Open Space / Open List

Thu Mar 18 14:44:06 PST 2004

<grin>  i like that a lot.  hho and faq.  maybe we should just post that
as the intro to OSLIST on the website, too.

m

Chris Corrigan wrote:

>Thanks for that Harrison...I'm adding it the FAQ as a "word from our
>sponsor!"
>
>Chris
>
>---
>CHRIS CORRIGAN
>Bowen Island, BC, Canada
>(604) 947-9236
>
>Consultation - Facilitation
>Open Space Technology
>
>Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
>Homepage: http://www.chriscorrigan.com
>chris at chriscorrigan.com
>(604) 947-9236
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
>>
>>
>Harrison
>
>
>>Owen
>>Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2004 8:59 AM
>>To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>>Subject: Open Space / Open List
>>
>>>>From the very beginning (1985) Open Space Technology has been free
>>
>>
>and
>
>
>>freely available. I can't possibly remember how many times I have said
>>this
>>in print, verbally, and online - but I am reasonably certain that
>>
>>
>whenever
>
>
>>I
>>said it, I followed with the words -- But there is a cost. That we
>>
>>
>freely
>
>
>>share what we are learning. The mechanisms of sharing are multiple
>>including
>>training programs, public presentations, private emails and of course
>>OSLIST. The substance of what we share is even more diverse: Technical
>>"How
>>toss," Philosophical meanderings, and deep feelings from the heart.
>>
>>
>And in
>
>
>>many ways, I think the deep feelings are the most important. It is
>>
>>
>from
>
>
>>those feelings that we learn who we are, what we are doing, and what
>>
>>
>the
>
>
>>true value might be. Were Open Space simply a technical approach to
>>
>>
>better
>
>
>>meetings, we might avoid both the philosophy and the feelings. I
>>
>>
>believe
>
>
>>we
>>have discovered, however, that OS as a meeting methodology is but a
>>
>>
>tiny
>
>
>>part of the reality. Over time we have wandered into the strange world
>>
>>
>of
>
>
>>self-organizing systems, questions of peace making, human dignity,
>>personal
>>sense of worth, constructive conflict. And our journey has always been
>>
>>
>a
>
>
>>shared one. No single person has, or could have, the total experience.
>>
>>
>And
>
>
>>no one has the interpretive capacity to explain and elucidate that
>>experience. We can only do this together, freely and openly.
>>
>>Occasionally I am asked why I never trademarked, patented, or
>>
>>
>franchised
>
>
>>Open Space Technology. A flip, but honest answer would be that I was
>>
>>
>too
>
>
>>lazy, in addition to the fact that I had better things to do than
>>
>>
>spend my
>
>
>>time defending the sacred precincts. The same might be said for my
>>
>>
>refusal
>
>
>>to "Certify" OS Practitioners. More to the point, and closer to my
>>
>>
>heart
>
>
>>(true feelings :-)), I really felt/feel that OS does some good in ways
>>that
>>this funny world of ours can truly benefit from. Therefore I wanted it
>>
>>
>to
>
>
>>be
>>freely available to whomever, wherever, and however. . . And I don't
>>
>>
>just
>
>
>>mean Open Space Technology as a narrowly prescribed methodology. I
>>
>>
>mean
>
>
>>the
>>whole enchilada - Method, Philosophy, Feelings, and anything else that
>>
>>
>has
>
>
>>popped up along the way.
>>
>>The OSLIST has been one critical part of the Open Space experience,
>>
>>
>and
>
>
>>the
>>evolution of the global Open Space community. From the very beginning
>>
>>
>it
>
>
>>was
>>open to anybody who cared - with no questions asked about why they
>>
>>
>cared
>
>
>>or
>>how much. People have come, people have gone, and some have just hung
>>
>>
>out.
>
>
>>There has never been any promise of privacy or exclusivity, indeed
>>
>>
>just
>
>
>>the
>>opposite. Anybody who thought they had joined a private, exclusive
>>
>>
>club
>
>
>>was
>>operating under a severe misunderstanding. Indeed, the nature of the
>>Internet, of which OSLIST is an infinitesimally small part, fosters
>>
>>
>this
>
>
>>openness, for anything that appears anywhere in cyberspace is quite
>>
>>
>likely
>
>
>>to show up somewhere else. In the case of OSLIST, all of this has been
>>profoundly and wonderfully true. Messages forwarded and copied have
>>
>>
>gone
>
>
>>around the world multiple times making Open Space, and the
>>
>>
>possibilities
>
>
>>of
>>Open Space, available to people and places we will never know.
>>
>>
>Fantastic!
>
>
>>For myself, I propose to keep the space fully open. Or if we do
>>
>>
>restrict
>
>
>>it
>>to a particular community, I propose the community of the Planet. And
>>
>>
>that
>
>
>>is a very strong feeling.
>>
>>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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>>
>>
>Visit:
>
>
>>http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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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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