Fwd: [OSLIST]: World Cafe meets Open Space
Juanita Brown
juanita at theworldcafe.com
Tue May 31 21:40:01 PDT 2005
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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