Talking sticks and listening sticks

Winston Kinch kinch at rogers.com
Tue Apr 27 15:15:26 PDT 2004


Chris's response triggers these thoughts:

First, as others have pointed out, anything can be a talking "piece".

My own preference is to explain the ritual (briefly) to the sponsors
beforehand if you think they are open to it, and ask them if there is some
"thing", a rock, a feather, an embroidered cushion (which one of the groups
I facilitated offered), which would have meaning for most of the
participants - then use that. If no preferences are expressed, then use
your own favourite piece (I have a Nootka carved stick which I use).

The other thought is that you seem to assume you put the "stick" in the
centre (sorry: center) and wait until someone picks it up (called
popcorn?). In some traditions the stick starts and ends at the
'facilitator' and is passed from hand to hand after the "rules of the game"
("attending" to whoever holds the piece; invitation versus requirement to
speak; etc) are explained.

Hope this helps.
wk

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>From  Tue Apr 27 18:37:20 2004
Message-Id: <TUE.27.APR.2004.183720.0400.>
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2004 18:37:20 -0400
Reply-To: diane.gibeault at rogers.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Diane Gibeault <diane.gibeault at rogers.com>
Subject: Re: Mergers and acquisitions?
In-Reply-To: <200404271713.i3RHDkwg024540 at webmail2.magma.ca>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hi PHil,

Yes I have worked with a merged group using OS and yes it was great at
building relationships and a climate so people felt like one new team versus
two old ones eventhough there was a lot of diversity of functions and levels
in the combined group. I've written the story of that OS. You can see it on
my web at www.dianegibeault.com

Diane


-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Phil
Culhane
Sent: April 27, 2004 1:14 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Mergers and acquisitions?


Does anyone have experience using OS as a facilitative tool for a corporate
merger of two
similar-sized companies (~100 each - if numbers matter)? Or anything
similar. The actual
merger, of course, is a fait accompli, so it's not "if" but "how" - how to
bring two
groups, two cultures, two up-until-now competitors together as one family.
What are the
issues that need to be discussed, what needs to happen to create synergies
and not go
through months of dysfunctionality?

It seems to me OS would be a healthy way to go about doing this - though I
may be wrong?

I'd appreciate hearing stories/thoughts.

Thanks,
Phil Culhane

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