is it still open?

[Harrison Owen]

Kerry - I find myself pretty much in the same corner as you on the subject
of "givens."  I do find it very useful to talk to a client about
expectations, and maybe that is the same as "givens," but I do my very best
to help them to be just about as open to all outcomes as possible. I
remember one time when working with a major pharmaceutical around strategic
planning for their research effort when they stipulated that there would be
"20 new compounds" (A compound is a new, but unapproved drug). They seemed
pretty insistent on this number, so I asked the how they would feel if they
got 21?? --- would they throw it away? Or how about if they only got 2 - but
those two were the next generation of Lipitor and Viagra. Would they be
unhappy? We got rid of the number and I think everything moved better for
that. 

 

Harrison

 

Harrison Owen

7808 River Falls Drive

Potomac, Maryland   20845

Phone 301-365-2093

Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com/>


Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org

Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 

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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of kerry
napuk
Sent: Friday, April 02, 2004 10:20 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: is it still open?

 

Harrison

 

Thanks for the potted history of OSLIST on 1 April.

 

I have done my darnest NOT to enter this discussion, but restraint has given
way.  I was never comfortable with the whole notion of "givens" anyway,
because they seem to limit possibilities and exploration.  I do not like the
idea of sponsors saying ahead of time what is and what is not possible
BEFORE an event even happens. So, we never discuss them unless they are
raised. 

 

Accordingly, I see no point in having givens on our exchange of
experiences,insights, learnings, feelings, comments and any other word you
can use to describe the brilliant and irritating things that humans say to
each other.  If we believe in a sense of Community and learning, there
should be no censorship except the kind we impose on ourselves before
dropping our pearls onto the LIST.

 

If you don't want it out there, don't put it out!  If you weren't sensitive
about this before, you sure know about it now.  However, I hope this
discussion does not inhibit our flow, let's not put givens on ourselves!
There are more than enough imposed by every institution and organisation in
the world.  Why add to the burden?

 

With warmest regards from an Edinburgh, whose world famous arts festival
programme was announced today, struggling towards spring with the sun still
lurking behind a misty sky

 

Kerry

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