Success

Therese Fitzpatrick therese.fitzpatrick at gmail.com
Fri Mar 18 15:41:44 PST 2005


Funda, I intentionally said 'consciously', of course.

I think everyone lives in OS all the time but we build inner and
collective capacities when we work a bit to stay aware of the
principles.  Just a tiny bit of work.

If we go to a three day OS and we find ourselves in a session that
turns out to have no heart and meaning for us and we get up and leave,
maybe to become a flutterfly (as my daughter used to pronounce it) or
we go to a different session, we have consciously lived into the
principles. . . It is ideal, of course, for each person to be only
investing their prescious lives in what has heart and meaning for
them.  I am suggesting that in order to develop the collective
capacity to breath in and out OS in our work lives, a bit of conscious
practice helps.

Unconscious practice, and unconciously hanging out in OS is wonderful.
. . but I am talking how what we as consultants might do to help
client orgs develop the capacity.  I do not think we can help them to
be unconciously hanging out in OS.  :)


On Fri, 18 Mar 2005 22:57:46 +0200, Funda Oral <fundaoral at ttnet.net.tr> wrote:
> Therese,
>
>  "hanging out conciously in Open Space would build
> new organizational capacities."
>
>  why you add "consciously" there...what if we say hanging out in OST?
>
>  Funda
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Therese Fitzpatrick" <therese.fitzpatrick at gmail.com>
> > To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
> > Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 7:19 PM
> > Subject: Re: Success
> >
> >
> > > Yes, Harrison, I, too, think that what  I wrote describes OSONOS.  It
> > > also describes SW, which gathers for three days in each season (4X a
> > > year).  And I agree that the Open Space Community qualifies as an
> > > organization.
> > >
> > > I think there is a tangible, measurable difference between people who
> > > gather and hang out in open space and people who don't.  I think
> > > spending time consciously attuned, even just a tiny bit, to the
> > > principles of OS with other members of a collective builds collective
> > > capacity.  I think OS could be 'sold' to organizations as a staff
> > > development tool in addition to being an event methodology.
> > >
> > > I have been spending a fair bit of time thinking about how
> > > organizations can build their capacity to discern that which wants to
> > > emerge rather than how to set and achieve organizational goals.  And
> > > the answer, for me, is simple and complex:  build the organizational
> > > capacity for collective intelligence.
> > >
> > > There are other answers for building organizational capacity but I
> > > think holding OS gatherings, or maybe building OS 'hanging out' time
> > > into organizations, is a fantastically awesome way to build collective
> > > capacity.  Organizations commit their resources to staff development
> > > all the time.  I am saying that I think OS gatherings with no work
> > > agenda would be a superior form of staff development for an
> > > organization.
> > >
> > > When I lived near Detroit and Motor City, I got to know a guy who was
> > > Director of OD for an entire division of Ford Motor Company (he has
> > > since retired).  He told me that the first thing he did after he got
> > > that job was to have every single person in that division attend a
> > > famous motivational seminar.  Not just the product designers and the
> > > financial management teams:  every single member of his division.
> > > This was several years ago but at the time,  but the Famous
> > > Motivational  thing was like a thousand dollars per employee.  If that
> > > division of Ford had all spent several days hanging out together in
> > > open space with the simple agenda of consciously living into the
> > > principles of OS, I believe  Ford would have seen significant,
> > > measurable results (improved productivity for one thing) than they saw
> > > with the motivational thing.
> > >
> > > This Ford OD director was a great guy and he tried to mentor me a bit
> > > using the techniques of this famous motivational system and I always
> > > felt pushed into being something I wasn't.   How to encourage members
> > > of a large, complex system like Ford to more consciously self
> > > organize? Open Space, hanging out conciously in Open Space would build
> > > new organizational capacities.
> > >
> > > Now, if I could force myself to get pumped up to believe I could
> > > achieve anything (which is what the Famous Motivational Seminar
> > > taught), I could go out and sell this to Boeing. . .
> > >
> > >
> > > On Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:23:48 -0500, Harrison Owen <hhowen at comcast.net>
> > wrote:
> > > > Therese Wrote: "I actually think, sometimes, that just creating a
> > container
> > > > for people to spend three days together in open space doing whatever,
> > > > without an intention focused on work, is the best org. development
> > training
> > > > any org. could give itself.  And I believe it enhances the achievement
> > of
> > > > measurable goals."
> > > >
> > > > I think you just described OSONOS(s). I know there is always talk
> about
> > > > having a theme and doing "real work" -- but to the best of my
> knowledge
> > all
> > > > that never quite happens. What has happened is a matter of record. I
> > don't
> > > > know if the Open Space Community qualifies as an organization (I think
> > it
> > > > does), but if so there is little question in my mind that its growth
> and
> > > > development is largely attributable to the multiple times, spaces and
> > years
> > > > that we have hung out together being what we do. Or maybe doing what
> we
> > be?
> > > >
> > > > 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
> > > > OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> > > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives
> Visit:
> > > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
> > Therese
> > > > Fitzpatrick
> > > > Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2005 10:06 PM
> > > > To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> > > > Subject: Re: Success
> > > >
> > > > I am not sure if what I am about to write fits in this conversation
> > > > (thanks, by the way, for the many great conversations on the oslist
> > > > recently), but as I read Chris' comment "we need to be able to embody
> > > > change in order to be able to welcome it" and Chris' observation,
> > > > which we could all echo, that when people do an org. development
> > > > 'intervention', they expect something significant to happen. . . .
> > > >
> > > > I think the reason to have open space events in organizations is to
> > > > build the capacity of that organization to be able to welcome change
> > > > as it emerges.  I don't imagine it would be easy to 'sell' this to
> > > > someone who wants to have a three day open space to create a strategic
> > > > plan or design a product development process but, for me, the real
> > > > value of having employees or members of an organization spend a day,
> > > > two or three in open space is to have them spend time practicing
> > > > following what has heart and meaning, to practice the law of two feet,
> > > > to practice trusting that the right people show up and the right thing
> > > > will happen.
> > > >
> > > > And, I THINK (ask me in an hour and I might think differently) the
> > > > reason I am attracted to attending open space events and to being an
> > > > open space practitioner and, even, to collaborating as much as I can
> > > > with people who have experienced a lot of open space technology, is
> > > > because I deeply desire to be able to welcome what wants to show up
> > > > and I deeply value working with others who have begun to integrate the
> > > > principles of open space into their way of being.
> > > >
> > > > I actually think, sometimes, that just creating a container for people
> > > > to spend three days together in open space doing whatever, without an
> > > > intention focussed on work, is the best org. development training any
> > > > org. could give itself.  And I believe it enhances the achievement of
> > > > measurable goals.
> > > >
> > > > On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 13:43:19 -0800, Chris Corrigan
> > > > <chris.corrigan at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > > On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 11:04:33 -0500, R. Duff Doel <duff at innergy.ca>
> > wrote:
> > > > > > "Some people will do anything
> > > > > > to maintain control and avoid success."
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Often people expect big things from organizational development
> > > > > "interventions."  They wouldn't do so otherwise.  Retreats, planning
> > > > > sessions, Open Space forums...all come with the expectation that
> doing
> > > > > something significant will change things significantly.
> > > > >
> > > > > In working with sponsors I do have conversations about what
> > > > > transformation really means and how willing people are to transform
> > > > > themselves to meet the new world they are wanting to be born.  There
> > > > > is a real stretch in this work for people, to go into somewhere new
> > > > > while not abandoning what they know - the "safe ground" - even if
> the
> > > > > safe ground is no longer serving them very well.
> > > > >
> > > > > Fear, trust, openness, chaordic confidence...all of these are
> > > > > emotions, practices and states we need to grapple with to open
> > > > > ourselves to transformation.  We need to be able to embody change in
> > > > > order to be there to welcome it when it arrives.
> > > > >
> > > > > And so for me success is relative, but what I really invite people
> to
> > > > > stretch into is that place where they can embody the success they
> > > > > want.  If they can't then we have to get real about what we're
> willing
> > > > > to do.
> > > > >
> > > > > But if they CAN get really big and offer themselves up for change,
> > > > > unbelievable things can happen.
> > > > >
> > > > > Good question, Duff.
> > > > >
> > > > > Chris
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > -------------------------
> > > > > CHRIS CORRIGAN
> > > > > Consultation - Facilitation
> > > > > Open Space Technology
> > > > >
> > > > > Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
> > > > > Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com
> > > > >
> > > > > *
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> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Warmly,
> > > > Therese Fitzpatrick
> > > >
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> > > --
> > > Warmly,
> > > Therese Fitzpatrick
> > >
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--
Warmly,
Therese Fitzpatrick

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