A Note to The Old Curmudgeon from Phil ;-)

[Phil Culhane]

Thanks for the kind note Harrison, and no worries, you didn't come across as defending
doctrinal purity. Having done thousands of OS's, successfully, you will likely have the
greatest range of experience of any of us as to what works and what doesn't. Of course,
some might argue that very experience may act as a sort of "closing" that could keep you
from seeing new opportunities. I don't suggest that has happened, by the way.

I love the simplicity of OS. In fact, I will often tell my sponsor not to bother building
and sending pre-OS information packets to participants, or if she does so, to send them
electronic only - electrons are recylable much more quickly than trees, and I tell her
point blank that almost no one, passionate as they are, will make the time to read the
information packets. I have found, through my experience with events, that information
packets are unnecessary preparations - they are usually unread. I remind sponsors that
they are working with the native intelligence and combined experience of all the people
who show up with their passion and responsibility in tow. And in a corporate/government
atmosphere, cutting out the information packets is cutting out a big swath of work. So I
too look to cut out unnecessary elements wherever possible.

I fully ascribe to the philosophy of facilitator as invisible. I would expect no less of
technology or knowledge workers used as a part of an OS event - unless they are invisible
sources of energy, inspiration and support, they become as you say, electronic shock and
awe - which renders the event less than useless. It becomes a staged theatrical
performance - the diametric opposite of OS.

Again, word choice is key - you are right to refer to the "appropriate" OS environment -
I would guess I was thinking of the most "ideal" (appropriate) OS environment for any
particular group - and as I work mostly with government/corporate and only occasionally
with non-profit, educational and the like, when I think of the "ideal" environment, I am
thinking of a typical requirement for the former group, not the latter. And it's true
that OS's can be quite successful, even in dismal environments. That said, I don't think
I'd choose a dismal environment. And I can remember events where I'm sure that a dismal
environment affected the event negatively.

There are three aspects of OS that I am curious about these days. The first is how to
open the curiosity of attendees and engage them more fully, more quickly. So the idea of
the Information Wall, artistically covered in recent, relevant papers, articles, photos,
books, etc. related to the topic of discussion, and in an atmosphere well lit, with
plants, brightly coloured objects, etc., could perhaps tend to state to the
participant "we're not in kansas anymore, toto."

The second is how to engage participants more fully in action planning, in those events
(most of mine) where the intention is that some definite action (something more than
stasis) comes out the other end. I'd be just as happy to have a group passionately shut a
project down and disperse and go on with other aspects of their lives, if they can decide
fully that it won't work - so there's no sense of buying into a result (which I don't
think is useful for an OS facilitator). So if we could use "Knowledge workers", who can
get answers to questions that might postpone the decision process, who can provide tools
and methodologies for groups to decide more effectively, penetrating more deeply, that
could be useful.

And the third, and I believe I asked about it before, is appearance. As an OS
facilitator, I believe it is necessary to engage the participants quickly, get their
trust, get their respect, open their curiosity, and inspire them to engage more fully
than they may have in years in a process that will be anathema to some. Then, after doing
all this, I believe it is necessary to become completely invisible, while remaining
completely present.

How do we do this most effectively? I believe there are internal and external aspects of
appearance. Thus, I believe the ideal facilitator will have completely subdued his/her
ego. Flamboyant facilitators exist, and I'm sure they can be successful in OS. I don't
know if they can be as successful as whatever the opposite of "flamboyant" facilitators
is.

When it comes to external appearance, flamboyant dress can unconsciously pass along the
message "I'm in control here". I've been talking with an image consultant, talking about
how various colours are culturally interpreted. It's interesting - one OS Facilitator I
work with wears black - because black attracts light energy, and thus in a room with 50
people, if you NEED the facilitator, you can find him - your eyes are naturally drawn to
the black light sink, wherever it is in the room. (Of course, if you try to pawn off
responsibilities at him, he'll bounce them back at you, but he is "there".) Harrison, I
liken this to your Akubra - it's a highly distinctive visual marker, though not "bold" -
a marker that says "here I am - if you need me." Perhaps you don't intend it that way,
perhaps you do?

That said, I believe there are ways that we are, internally and externally, that can be
more or less useful in the OS environment. My curiosity is consistently about what we can
do to ourselves, to the environment, to the tools, the methodologies, to enable people to
be more effective.

The analogy isn't quite right, but there's a reason we wrap up birthday and christmas
presents with colourful paper and pretty bows. It's a way of celebrating how special the
event, and the recipient, is. The paper and bows shouldn't overpower the gift, but they
can definitely enhance the occasion. I get the sense MG Taylor is paying a lot of
attention to the environment - the wrapping paper. It makes sense that a cold, damp,
dark, unsafe environment is good for little more than growing mushrooms. So if you are
going to turn up the quality of the environment, how far do you go, what aspects do you
focus on? Where's the biggest bang for the buck? There's possible logic in wrapping up
the event in bright shiny paper, just to say "this isn't just another day - this is
something special".

Someone made a wonderful point here a couple months ago, that this list, more than
anywhere we know, should be the one place that >anything< can be brought up and
discussed. This is pure open space. We all bring our passions and responsibilities to
this circle every day. Thus, no worries about my feeling "reined in."

Cheers,
Phil

P.S. - I reserve the right to amend any and all of the above "I believe" 's as foolish
obstructions are removed and I am able to open further. ;-)





On Nov 17, Harrison Owen <hhowen at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> It occurred to me as I read over some of my latest notes on the LIST that I
> may have come across as the embodiment of the Old Curmudgeon defending
> doctrinal purity at the expense of innovation and exploration. Doubtless I
> am an old Curmudgeon but I am heartily in favor of innovation of all sorts.
> Specifically, I think we have an enormous opportunity to use the powers of
> data management in much more productive and useful ways. And Matt Taylor has
> some good stuff in this area, albeit I have some questions about the
> execution, particularly in an Open Space Environment. Those of you who have
> wandered through my book, "The Power of Spirit," may remember in the final
> section some discussion of using advanced (and some not so advanced) tools
> for data mining and management in large OS's, multi-site simultaneous OS's,
> and for longer term multi OS's in a single organization. At present we do
> proceedings with computers and online. That is a good start, but once all
> that data and information has been entered it seems a waste to just let it
> sit there as a book or in some computer files. Technically there are simple
> ways to mine that material to find over arching themes, related themes etc -
> all of which may be of use to the organization as it searches its mental
> space for new ideas and opportunities. To the best of my knowledge, nobody
> has really done that. And of course there is also the possibility of
> cross-correlating all of that material with larger data and literature bases
> - which can give clues to new avenues and possible areas of collaboration
> with folks who are not naturally resident in the initiating organization. In
> effect, the organization would map itself and surrounding environment
> electronically. Wonderful! And it all should be done. However, it should, in
> my opinion, be done in a way that does not overwhelm the participants with
> electronic shock and awe. Nor should it relieve participants of their
> responsibility to take responsibility. What I am suggesting is that we pull
> out all the electronic plugs, bells and whistles - but do that
> transparently. It may be "nice" to have techies and knowledge workers
> wandering about - but I would want to banish them to the back room and get
> rid of them entirely as soon as possible.
>
> On another and (I think) related issue - "The ideal Open Space Environment"
> I would suggest a change in wording and talk about "the appropriate Open
> Space environment." To make the point allow me a little "reducto ad
> absurdum." I would never suggest doing a corporate Open Space in a village
> square all in the name of pristine simplicity. Corporate folks like
> corporate trappings (maybe including sticky walls) and that is fine with me.
> But I think it would be a terrible shame if it were to be assumed that Open
> Space requires the service of a Five Star Hotel. It would also be a shame if
> the corporate types assumed that you could never do an Open Space without
> all the bells and whistles (pre-printed signs in multi colors etc). It will
> work fine in a cramped meeting room, old warehouse, odd hall way - all on
> the spur of the moment.
>
> So anyhow Phil I am by no means trying to rein you into the straight and
> narrow. Just the opposite. I want to widen the discussion just as far as we
> can go.
>
> Harrison
>
> Harrison Owen
> 7808 River Falls Drive
> Potomac, Maryland   20845
> Phone 301-365-2093
>
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