replacing?

[Harrison Owen]

Chris -- you have a turn of phrase. ("Kind of like hammering a nail with a Do it Yourself book.") And it makes me think of the oddly uncomfortable moments in various training programs I have participated in over the years when some one says at the start that they have come to "add one more tool to their tool box." The discomfort arises when I think to myself -- do I tell them the truth, now, later, or never? Just let them figure it out for themselves. Integrity would say "Now." Tactics would say, "Later." Perhaps Wisdom would say, "Never." Truth of the matter is that regardless of what you say -- they really won't hear/believe you. At the end of the day -- you just have to have been there.

I guess all this has something to do with the conversation a while back about the spread of Open Space. No question, great things can happen in OS, most of which seem to me to be useful and maybe even essential in the sort of world we live and work in. Given the option, I vote for Open Space -- which translates into helping more people engage in the practice. However, for the vast majority of likely prospects (facilitators, consultants, coaches, managers, Human Resource People, etc) engaging in such a practice appears, on the face of it, to be contrary to all their training, tough on their wallets (hard to get paid for doing nothing), bad for public recognition (limited "face time") -- and probably illegal, immoral, and fattening. Who would want to go there?

So when I think about "spreading Open Space" or the spread of Open Space -- I am totally amazed that it went anywhere at all. By all rights it should have died in the bottom of my martini glass, or perhaps on the idyllic shores of Monterey Bay in California where the first Open Space showed up in 1985.  But we know the reality is rather different, dramatically different. I guess that might suggest that whatever  we are doing seems to be working, even if we can't say quite what it is. And under the heading of thinking of one more thing not to do, it might be worth while to heed the local admonition (Local to the State of Maine) -- Don't fix it if it ain't broke.

Harrison
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Chris Corrigan 
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
  Sent: Monday, May 23, 2005 11:14 PM
  Subject: Re: replacing?


  Yup...Open Space makes a lousy tool, but a great practice.  Kind of like hammering a nail with a Do it Yourself book.

  :-)

  Chris


  On 5/23/05, Michael Herman <mjherman at gmail.com> wrote:
    this might be cutting things a bit fine, but as we know, there are
    subtle differences in openspace that make a bigdifference.  so try
    this on if you like...

    many times we hear os talked about as a "tool."  makes sense enough. 
    and what i've been suggesting where i can is that bulletin board,
    marketplace, circle, etc are tools.  open space is a practice that is
    the skillful use and integration of many of these tools.

    i thnk it's worth making a distinction in this way not only about open 
    space, but about other tings as well.  perhaps the thing with this
    replacing business is not so much replacing os with something else,
    but replacing a 'tool' mind with a practice mind.

    m

    --

    Michael Herman Associates
    http://www.michaelherman.com
    ...inviting organizations into action

    Small Change News Network
    http://www.smallchangenews.org 
    ...blogging giving flourishing

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  -- 

  CHRIS CORRIGAN
  Consultation - Facilitation
  Open Space Technology

  Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
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