like this. One or
two swipes at the establishment probably need editing out, but I'm not
sure which.

"Open Space is designed to be the simplest self-organising methodology
for all people to use. In other words, if 10 or 50 or 1000 people meet
with deep and different experiences surrounding a challenging issue what
method can: 1) Maximise use of their time and conversation?, 2) Involve
everyone's good spirited participation in openly designing a communal
leadership process that has the best chance of working for everyone?, 3)
At the very least develop a continuing network of respect for the issue
and all across the people who came to try to resolve it.

As a practice which now draws on several hundred thousand intense human
performances, Open Space can be something more. It provides a common
language for mentoring each other on 3 of the greatest human
misunderstandings of our life and times namely: conflict, chaos and
confusion. As pictured above, the way out of a big conflict is to
communally rehearse how to value it not as a threat, but as an
opportunity to discover a higher level of resolution openly designed to
work for and appeal to human spirits on all sides.

Given such a picture, it is natural to anticipate that the gravity of a
conflict will be surrounded by big change forces. It is when we fear
change that we describe such a force field as chaos instead of seeing
the dynamic pattern for stimulating our communal breakthrough. Why then
do human beings so often become subject to conflicts and the fear of
change? Arguably, the most common reason for this state of confusion is
that we have become subjects conditioned to the identity of command and
control organisations whose systems have collided in causing and
compounding the conflict. This suggests that we should teach
self-organising as a fundamental curriculum in our schools, and
certainly one that persons are inducted in before they seek to be the
managerial elites by getting in debt to business schools in the process
historically known as getting certified as a Master of Administration."

Sincerely, Chris Macrae, wcbn007 at easynet.co.uk,
http://www.valuetrue.com/home/glossary.cfm?letter=O

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Chris
Corrigan
Sent: 24 November 2003 09:38
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: outcomes

Hi Chris:

When confronted with sponsors about "results" we can expect from Open
Space I am careful to point out that "results" will arise if the
invitation and the event is supported appropriately and well by the
sponsor.  Passion and responsibility.  The sponsor can WANT an OST
meeting, but not taking responsibility for supporting follow-up will
impede on the results.  We cannot not expect everyone else to take
responsibility, and not support their agency and still expect great
things.  OST is both an event and a shift in being.  In many examples
where great things have happened in OST meetings, I would be maybe even
wary to say that the process itself led to the good result.  In fact
what led to the good result was that people were able to connect more
deeply and work together better and so some quality arose in their
relationship or partnership that resulted in that wing getting made, the
sewage treatment plant getting situated, or the pavilion getting built.
The deeper connections foster and nurture the outcomes.  The process has
the potential to initiate this transformation in relationships,
leadership, management and community to facilitate "good outcomes."

I have been thinking a lot about this type of cynical question lately,
questions posed by those who want "results" and don't trust that OST
will lead to results.  I have been increasingly seeing this kind of
question as an opportunity to deconstruct the notions of "results" and
"control" and to suggest that value comes from loosening up our
expectations of processes and each other.  The image of the hand holding
the coin palm up as a way of embodying "letting go" and "holding" comes
to mind.

No process I know will answer your cynic's question satisfactorily once
the premises of the question are understood.

Chris

---
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Bowen Island, BC, Canada
http://www.chriscorrigan.com
chris at chriscorrigan.com

(604) 947-9236

> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
chris
> macrae
> Sent: Sunday, November 23, 2003 12:47 PM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: outcomes
>
> I was asked by a cynic what's the greatest outcome an Open Space has
> directly led to ... I wouldn't mind having some verbatims the next
time
> I come across one of those of his ilk
> Sincerely, Chris Macrae
>
> In fact this how he worded his question:
> " Can anyone point me to Open Space projects where something positive
> happened, a factory or plant got safer, a school got saved, a city got
> out of blight or decay, a community was brought back to life?...i
would
> like to see examples of how this process goes in actions from A to Z."
>
> *
> *
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>From  Wed Nov 26 07:55:39 2003
Message-Id: <WED.26.NOV.2003.075539.0000.>
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2003 07:55:39 -0000
Reply-To: martin at martinleith.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Martin Leith <martin at martinleith.com>
Subject: Chris Macrea text
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Chris,

Your draft letter is very powerful and lucid.

I think the final section is excellent *and* would benefit from a bit of
tweaking:

Hope this is useful.

Great work.

Martin

Martin Leith Limited, 33A East Street, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4HH, United
Kingdom
Mobile telephone 07808 773713 (+44 7808 773713)
email martin at martinleith.com
www.martinleith.com Catalyst for innovation and change
www.leithworks.com Free value creation resources

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