What is the Question?

Tue Apr 13 14:45:26 PDT 2004

one of my latest descriptions of open space is this:  it is
fundamentally a decision and a commitment on the part of leaders and
sponsors and facilitators to *movement*.  seen from this place we can
always ask ourselves whether the work we do in the prep time is making
movement more or less easy or possible.

i hear kerry saying that he sees givens get in the way of movement.
larry saying in corp groups it helps for folks to hear that this or that
is open for movement.  michaelmp saying "let's get moving together now"
in the planning.  some of us prefer to let the movement go as it
will/can and deal with givens as limits that tend to pop up in the
discussion of the question.  other times discussion about "what is"
happening now, current conditions, usually experienced as limits, can
help surface the bigger question.  all in all, i'm hearing movement, and
the space to move in, as our common center.  not particularly
surprising, i think.

in terms of moving through preparation, i find that many "givens" or
what i sometimes think about as "forms of focus" are necessarily
embodied in the people who will come.  the invite list.  if you want
discussion and ideas, invite talkers.  if you want decisions, invite the
decisionmakers.  if you want action, invite those known for doing.  if
you want it fast, invite the bottlenecks.  etc.  i think in many cases
if i fish around the edges of who should be there, who could be allowed
to be there, then most everything else gets handled in that question.
as we expand or simply clarify the invite list, we take care of naming
and testing lots of "givens," too.   and in the end, those invited are
certainly the ones who decide what this event will be.  so they really
do embody the whole of it.

ideally, it sort of pulses for me between invite/question and invite
list until those two 'click' and then we fit a space and time to it,
then a documentation and followup plan... like one band member starting
and then others joining in one by one, moving and blending.  and it's
nice to always start with the question, but i've had plenty of folks
show up absolutely clueless, if not oblivious, to the question and be
absolutely rock-solid certain with the space and time and often the
invite list as well.  lots of givens as limits and little question/space
to start with.  those are the ones i think we really earn our pay up front!

reminds me of the old saturday night live news program skit where gilda
radner always finished her little story bit by turning it back to jane
curtain saying, "it just goes to show you, jane... it's always
something."  ...and still, it always works!

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--

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
300 West North Avenue #1105
Chicago IL 60610 USA
(312) 280-7838

http://www.michaelherman.com - consulting & publications
http://www.globalchicago.net - laboratory & playground
http://www.openspaceworld.org - worldwide open space

...inviting organization into movement

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>From  Tue Apr 13 18:35:14 2004
Message-Id: <TUE.13.APR.2004.183514.0500.>
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 18:35:14 -0500
Reply-To: ashcooper at earthlink.net
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Ashley Cooper <ashcooper at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: Responsibilty, boundaries and tall poppies
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mike, i'd like to drip one more word into this well stated proclaimation. respect. maybe it could sit next to integrity... thus integrity and respect are called for! would that work for you?

www.ashleycoop.blogspot.com

----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Copeland
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Sent: 4/14/2004 4:06:49 PM
Subject: Responsibilty, boundaries and tall poppies

I was walking my dog this morning around the wild forested inlet across from where I live and this thought struck me:
"I respect that I have boundaries and I respect the boundaries of others."
These are words I often repeat to myself in life; especially when I come across people who guard their boundaries with an iron fortress but totally disregard those of others. This is a situation I find rampant in individuals and organisational culture as a way of being.
The issue of boundaries is a biggy for me as I'm the sort of person who enjoys taking responsibility for things I want to do. Yet I have battled/suffered with folks who like to throw stones from the sidelines. You know the types, the "tall poppy" hunters who spend their lives cutting off the head of anyone who sticks out beyond the norm.
Where Open Space is gelling for me at present, and I'm talking in daily life not just facilitating an event, is it incorporates this beautiful idea of boundaries. Those with passion and responsibility become champions. They move ideas forward by putting up their hands to do the necessary work. Everyone has the chance to be involved but involvement by definition presupposes passion and responsibility: here is your chance to put up or shut up, walk your talk, put your money where your mouth is and thus integrity is called for!
A boundary is drawn between those with the courage to move ahead and those not interested. Ultimately, for me, this is about allowing the little clod of earth that I am to manifest and accepting that of my fellow being as well. Open Space calls my being forth and I am truly living.
Mike Copeland

Attention:
This e-mail (and attachments) is confidential and may be legally privileged.

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<DIV>mike, i'd like to drip one more word into this well stated proclaimation. <FONT color=#008080>respect</FONT><FONT color=#000000>. maybe it could sit next to integrity... thus integrity and respect are called for! would that work for you?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.ashleycoop.blogspot.com">www.ashleycoop.blogspot.com</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=mcopeland at DOC.GOVT.NZ href="mailto:mcopeland at DOC.GOVT.NZ">Mike Copeland</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To: </B><A title=OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU href="mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> 4/14/2004 4:06:49 PM </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Responsibilty, boundaries and tall poppies</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=2>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">I was walking my dog this morning around the wild forested inlet across from where I live and this thought struck me:</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">"I respect that I have boundaries and I respect the boundaries of others."</FONT> </P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">These are words I often repeat to myself in life; especially when I come across people who guard their boundaries with an iron fortress but totally disregard those of others. This is a situation I find rampant in individuals and organisational culture as a way of being.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">The issue of boundaries is a biggy for me as I'm the sort of person who enjoys taking responsibility for things I want to do. Yet I have battled/suffered with folks who like to throw stones from the sidelines. You know the types, the "tall poppy" hunters who spend their lives cutting off the head of anyone who sticks out beyond the norm.  </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Where Open Space is gelling for me at present, and I'm talking in daily life not just facilitating an event, is it incorporates this beautiful idea of boundaries. Those with passion and responsibility become champions. They move ideas forward by putting up their hands to do the necessary work. Everyone has the chance to be involved but involvement by definition presupposes passion and responsibility: here is your chance to put up or shut up, walk your talk, put your money where your mouth is and thus integrity is called for! </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">A boundary is drawn between those with the courage to move ahead and those not interested. Ultimately, for me, this is about allowing the little clod of earth that I am to manifest and accepting that of my fellow being as well. Open Space calls my being forth and I am truly living.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Mike Copeland</FONT> </P>
<HR>
<STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000>Attention: </FONT></STRONG><BR>This e-mail (and attachments) is confidential and may be legally privileged.
<HR>
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