Again: The World Cafe

[Alan Stewart]

Hi Carla and All 

I have had extensive experience of the kind you mention, as alluded to among the items you assembled.  

You can see a nice example of this at http://www.theworldcafe.com/storyconversing.html


One followup to this story was from Kim Porto, who was at the time in charge of community
development with the Financial Planning Association in the US. She wrote: 

"Thank you for sharing the Marion story on the World Café website. It has,
indeed, had a tremendous impact on introducing our intentions of moving
our association membership towards meaningful conversation. ... I handed
it out over and over to various people in our organization so they would
see how "real" (and effective) the Cafe is.

It was important to me to present a real-life application to the board and
staff when introducing the Café process. Academic style papers go so far.

Your Marion story provided the perfect example. Purpose, process and
outcome. From a very human perspective."

Kim posted an item on how the Café process has now become an integral
component of the operation of this Association.

http://www.theworldcafe.com/storyfpa.html

Recently I was invited to write a review of the new book on the World Cafe for 'The Systems Thinker.'
This is a publication "which explores both the theory and practice of systems thinking and related organizational
development disciplines. Articles by leading thinkers and practitioners articulate the challenges and issues 
involved in creating organizations on the leading edge of innovation ... subscribers are mostly from corporations 
but with a growing core of educators, healthcare providers, and government workers ..." www.thesystemsthinker.com.

My review will appear in the forthcoming June/July issue. 

I hope this is of value to you. 

Go well

Alan 
Hong Kong 



----- Original Message ----- 

  From: Vliex, Carla (cvl) 
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
  Sent: Monday, July 04, 2005 6:39 AM
  Subject: Again: The World Cafe


  I am catching up with all the stories on the list.

  Can anyone advise on readings/articles on The World Cafe? What would be the best? 

  And did anyone use TWC several time after an Open Space gathering?

  thanx for helping me out

  Carla



  Met vriendelijke groet, 

  drs. Carla Vliex 

  ___________________________________ 
  Adviseur Organisatieontwikkeling 

  Twynstra Gudde Adviseurs en Managers 

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    -----Original Message-----
    From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Alan Stewart
    Sent: donderdag 5 mei 2005 04:40
    To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
    Subject: Re: The World Cafe


    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Susan M Kerr 
    To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
    Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 7:52 PM
    Subject: Re: The World Cafe


    My copy of The World Cafe arrived yesterday, so I've only just started the reading, but it looks very interesting. We used World Cafe last year in Scotland at the OT22 conference (Organizational Transformation - year 22) for the first morning, then went into Open Space for the remainder of the 3 days.

    John Adams was one of the key facilitators of that - if he is on this perhaps he can speak to the process or motivation for using it. I thought it was a good experience - yes more structured than a usual open space beginning but I liked hearing the ideas from the different groups and how they built on each other - and the physical medium of writing/drawing on the paper covering the tables. And for me, it helped get to know the people in the group. 

    Following that we went into open space with opening the circle as usual.

    I don't know if it will be used at OT23 this July in Milwaukee or not - perhaps if Shelia Isakson is on here she can speak to that.

    Not having lead OS yet (I'm a fringe dweller on this list) I have participated in a few. Currently where I work the leaders are not quite open to it. I am exploring WC as a tool I might be able to introduce there and would like to hear more how others have used it and what benefits they have found with it. 

    Susan Kerr
    Milwaukee, WI, USA


    G'day All

    Chris Corrigan's nudging is always difficult to resist ... :-) 

    My sense is that Susan's experience is a nice indication of where and how Cafe processes can complement OST. 

    John Adams who Susan mentioned is well known to Harrison and many others on this list; he was present when Open Space was first 
    "rolled out" at Organizational Transformation (OT) 3 in 1985. John is a great friend of mine and he and I have had periodic exchanges 
    about the uses of OST and World Cafe (TWC) processes. 

    He has said to me that, in his role of facilitator of recent annual OT gatherings, he has introduced TWC both in the opening and closing
    1/2 day sessions - around the main OST event - to very good effect. *  

    Perhaps the 'reasons' for this, in my take, is that sitting at small tables - what I have called 'eyeball to eyeball' distance apart and what Lisa Kimball
    describes as 'knee to knee' - produces feelings of inclusivity and intimacy which in turn means that participants quickly go deeply into 
    questions which emerge at the time rather than being prepared in advance.   

    Moving around periodically (which does not always happen in TWC meetings) leads to meeting new people, and helps participants 
    appreciate that there can be many perspectives of an issue, some of which they had not remotely imagined. Also participants often report
    that the germ of an idea which arose at one table developed further when it was taken to another group. 

    There is much more which could be said, not the least that in particular circumstances - independent of a time factor - one of these formats is more appropriate
    than the other. 

    I wonder if anyone else here who has used both of these wondrous processes would wish to say something about the issue of 'control' which 
    'worries' Harrison. It does me too, particularly when the facilitator/host of a WCT event is not a 'spacer type person'! Yet in my observation there 
    are contexts in which the 'disadvantage' of a bit more 'hands on' by the facilitator can be thought of as being outweighed by participants having 
    a lively experience, as Susan, Jeff  and others have expressed.

    And perhaps also touch on distinctions between facilitating and hosting?

    The new book which Dave Cox mentioned is a treasure trove of wholesome stories of the effectiveness of TWC and of very thoughtful 
    questions - and is a totally different entity to Juanita Brown's PhD dissertation; Berrett Koehler have seen to that. 

    Let me say again (having done so previously on our list) that I see OST and TWC as very compatible. For are they not both methodologies
    in which treating each other well is the starting point in the course of addressing questions that matter? And do they not both bring forth the possibility
    of producing feelings of freshness and of the emergence of unforeseen creativity and optimism? 

    Harrison and Juanita are both to be accorded the highest of accolades, in my opinion. 

    With love

    Alan 
    Hong Kong 

    * John notes: 

    "If anyone has not yet heard, OT 23 will be held this summer in Milwaukee July 26-29. And OT 24 will be July 25-29 on the big island of Hawaii, at the 
    retreat center of Joel and Michelle Levy. I am sure that we will continue to experiment with integrations of TWC and OST at these two coming attractions."

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