Can we be space invaders ??

[Gerard Muller]

In one of the Open Spaces I facilitated seven years ago I featured as a
space invader.
It took me a long time to begin to look at it that way, so here it is.

The client was a national association, the issue an internal conflict -
basically concerning the interface between the national Board of the
organisation and the regional ones.

The chairman opened and clearly stated the issue, ending with something
like:
“I am convinced that if we do not solve this issue together, our
organisation could die.
  Help us resolve it “

And everyone involved was there.

Plenty of topics on the agenda.
Not a single one directly related to the central issue - as far as I
could see.

After half an hour, the first participant came and complained “The most
important topic is not on
the agenda !”. So I suggested he might put it there. “No, I am not the
right person to do this”.

Number 2, 3 and 4 came. Same story.
To number five I said “you are the fifth who tells me you need this
topic but that you are not the right person to put it there, I wonder
why ?”.
More followed.

By lunch time, the situation was unchanged.

Instead of continuing to do what I was doing, I made a sign posted where
all would pass by when returning from lunch saying “What is the most
important topic we have forgotten ?”.

Right after lunch, someone posted the missing topic (at the time I
thought I had “helped”, little did I know).

Everybody had soon left all other discussions and 70 participants were
talking in a room I never had though could countain so many people.
Something important was clearly going on there.

But it was the closing circle that really got me.
The first person said “I am quite willing to say what I have to say, but
only if the National Board promises to take me seriously”
The second one said “I will speak, but only if everyone else promises to
speak”

I could not help myself. I felt all that had been achieved was at risk
of going down the drain again.
So I forgot to hold on to the armrests of my chair and invaded the
space.

“This morning your chairman asked your help to solve a problem. If you
choose to continue this way, you might be back where you started from.
Or you could choose to do something else”.

I sat down again. It seemed like 140 angry eyes looked at me. There was
a silence.
Then, there was a constructive closing.


I really like the principle “Whatever happens......” .
I have come to develop a habit that if something happens which really
should not have (given my expectations, statistics, what have you) to
ask myself “If there would be a good reason for this to happen, what
would that reason be ??

So what is your guestimate as to why invading the space was the only
thing this facilitator could do ?

Similar experiences ?


Greetings from Svenmark,




Gerard Muller
Open Space Institute Denmark
Phone (+45) 21269621
gm at openspace.dk

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