: World Cafe meets Open Space

[Harrison Owen]

Juanita -- How wonderful to see you here!!! And yes I received the book.
Even sent you a message which I hope you received :-)

But I think you may be working too hard -- at least in terms of Open Space.
You said:
 "At
> the same time, even self-organization requires "initiating
> conditions" to be successful, which, as I have seen with Open Space
> over the years, are extremely carefully set and followed throughout an
> Open Space gathering.  Peggy Holman beautifully exercised these during
> the Evolutionary Salon, creating both the physical spaces, the
> expectations, the sign-ups, the clarity of the "laws/principles," and
> the discipline of the reporting  processes (both written in terms of
> the report back sheets and oral in the reflection circles)."

Not to take a thing away from Peggy -- whom I love and respect dearly -- but
in my experience we do very little, and the less the better. It is rather
more a function of the quality of our being, as in being focused and fully
present. Mostly is it a question of fully being ourselves -- authentically
present, as it were. Of course, if we are naturally a dictator sort -- space
has a hard time opening, although a very usual result is that the people
push the dictator out of the way. On the other hand if we (as facilitator)
possess a "good head and a good heart" (and I find that most people do) --
things just roll. When it comes to the "initiating conditions," those are
not of our making. They come with the territory (or not) so to speak. In
answer to Mary (who was looking for a "Guiding Light") I said "The
conditions are: a) real “business” issue (something that people care about)
b) Lots of diversity (in terms of people, positions, and possibilities) c)
Plenty of complexity (in terms of the ways all that could fit together) d)
Some good, juicy conflict, or potential conflict. e) A decision time of
yesterday (genuine urgency)."

As for the Principles and the Law -- we may in fact name them, but all
were/are present with the people from the start. In a word, they are what
the people will do anyhow, and by no means are they prescriptions of what
they should do. I think by naming them, as we do, we simply take out the
guilt. And it is amazing what good things folks can accomplish when
un-encumbered by guilt.


Welcome to OSLIST!!!


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 Juanita
Brown
Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2005 12:40 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Fwd: [OSLIST]: World Cafe meets Open Space

Sorry...I forgot to put a subject line and it came back to me...here it
is again.
>
> Hi everyone...
>
> I've been "listening" to the conversation intently as it has unfolded,
> both the earlier conversation on the Open Space Listserv which several
> European folks referred us to, as well as to the most recent sequence
> following the wonderful Evolutionary Salon that Peggy and I (and
> others) helped to host.  I'm hopeful, Harrison, that you have by now
> received the gift copy of our recent book (also published by Berrett
> Koehler!)  which helps to frame the living systems underpinnings of
> the World Cafe and honors the incredible contribution that Open Space
> has made over the last two decades. I offer these reflections in the
> spirit of learning with and from others on this listserv about the
> unique individual and combined contributions of the World Cafe and
> Open Space.
>
> I think, as do many of our other colleagues who use a variety of
> conversational and collaborative learning approaches, that the World
> Cafe and Open Space are extremely compatible.  I completely understand
> Harrison's concerns with "structure" and "control"--wanting to offer
> participants the full freedom to self-organize from the get go.  At
> the same time, even self-organization requires "initiatiing
> conditions" to be successful, which, as I have seen with Open Space
> over the years, are extremely carefully set and followed throughout an
> Open Space gathering.  Peggy Holman beautifully exercised these during
> the Evolutionary Salon, creating both the physical spaces, the
> expectations, the sign-ups, the clarity of the "laws/principles," and
> the discipline of the reporting  processes (both written in terms of
> the report back sheets and oral in the reflection circles).
>
> Each of these processes, as well as others which have been discussed
> on the list, have their strengths and limitations, depending on their
> purpose.  The World Cafe is especially useful when:
>
> 1) you have a limited amount of time (ie as little as 1 1/2 to 2 hours)
> 2) a lot of people (we've worked with 1200)
> 3) questions that matter to the people gathered, that they either they
> frame themselves or that a representative sub-group has helped to
> shape (at least initially)
> 4)  the intention to build community, strengthen relationships and
> engage everyone's unique contribution and voice using both verbal and
> visual modalities (even the timid or less verbal ones).
> 5) you want to access collective intelligence based on discovering
> patterns of meaning in emergent, unexpected ways that come from the
> intentional rapid cross-pollination of diverse perspectives and ideas.
>
> While World Cafe and Open Space share many, although not all, of these
> intentions in common, the design of the World Cafe creates what we'd
> call a "conversational greenhouse" focused on the  extremely rapid
> propagation of actionable knowledge (we consider inquiry as integral
> to actionable knowledge ).  The World Cafe design intentionally
> fosters people's rapid capacity to see patterns and  "sense the whole"
> rather than be focused primarily on the part of the whole that their
> personal passion initially leads them to.    Once people have this
> awareness, they begin so see how their own passion (taking
> responsibility for what you love) might connect to the larger whole in
> a very embodied way. We find that the World Cafe intentionally creates
> an  "inquiring system"  through the disciplined use of questions (not
> topics or issues) as well as creatively cross-pollinating ideas in
> varied ways that enable people to feel, literally, the "whole system
> thinking together" in a very short period of time.
>
> We find that World Cafe helps to ease the "freedom shock" that
> Harrison and others describe, while still giving the space for
> emergence and surprise.  I have to admit that perhaps my "nurturing
> side" welcomes the opportunity to support people in feeling
> comfortable in the early phases of a gathering, which is why we create
> the Cafe ambiance when that is possible and appropriate.   We find
> that the combination of focus (carefully setting the context, the
> disciplined use of questions and  the intentional patterns of
> cross-pollination) create a different (not better, just different)
> type of collaborative learning that many people seem to find useful as
> they enter this world of emergence--and even more useful when combined
> with complimentary approaches like Open Space and an appreciative
> stance.
>
> Our goal in Cafe conversations is for people to experience themselves
> being an integral part of a living web/network of relational thinking
> and of experiencing conversation itself as a co-evolutionary force for
> accessing co-intelligence on behalf of life affirming futures and the
> conscious evolution of social systems.  So, perhaps the key learning
> goals of World Cafe and Open Space are somewhat different....but still
> complimentary in my humble opinion.
>
> I'd love to learn about others experiences when they've designed
> meetings or gatherings in which both Open Space and the World Cafe
> were effectively engaged together to create generative outcomes.
>
> I've responded to Alan's questions below in caps...and welcome our
> exploring  these questions together among colleagues who are using
> both approaches and want to learn with and from each other.
>
> Fondly,
> Juanita
>
>
> On May 31, 2005, at 5:08 PM, Alan Stewart wrote:
>
>> G'day Peggy and All
>>
>> It's wonderful indeed to have the comprehensive account of your
>> observations and experience to complement Tom's enthralling report.
>> Maybe Juanita would wish to add her's too ...
>>
>> Several queries for you Peggy:
>>
>> . At what stage were the OS principles and law introduced to the
>> participants? Was this at the first evening circle or at the Open
>> Space the following afternoon?   AT THE OPEN SPACE THE FOLLOWING
>> AFTERNOON
>>
>> . Did you have any sense that issues/questions posted in Open Space
>> were related to those which emerged in the opening Cafe session? I
>> THINK THE WORLD CAFE SET A BROAD "FRAME" FOR THE INQUIRY IN A
>> MUTUALLY COMPASSIONATE WAY WHICH HONORED ALL OF THE DISCIPLINES AND
>> PERSPECTIVES BEING BROUGHT INTO THE ROOM--WHICH THEN ENABLED WHAT WE
>> CALL THE "MAGIC" TO BEGIN RIGHT FROM THE START AND "HOLD" THROUGHOUT
>> THE THREE DAYS.  SINCE WE DID IT THE WAY WE DID, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER
>> THAT WOULD OR WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED AS EASILY IN A SOLEY OPEN SPACE
>> FORMAT.
>>
>> . You mentioned that you got to participate in the Cafe. I wonder if
>> Juanita did likewise in the Open Space?  (I CERTAINLY DID AND LOVED
>> IT!)
>>
>> . I wonder too if what you interpreted as 'freedom shock' was related
>> to the fact that participants did not know each other, whether or not
>> they came from different backgrounds.  I ACTUALLY DIDN'T EXPERIENCE
>> THE PARTICIPANTS AS HAVING THE INTENSITY OF FREEDOM SHOCK I'VE
>> EXPERIENCED IN OTHER SETTINGS WHERE A NEW AND DIVERSE GROUP SIMPLY
>> JUMPED INTO AN OPEN SPACE EXPEERIENCE-USUALLY THE MORE LOUD OR
>> OUTGOING FOLKS ARE THE ONES WHO JUMP OUT FIRST IN OPEN SPACE--BUT
>> WHEN WE'VE COMBINED WORLD CAFE WITH OPEN SPACE THERE SEEMS TO BE A
>> MORE EVEN DISTRIBUTION IN THIS REGARD WHICH HAPPENS QUITE
>> NATURALLY--AND MAY (I'M NOT SURE) TAKE A SOMEWHAT LONGER TIME (FOR
>> THE LESS TALKATIVE/OUTGOING FOLKS WHO ARE RETICENT IN LARGE
>> GROUPS--PARTICULARLY IN OTHER CULTURES)  IN OTHER OPEN SPACE SETTINGS
>> WHERE THE COMBINATION IS NOT USED.
>
>>
>> I ask this because I have used the two processes in combination - in
>> the same order - with people from very diverse backgrounds and who
>> had encountered each other previously (they were members of a
>> leadership program). They did not manifest this kind of distress, at
>> least in my observation. Mind you some of them were quite taken aback
>> initially by the very notion of turning to face each other rather
>> than their accustomed experience of someone speaking to them!
>>
>> With love
>>
>> Alan
>>  Hong Kong
>>  ----- Original Message -----
>>  From: Peggy Holman
>> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>> Sent: Monday, May 30, 2005 2:04 PM
>> Subject: The World Cafe meets Open Space
>>
>> You've seen Tom Atlee's description of the recent "Evolutionary
>> Salon".  Here are my reflections, mostly on the partnership between
>> TWC and OS.
>>
>>
>> We began our first evening in a circle with a check in, people
>> speaking to what attracted them to the Evolutionary Salon.  We
>> described the process that we'd be using for the conference as a
>> living experiment in being an evolutionary social system.  This let
>> us use our real time experience as a mirror for our learning.
>>
>> The next morning, Juanita Brown took us into a World Cafe.  I got to
>> participate.  We focused on a question about our burning questions.
>> I think I had the honor of experiencing TWC at its very best.
>> Juanita is a master of her craft.  When reflections were harvested at
>> the end of the session, people said they were touched by the
>> experience, discovering the feeling of connection to each other, the
>> synergy among their burning questions.  They expressed excitement at
>> the sense of intimacy and kinship they felt.
>>
>> I have to admit that as a participant, I felt as I did the last time
>> I experienced TWC: constrained by the expectation of staying at the
>> table.  It was quite a contrast for me to hear the excitement of
>> others in the room!
>>
>>
>> We began the Open Space in the afternoon.  Of course, people jumped
>> in with their sessions.  They seemed to be doing just fine.  Come the
>> closing circle, several people expressed distress at their
>> experience.  One went so far as to ask if we could go back to the
>> comfort and intimacy of a cafe-like format.  I thought to myself,
>> "freedom shock" is alive and well.  The mix of people at the
>> conference included scientists and people of spirit.  It seems there
>> was something of a clash of cultures going on in many of the
>> sessions.  I just listened -- no defending, no fixing.
>>
>> As is my practice in multiple day events (learned from Spirited
>> Work), the convening group met to reflect on how things were going
>> after the evening circle.  The meeting was open to any who wished to
>> join us.  A few people did.  One wondered if we needed to do
>> something to "push the group" in the direction we wished them to go
>> (as if we knew what direction that was!).   We discussed the fact
>> that the discomfort people experienced wasn't necessarily a bad
>> thing, that it provided an opportunity for something new to emerge.
>> I encouraged my nervous sponsors to trust that things were going just
>> fine.
>>
>>
>> That evening I found myself in a butterfly conversation with a couple
>> of people distressed by the "yang" energy they ran into, feeling
>> unsafe to express their "yin" selves.  We talked at length about what
>> it means to take responsibility for what you love.  They left the
>> conversation thinking about how to come fully present tomorrow in all
>> their "yin" glory.
>>
>> The next morning, someone announced 3 new "yin" meeting
>> spaces.  There was much laughter as people bantered about yin-ness
>> and yang-ness and its intersection.  Turns out there had been LOTS of
>> butterfly conversations and those who had felt distressed, found
>> their way, dissipating the angst before it became a real issue.  In
>> fact, from that point forward, the OS just flowed.
>>
>>
>> A reflection on how TWC affected the dynamic.
>>  It was clear that people had a felt sense of community very quickly
>> through TWC.  I think that the move into OS created that condition
>> that Harrison calls "freedom shock".  It's possible that the contrast
>> heightened the shock.  That said, I believe the sense of connection
>> created during TWC enabled those who were distressed to seek out the
>> friends they had made rather than completely check out (of course,
>> being in a remote location would have made it difficult to leave!).
>> I wonder if that is a benefit of a cafe prior to OS -- to create
>> relationships that might support people to stay engaged if they have
>> a tendency towards freedom shock?
>>
>>
>> THE TWC MEETS OS EXPERIMENT
>> The OS continued as usual over the next couple days.  During our
>> preparation for the conference, the planning team (Tom Atlee, Michael
>> Dowd and myself) discussed the possibility of convening evening
>> sessions on "what are we learning?"  On the third evening, Tom and I
>> decided that it would be useful to do so and that we'd do it using
>> "TWC meets the law of two feet".
>>
>> Our session question: what patterns do you see emerging?  About 12
>> people came.  We started in groups of 4 with an agreement that we'd
>> come together as a whole to see what we'd uncovered in about an
>> hour.  In the meantime, people were invited to stay or move as they
>> wished.  As context, I said that we knew from the cafe
>> experience that patterns become visible quickly when people move
>> around periodically, so moving is useful.  At Juanita's suggestion,
>> we had blank cards in the clusters so that groups could send an idea
>> to another group if they wanted.  They could also send an emissary.
>>
>> That was it.  Basically, it was OS with groups of four discussing the
>> session topic.  What happened was a kick.  Two groups were quite
>> intent in their conversations, clearly not moving, just going deeper
>> and deeper.  The third group eventually dissipated, a couple people
>> going to sleep, the others joining the two hot groups.  And then
>> others started arriving.  They just opted for one or the other of the
>> groups.  The conversations were animated and intense.  At one point,
>> the group I was in sent a card with an idea to the other group.  In
>> all, I think about 20 people were there by the end of the evening.
>>
>> After about an hour, we came together as one.  First one group
>> described what they'd learned, then the other group did the same.
>> The second group mentioned that they used the idea they'd received on
>> the card.  The remains of the original third group added their
>> thoughts into the mix.  Llyn Peabody, new to graphic recording, but
>> clearly in her element, took notes, drawing an incredible visual map
>> of the weave of our stories.  The result was electrifying and became
>> the basis for some breakthrough ideas the last day!
>>
>> One side note -- someone said during the session that they often
>> looked for what was missing to understand a situation.  I pointed out
>> that the yin/yang laughter in the morning signaled something rather
>> remarkable that was missing from our living experiment of an evolving
>> social system: angst.  Rather than fragmenting into conflict, people
>> had transcended it.  That drew a raised eyebrow or two as people
>> digested how the space had made room for conflict to be embraced with
>> grace.
>>
>>
>> A reflection on the TWC meets OS experiment
>> Next time I'm a participant in an OS and have a large group, I'd
>> likely split up again in this way.  It was a great way to reflect on
>> our question when the group was large.
>>
>>
>> THOUGHTS FOR THE FUTURE
>> Juanita and I talked the next morning about our impressions of the
>> intersection of TWC and OS.  We discussed several strengths of TWC --
>> creating a sense of community and uncovering patterns quickly.
>>
>> Given my own biases, I wouldn't use TWC as an opener unless the
>> client had some specific situation that moved things that way.
>>
>> I can imagine experimenting with doing an evening reflection with
>> people beginning in small groups.  I can see this as a natural flow
>> of the energy as people wander in, talking together before
>> coming into a single circle.  I think this could be a low key
>> transition that actually makes it easier to convene the evening
>> circle.  By following the energy of people arriving for the close,
>> inviting them into reflection as they arrive rather than waiting for
>> everyone before beginning, I think something simple and useful could
>> occur.
>>
>>
>> Juanita suggested explicitly encouraging people post their sessions
>> in the form of questions.  It made me smile when Harrison recently
>> posted:
>>  I  think of every Open Space gathering as a (potentially) question
>> rich environment. That is why I always suggest to people that they
>> phrase the theme as a question, as opposed to a statement.
>>
>> Questions are certainly a place of coming together.
>>
>> So, that's about all of my musings on this subject.
>>
>> yours, on a warm evening in Seattle,
>> Peggy
>>
>>
>
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