Collection of worldwide OS stories

[Harrison Owen]

Points all well taken, and I know that the literature in the field is
reflecting a changed perception. All that is to the good -- and definitely
to be encouraged. So once again -- Good luck in the venture. And of course
you may use my Israeli/Palestinian story. Guess I missed your message. As
for OS being "out-radicalized," that should not be too hard. If it is true
that OS is quite simply the power of Self-organization intentionally put to
work -- that is about as "old hat" as you can get. 14,000,000,000 years'
worth of Old Hat. :-)

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 Change
Management Toolbook
Sent: Monday, May 09, 2005 1:00 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Collection of worldwide OS stories

Harrison,

thanks for the feedback. I agree and disagree (like in most cases). I
agree that there was a time when people who worked in OD were control
freaks, and some of them still might be. However, time has passed since
and most people I meet or read have a totally different perception of
Change Management, including myself. Yes, the term "Change Management" is
somehow awkward, as if change could be managed. But there are some reasons
to stick to the term, particularly because many people (who are not
consultants or facilitators, but potential clients) have picked it up just
recently. Over here in Europe there is no doubt that many consultants and
facilitators have changed their perception on process work; you might know
better for the US.

The principles of self-organizing systems are now background for most
contemporary thinkers and doers in Change Management. No wonder that
Appreciate Inquiry and Whole System Change came up at the same time. POP
(Process Oriented Psychology) of Arnold Mindell shares the principles. And
if you are still not convinced, you should read the new book of Peter
Senge and Otto Sharmer: Presencing. I believe the proposed U-Cycle of Otto
is even more radical than OST (I didn't believe this was possible only
three months ago!), in the way to put the principle of "letting go -
letting come" into the centre of Change Management.

So, Open Space fits very well into the contemporary concepts. What I see
however, that more and more people - like myself - understand OST as a
phantastic tool, which has its place in a change process, and sometimes
the tool is blunt. As Maslov said: if the only tool you have is a hammer,
you tend to see every problem as a nail.

Having said that I believe there is much more room for the application of
OST. But for this it is necessary that more facilitators, consultants and
potential clients know it and loose their fear to apply it. For people who
have not heard of it, the threat imposed to them by the idea of OST is
often unbearable - and many just cannot believe that it would work in
their organization.

That is the start of my project. I want to make a mouthwatering document
in which people can read about what has been achieved by applying OST but
at the same time see the reality. I want to give them something they
can "touch", not too far away from their reality. The 10 stories which I
found so far in the OSList archives are just right. I have contacted 10
authors (did you get my message? I would like to include the
Israeli/Palestinian OST that you facilitated in Rome ). Peggy and Raffi
have already given their agreement.

Warm regards,
Holger
The Change Management Toolbook

International Open Space Facilitators Training
Bratislava, Slovakia
September 4-7, 2005
http://www.change-management-toolbook.com/about/training_2005_ostf.html

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