SV: Givens

Sun Nov 21 02:01:21 PST 2004

Hi HO
Just to clarify, the givens in this school-example are about to define where
we (I´m part of the board of the school) would like to have help from the
parents, not to deny conversations. The OS-meeting will be the start of a
new organization for the parents-involvement so everyone will choose what
topic they would like to develop further after that day. We don´t see a need
(and do not trust!) the parents to get involved with developing the pedagogy
but of course conversations are welcome and we encourage them all the time.
The school works out of the "Montessori-pedagogy" - quite open spacy!

One funny thing is that the OS-meeting will take place in a school that was
born in Open Space! Back in 2000 I facilitated an Open Space for this school
and a group was formed on the topic on building the next step of the school
(which used to be only the first 6 years). Well, since last year we have
another brand new school for the years 7-10! And that´s where we´re going to
open space again. At that very same meeting 4 years ago many of the groups
were born that are now still working, but it was getting institutionalised
so now I hope we can get this work going in Open Space continuously! For
this organization we have another given, there are some groups where there
is a well defined and continuous need, they will be kept. The rest is open
for whatever passion there is, and everyone is free to choose what group/-s
they want to contribute in... Well this could evolve into a very long
email...and I´m getting excited...because this is really great!

I really would like to know where you all find leaders who are open to any
change in their organization and who fully trust their employees to take
charge!!! Please tell me also HOW you find them!!! Maybe I have to leave
Sweden??!! And how you find out you found them!!
It happened to me a few times that I thought I found one but at a not very
timely place I found out I had not.
Warmest regards
Thomas

> -----Ursprungligt meddelande-----
> Från: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]För Harrison Owen
> Skickat: den 21 november 2004 00:11
> Till: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Ämne: Re: Givens
>
>
> Thomas -- I knew you were out there somewhere! On the subject of "Givens"
> and how you use them -- I would guess that it is ultimately a matter of
> personal preference and comfort (the facilitator's personal preference and
> comfort). As I said when I started all this, I felt
> uncomfortable, and so my
> preference was never to bring the matter up for discussion -- at least in
> terms of specific things that would be withheld from the arena of Open
> Space. For sure I would (and do) engage the sponsor deeply in terms of
> desired outcomes (why are we having this meeting anyhow -- and
> what would be
> different if we didn't have it at all???). But in all honesty, I
> have to say
> that if, as, or when I found a sponsor/client who would require that
> "certain things" be withheld from the realm of consideration, my
> response is
> virtually automatic. Don't do an Open Space. Doubtless there will be other
> ways to proceed, but none that I would care to follow.
>
> You mention working with school groups and the idea that the pedagogical
> curriculum might/should be "off limits." I have worked with any number of
> school groups, and it is absolutely true that Principals, Teachers, and
> School Administration desperately want to keep the discussion of the
> curriculum off the agenda. They see this as their own
> professional "patch."
> And all interlopers keep out!! Generally speaking, they are quite
> successful
> in their effort -- and then they wonder why parents are less than
> enthusiastically involved... Odd! At the end of the day, at least in a
> democratic society, the parents/public WILL talk about these issues and
> decide them (Who pays the taxes?). The real issue is -- will this
> conversation be nasty or nice? If the conversation is avoided long enough,
> it will happen, but explosively -- and usually destructively. So for my
> money, anybody who places that sort of conversation in the
> protected area of
> "The Givens" is simply storing up trouble for the future.
>
> I think our friend Artur has put all this rather succinctly: "But, as you
> recall, my main point about "givens" has always been the word itself. Who
> "gives" the "givens"? It must be some sort of unquestionable authority.
> Unless they would not be called "givens"...So, when you ask the
> sponsor "are
> there any givens?" aren't you accepting the command and control way?"
>
> Harrison
>
> Harrison Owen
> 7808 River Falls Drive
> Potomac, Maryland   20845
> Phone 301-365-2093
>
> Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
> Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm
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>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Thomas
> Herrmann
> Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2004 3:30 PM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Givens
>
> Dear friends in Open Space
> Thanks for bringing this issue up again!
>
> I do talk with my sponsors about givens.
> There are so many things to this but I will start off by describing the
> overall process I use facilitating OS-meetings.
> I use the basic design worked out by Birgitt Williams in working with OST.
> In fact i always open space at least 3 times in such a process.
> Pre-meeting,
> main meeting and follow-up meeting. For the pre-meeting I use
> WholePersonProcessFacilitation facilitating the participants through some
> easy models to get a picture of the past and present and the hopes for the
> future (post-event). I let them formulate a theme, givens, how to
> follow up
> afterwards and how to keep everyone informed later on. The post-OS-meeting
> is usually facilitated using WPPF sometimes in combination with OST.
>
> The thourough prework has several purposes one of them is to allow the
> sponsor to make an informed choice of wheather he/she wants to use OST for
> the meeting.  In that meeting I explain that the hot issues must
> be allowed
> space after the conference. I guess some leader would need a lifetime to
> prepare to let go for this, so on occasions we decided not to use
> OST. Most
> of the times the givens allow us to go on using OST anyway, which
> I am very
> happy about.
>
> On the first OS-meeting I experienced the sponsor closed the space by
> saying: "Now the management team will look at the results and come back to
> you all about how we will proceed." I could feel how people sunk together
> after having been very empowered during the closing round. My
> interpretation
> was that she was afraid and unclear of how she would be able to
> control the
> work afterwards. During the whole event she refused to talk to the
> facilitator! I know many people have been very disappointed from
> participative processes where the space has been closed down afterwards.
>
> Then, as usual there is a BIG HOW! HOW always makes a huge difference. The
> work with givens can be fruitful but I also think it can be
> harmful if done
> in a bad way.
>
> I agree with those of you saying that the ultimate is to have no
> givens, but
> I think there are not many leaders around in organizations that
> are willing
> to open everything up. This may be because they have some information that
> others don´t have and/or that they don´t trust the employees
> enough. I don´t
> think Sweden is exceptional regarding this situation.
>
> Someone wrote about that the meeting will result in
> recommendations, in that
> case I agree we do not need givens. I mostly use Open Space
> aiming at action
> right on.
>
> Right now I am in the middle of preparing for an OS-meeting in a
> school, for
> parents who all are obliged to support in some way, when putting
> their kids
> there. It seems that one of the givens will be that the pedagogy
> is not open
> for change by the parents initative.
>
> I´ve been trying to write this email for a few days but I was too
> busy with
> other things while more and more was written about the subject. Thanks all
> for your sharing.
> Kind regards
> Thomas Herrmann         Phone +46 (0)709-98 97 81
> Open Space Consulting   Fax   +46 (0)300-713 89
> Pensévägen 4
> 434 46 Kungsbacka, Sweden
> Email: thomas at openspaceconsulting.com
> www.openspaceconsulting.com
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