our experiment of co-facilitating (Attached document has scanned "virus free" )

At&T -- Mark R. Jones mark_r_jones at att.net
Mon Sep 29 07:44:23 PDT 2003


Hi Birgitt.
(et al)
 
Early in August of this year, I was very inspired by my experience at a 
Spirited Work Community gathering.  As you may recall, the Spirited 
Work Community is an intentional community that was the brain-child 
of Anne Stadler six years ago when she proposed an experiment for 
answering the question:
     "What would be the experience of living our lives in 'Open Space ? '"
 
Our intention in engaging in the experiment was to discover (rediscover),
document, articulate, and practice the minimum but necessary and sufficient 
structure to answer that inquiry.
 
I was intrigued by your posting about the recent Genuine Contact experiment.
I was particularly struck by your summary of what the experience was
like for you and how you felt upon conclusion of the experiment.
 
 
I have essentially  framed your experiment as an initial exploration into 
the same inquiry that sparked the Spirited Work Community.   I do this
because a significant aspect of the Spirited Work experience is the practice
of co-facilitation by the community members  -- even when they have not
had direct previous experience with the community.
 
To put it another way:  What happens when we extend the application
of  Open Space as an "Event", to Open Space as a "Life Practice" ?
 
As usual  -- the determining pre-conditions are "View and Intention"  --
a.k.a. "Aspiration".  The "what is that we are trying to achieve together".
 
 
What follows  is my exploration of my own Aspiration and experience.
 
  _____  

 
During my recent post-Spirited Work Gathering reflection, I had some
realizations.
 
  *  My hidden dream of Spirited Work was always for it to
      emerge as a Sangha or "Village" where each community
      member took responsibility for the caring, nurturing, and
      wellbeing of themselves,  other members, and the whole.
 
  *  My perception of Spirited Work was that we first 
      needed to truly embrace and practice being a
      "Community".  And that to get there we had to learn
      how to behave as a Collective; and learn how to host
      a meaningful Event in a skillful, open, and inviting way.
 
Sometime during our five years of practice together, we seemed to have 
become an actual Community,  And then we clearly behaved as a Sangha
or Village for probably the last three seasons.
 
 
To document and articulate that experience, I have attached a document
called:
                             "Framework For Development of The Commons".  
 
The purpose of the document is to present a model -- a roadmap -- for the 
intentional development of The Commons.  The model defines the minimum,
necessary but sufficient Views and Practices required to intentionally
instantiate 
The Commons  --  from hosting an Event, to establishing a Collective (group
or 
organization), to founding and sustaining a Community, to creating a Sangha 
or "Village".  
 
As you will observe, the model starts with Open Space  (Harrison Owen),
initially 
extends it with Angeles Arrien's "Four Fold Way", and then extends it
further by 
framing direct experiences of learnings regarding living in The Commons.
 
It is my intention that the model be used by us to go out in the World and
create 
The Commons at whatever levels are being called for.  It is hard work -- BUT
once
framed and decided upon, it does not require that the participants be
exhausted by
the experience.  In fact, it eventually becomes re-energizing and
invigorating !
 
 
NOTE:
The document has been scanned by multiple anti-virus products  -- and is
"clean".
 
  _____  

 
 
 
Your insights ?
 
 
 
May this be of some benefit to you.
 
 
 
Mark R. Jones
Chief Architect -- Science & Engineering Associates (SEA) 
Corporate Vice President -- Science & Engineering Associates (SEA) 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
New Orleans:       504-304-2460
Seattle:                  425-413-6000
Message:               702-341-7700
e-Mail:                    <mailto:mark.r.jones at seabase.com>
mark.r.jones at seabase.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
  _____  

  _____  


-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Birgitt
Williams
Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2003 10:11 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: our experiment of co-facilitating


On September 26th and 27th, during the annual Open Space Technology meeting
on the Genuine Contact program, we did an experiment. With agreement
beforehand, we decided to have no one facilitator but for all of us who
gathered to co-facilitate the meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to
co-create the future of the Genuine Contact program. Those who attend are
graduates of the program, in keeping with the business model that we have of
all graduates co-owning and co-creating the future of the program. For three
years, we have learned and grown together as we intentionally develop as a
Conscious Open Space Organization. And every September, new graduates emerge
and join us in the co-creation/co-ownership/co-leadership.

 

We are all well versed and experienced in working with Open Space
Technology. And so, our little experiment for how we would co-facilitate the
annual face to face meeting made sense. Twelve of us gathered, with a few
others participating on-line so we recognized that the space we were opening
and holding needed to be big enough to include others who were
geographically distant. 

 

We arrived in the meeting room, which none of us had set up. A flurry of
activity began as signs were made, decisions were made about session times
and so on. There was a lot of laughter and it would have made a good video
as the participants worked out what was needed. We sat in the circle. Eiwor
Backelund from Sweden suggested that we all work with the energy by going to
the middle and then walking the circle. It was like a dance. Then Michelle
Cooper from Canada suggested we all pause because something was missing. And
she stooped to pick up the bells, rang them, and we all felt better and
continued. I cannot remember who then said what part but all of the parts of
the OST meeting opening were stated. Some facilitators sat while they spoke,
some identified their need to walk the circle and walked as they spoke. The
topics went up, the sessions happened, a lot of great discussions took
place, action plans emerged, productivity was high. 

 

And we were all exhausted. During evening news on the 26th and again during
the closing circle on the 27th, we spoke about the difficulty each of us was
feeling about the dual role of holding the space and of participating in the
space. Each of us expressed great inner turmoil and great exhaustion. The
conclusion was that none of us want to participate in a co-facilitated
meeting like this again. 

 

Debbie Sexsmith from Canada said that this experiment assisted in clarifying
for her that she will not be a participant in an upcoming OST meeting that
she is facilitating. 

 

This morning, a few additional people arrived and we began another Open
Space Technology meetingàthe third annual conference of the International
Alliance for Mentoring. Thomas Herrmann of Sweden did an excellent job of
the opening of the space. When he finished and before we put topics up,
there was a large and loud round of applause as we expressed our gratitude
and really appreciated the worth of a facilitator. 

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

Birgitt

Birgitt Williams of Dalar International Consultancy
<http://www.dalarinternational.com/> www.dalarinternational.com 

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.

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>
http://www.openspacetechnology.com/training.html

We invite you to join the Genuine Contact list serve at
<http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/genuinecontact>
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/genuinecontact

Contact information for Dalar International Consultancy: Po Box 19373,
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA 27619 Raleigh, North Carolina USA
Phone: 919-522-7750     Fax: 919-870-6599    

Founders of the Wellness Revolution for Organizations

Founders of the International Alliance for Mentoring

Creators of the Organizational Health and Balance series of workshops
featuring the Genuine ContactÔ program

 
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