What increases the likelihood of action?

Tue Nov 29 17:03:01 PST 2005

I am picking up on this thread quite a while after it was posted, but I
had kept it aside to reflect about and respond when my timing was right
for me.

I resonate with many of the points made. And I wish to contribute a few
more:

First, there are differences in the setting for OST meetings. And this
has different implications for increasing the liklihood of action. 

Setting 1: OST at a conference, such as an annual conference or a one
time meeting of a looser gathering of people
-this type of OST meeting is usually not inside of an intact
organization
-participants are much freer to choose personally motivated action
without organizational barriers
-all that you have all said about increasing the liklihood of action
applies

Setting 2: OST to form a new organization or in a fairly young
organization
-the organization doesn't usually, at this stage, have many constraints
cause by policies, procedures, protocols and so on. It hasn't yet
developed much in the way of risk management measures
-participants are usually quite free to choose personally motivated
action to the extent that it ties into the purpose/mandate of the
organization

Setting 3: OST meeting within a mature or aging organization, within a
non-profit organization governed by Board policy even if the
organization is new, within organizations that are within larger
bureaucracies, even if the organization itself within the bureaucracy is
new/young. 
-these types of organizations often have many constraints about what can
and cannot happen as a result of an OST meeting
-existing policies, procedures, contractual obligations, risk management
measures and so on are potential barriers to innovative ideas coming out
of the OST meeting
-when such potential barriers are not taken into consideration in the
planning for an OST meeting and in the communication about the meeting,
expectations seem to arise that the barriers, following the meeting,
will magically melt away and that the passion from the meeting will
bring about desired change. This is a key point regarding reduction in
liklihood of action
-when potential barriers are addressed in the planning (and then in the
pre-meeting communication), a push back can happen during the planning
to determine what is truly a 'given' or non-negotiable in the
organization. Clarity and authenticity about the givens do not affect
what is actually discussed during an OST meeting. However, they aid in
setting a clear container for what can be moved into action. When this
is done well, we are getting a between a 90%-100% follow up in actions
from OST meetings within organizations. We have been at this, working at
givens to assist in this follow up success, since 1992.

Blessings,
Birgitt

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Peggy
Holman
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2005 2:26 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: What increases the likelihood of action?

And you thought I was done!  Here's the next installment.

I find myself still mulling what it takes to increase the likelihood of
life 
after an event.  What sparks the energy for action?   In other words, to
the 
extent that process matters, what are the elements of great process?

I mentioned some of what I believe makes a difference in my last
message:

*  Framing the Law of Two Feet as taking responsibility for what you
love

*  Using silence in the collective during morning announcements and
evening 
news

*  Taking time and inviting diversity

As I've continued thinking about this, I'd add a few others, mostly 
reaffirming "old friends" that seem worth making explicit:

*  Setting bold intention.  The more ambitious the purpose, the more the

potential energy to transform it contains.  It may seem obvious, but I
often 
find myself coaching sponsors to be daring.  Questions that inspire, 
enliven, wake people up are the ones that bring out creativity and 
excitement.

*  Welcoming wildcards.  Think of it as extreme diversity.  Harrison
calls 
it welcoming the stranger.  It is often the people who seem least like
they 
belong who bring the unexpected perspective that causes a breakthrough.
It 
happens all the time in OS's about youth.  Adults are ALWAYS amazed at
what 
young people bring to the mix.

*  Welcoming all aspects of participants.  I learned this more deeply
from 
Tova Averbuch earlier this year.  It is an important variation of
welcoming 
the stranger.  To be willing to dive deep, people need to feel welcome.
At 
the Kaleidoscope Café, this lesson came clear on the second day.  There
was 
a strong leaning in most of the participants towards the role of the
heart. 
Several people, who brought a strong orientation towards collective 
intelligence, weren't feeling particularly welcome.  In opening the
space on 
this day, Tova Averbuch did an incredible job of making room for the
head 
and the heart.  This created an opening in which those feeling isolated 
found ways to express what they were experiencing, bringing themselves
more 
fully present and providing the whole gathering with the gift of a more 
whole sense of itself.  It enabled insights and conversations that took
us 
into places we might not have otherwise been able to go.

*  Invoking the spirit of the work.  Setting the tone as the space is
opened 
is an art.  Also at the Kaleidoscope Café, I experienced one of the most

powerful invocations ever.  On the second day, preparing the stage for
Tova 
to do her magic, a young musician at the gathering turned us all into
rhythm 
instruments, standing up, tapping on our bodies to create a quiet
background 
beat as Maria Scordialos rapped her invocation, daring us to go deeper,
to 
experiment as we did our work that day.  The result was that virtually
every 
session took an approach that went beyond words in some way.  It led to
some 
amazing breakthroughs.

Sidebar story:  I got a new insight into how ideas move to action
discovered 
because we began the session by toning together!  I never would have
used 
this approach for this topic without the powerful invocation that
morning to 
boldly experiment, to dive deep.  The toning became a breakthrough
metaphor 
for the underlying pattern of idea to action:  it starts with an
intention - 
a call, and a few voices are attracted.   Sometimes there are missteps, 
wrong notes.  Yet, when there's a conviction to stay with the call, at
some 
point individual voices are attracted and cohere into a whole and action

becomes visible.  We experienced this pattern on multiple levels:  the 
toning, the way the group formed (after posted time, one person came,
then 
another, when the third arrived, it became a session), our exploration
of 
the topic itself.

Right timing.  One environmental factor that strikes me as important is 
right timing.  What is the state of the situation?  Has there been time
and 
energy invested already, just no clear answers emerging?  Is it a whole
new 
subject?  I think in many of our most complex issues over the last few 
years, incredible work has been done, lots of creative answers
identified, 
yet nothing quite taking root.  In these cases, because the ideas are
ripe 
for harvesting, enabling the system to talk to itself could be just the 
ticket to generate coherence.

*  Preparing the field.  Being mindful of the "container" we create for
the 
work is perhaps one of the most important and subtle jobs of an OS 
practitioner.

My understanding of the nature of "containers" for the work we do has 
evolved hugely through the years.  I used to think of the container as a

bowl, with sides that protect, creating a sense of safety through its
form. 
I think most of the change processes out there do create bowl-like
psychic 
structures (picture two hands cupped, as if to hold water), lots of
safety, 
some room for the unknown and very constrained space.  I think as OS 
practitioners begin, they often hold on pretty tight, creating bowl-like

spaces.  I know I did.  These spaces are serviceable but not nearly as
juicy 
as taking that next step into the "field" (picture two hands together,
flat 
and open).  This is a gift of Open Space, to offer a container open to
the 
air, the mystery.  The theme of the OS bounds the space, trusting 
participants to care for themselves, each other and the whole.  In every
OS 
in which I've been part, people have collectively lived up to this 
expectation.

Here's the edge of my own learning:  I think the work of the OS
practitioner 
who wishes to support action beyond an event learns to release the
container 
into the hands of the participants.  When action continues, it is in
part 
because the container has been internalized, becoming a web of
connections 
among participants.  They now hold their own future.  I think that is
why 
re-opening space for coherent action on the last day of a multiple day
open 
space is so powerful.  It is an explicit invitation to take ownership of

what's next.  There's a coherence that comes of the web weaving itself. 
Clearly, this can happen without the OS practitioner knowing any of
this, 
but I think the more we are mindful of giving away the container itself,

helping it morph into a web, the more we increase the potential for
follow 
on.

Our job is to hold lightly and then let go, releasing the fate of those
we've 
been serving into their own hands.

We talk so much about holding space, I'm particularly interested in
thoughts 
about this idea of releasing space.

So, that seems a good place to end these reflections and ask what you
think.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Harrison Owen" <hhowen at verizon.net>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2005 4:28 AM
Subject: Re: [OSLIST] Deep Democracy..and concious social action

> Goodness Peggy -- enough good stuff here for several weeks' serious
> thinking. But did you have to do it all at once? I felt pretty well 
> stuffed,
> but the meal is delicious. Thank you!
>
> Harrison
>
> NEW EMAIL ADDRESS!!!!
> hhowen at verizon.net
> Harrison Owen
> 7808 River Falls Drive
> Potomac, Maryland 20845
> Phone 301-365-2093
> Skype hhowen
> Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
> Personal website www.ho-image.com
> OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
> archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
Peggy
> Holman
> Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2005 3:44 AM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Re: Deep Democracy..and concious social action
>
> Hi all.  I'm plugging back in on this thread after more than a month 
> away...
>
> It caught my eye because I am in the midst of witnessing remarkable 
> post-OS
> follow up work from multiple gatherings.
>
> It started with the International Practice of Peace conference in
> 2003...what came out of that?
> *  Global Citizen Journey, which is in the midst of building a library
in
> the Niger Delta with a delegation of 20 US folks and 20 Nigerians.
> *  Youth for a New World - a Burundi/US partnership that has launched
> multiple projects and raised a remarkable about of money in a short
period
> of time
> *  Practice of Peace in New Mexico
> *  indirectly, the OS with 2,100 Colombian street kids
> and I could go on...a group of us interviewed about 25 of the 130
> participants.  Many had projects that were either inspired or
strengthened
> by being at PoP.   100% of those interviewed said they were changed by
the
> experience.
>
> Recently, I've been part of three long (3+ days) OS's -- the
Evolutionary
> Salon, the Kaleidoscope Cafe (this was an intriguing hybrid, with an
> emergent OS core), and the biggest test -- an OS with 30 no-nonsense
> journalists.  Each left passionately engaged people and projects in
their
> wake.
>
> (An aside on the journalism OS...we convened a conference call 3 weeks

> after
>
> the gathering.  Of the original 30, three-quarters of them were either
on
> the call or let us know they definitely want to be on future calls.
About
> 1/3 are actively engaged in preparing for two projects that grew out
of 
> the
> gathering.  Mind you, these are BUSY people, with full time jobs in a
> SERIOUS industry!  And still, they're staying involved.)
>
> What's going on?  What is sparking all of this energy for action?
>
> I think there are several things feeding this.  One is the times -- as

> with
> the journalists, the more things fall apart, the more urgency.  In
other
> words, the context is changing.  I think that's why the journalists
are so
> hungry for the connection to others.  More than any other group I've 
> worked
> with, I get the feeling that these folks have no where to turn for a
ray 
> of
> hope.  Now they have each other and they're committed to maintaining
the
> connections.
>
> I also think there is a quality of how more and more of us are using
OS 
> that
>
> makes a difference.  Three aspects I think are making a difference for
me:
>
> 1.  Defining the Law of Two Feet as "taking responsibility for what
you
> love".  I no longer talk about the Law of Two Feet as passion and
> responsibility.  While basically equivalent, there's something very 
> powerful
>
> about this framing -- it is highly actionable for both individuals and
> groups.  I have seen it literally change lives as people make it their
> mantra and follow it well beyond the event.  I had one participant
tell me 
> a
>
> story of how it turned her from feeling like a helpless victim nursing
her
> wounded ego in a corner to stepping in with full voice into the place
she
> felt called to be.
>
> 2.  Using silence in the plenary.  Morning announcements, evening
news, I
> always begin with silence.  This is really subtle and yet I know it 
> matters.
>
> It seems to connect people with themselves, each other, and the whole.
> Seeing 2,100 street kids, who were perceived as having virtually no
> discipline, be silent together was deeply profound.  From this small
> collective act, they seemed to gather strength.  I could sense them 
> savoring
>
> it.  I know it blew their teachers' minds!
>
> 3.  Time and diversity.  These old friends really matter.  Two and a
half
> days or more.  Time to cook is so vital when dealing with complexity. 
> PLUS
> bringing together unlikely mixes of people -- the whole system --
prepares
> the soil for the unexpected.  The more creative the definition of the 
> system
>
> the better!  At the journalism OS, there were the usual suspects --
print,
> broadcast, new media, editors, writers, bloggers, publishers, media
> activists, educators. -- and others.  Perhaps the most important
> participants were the  wild cards -- a college senior majoring in
> journalism, a wall street analyst. They brought perspectives and ideas

> that
> aren't normally part of the conversation.
>
> I think these three aspects bring qualities to the work of creating a
> fertile field that up the likelihood for good things to happen.  I'd
say 
> the
>
> first two create a quality of consciousness that matters. A lot.
>
> In my reading 300+ messages tonight, a favorite was this line from
Raffi:
>
>> ...OS is one of the greatest ways of
>> tricking somebody into developing a spiritual practice. To do this
work
>> well there is no other way. And sometimes that's scary.
>>
>> Grounding. grounding. grounding.
>>
>
> I know that's true for me.  OS as a spiritual practice.
Harrison....did 
> you
>
> know right from the start?
>
>
> As I've been working to understand the underlying patterns at play, my
> colleague, Tom Atlee, and I have put something together that I find 
> useful.
> Good process awakens consciousness -- individually and collectively.
It
> also activates systems -- affecting both individual and collective 
> behaviour
>
> and structures.  How? What Tom pointed out to me -- there are lots of 
> people
>
> working to awaken consciousness, with some effect.  And there are lots
of
> people working to change systems, also with some impact.  Mostly,
these
> folks don't interact; in fact they often don't get along!  What good 
> process
>
> (think OS) does is address both consciousness and systems -- the inner
and
> outer for individuals and the collective.  By doing this, dramatically
> better outcomes in both consciousness and systems occur.  OS does it
so
> elegantly that it happens without most of us even knowing that's what
is
> happening.
>
> I think the more we as practitioners work with this underlying dynamic
--
> through continually inviting people to take responsibility for what
they
> love, using silence, inviting diversity and making time for the work,
we
> increase the likelihood for radically improved results.  We literally
> liberate the human spirit!  And the connections people make with each 
> other
> and their ideas create a field that sparks amazing energy and action.
>
> So, Chris, while 100% won't be changed, with a little mindful
practice, we
> are in the midst of a fomenting revolution.
>
> from somewhat overcast (but too dark for it to matter at the moment)
> Seattle,
> Peggy
>
> ________________________________
> Peggy Holman
> The Open Circle Company
> 15347 SE 49th Place
> Bellevue, WA  98006
> (425) 746-6274
>
> www.opencirclecompany.com
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Harrison Owen" <hhowen at verizon.net>
> To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 1:30 PM
> Subject: [OSLIST] The Sales Person's Holy Grail
>
>
>> Chris wrote: "Nothing de-energises my 16 hour days as an open
networker
>> more
>> than to spend my time connecting someone who appeared to come out of
an
>> open
>> space saying the number 1 humanitarian change that matters to them is
X
>> ....only to find later that the open space person is no longer that
>> interested in the cause."
>>
>> Chris my friend -- if you ever manage to find, or better yet invent,
the
>> answer to your prayers -- you will instantaneously become a
>> multi-billionaire. For you will have unearthed the Holy Grail of
every
>> Salesperson on the planet: identifying and holding dedicated,
committed
>> customers at close to the 100% level. Sure you can raise your chances
and
>> narrow the odds, but as all sales people know, lots of shoe leather
on 
>> the
>> pavement comes with the territory. Sorry for the 16 hour days!
>>
>> Actually, I think OS does quite a bit to advance your interest and
narrow
>> the odds. At the very least you can be reasonably well assured that
>> anybody
>> who cares enough to come presumably cares something about the issue
at
>> hand
>> (whatever that might be). And of that total group, some smaller
subset
>> will
>> care enough to raise some aspect of the issue at hand -- and if they 
>> raise
>> it with passion, focus, logic, and commitment, you may well have your
>> man/woman. And you haven't done a thing but watch. I'd call that
pretty
>> energy efficient! -- But of course, that person may turn out to be a
>> fraud.
>> You just can't tell, but the odds are tilting more in your favor. :-)
>>
>> Sorry to go on so -- but the focusing/narrowing that occurs naturally
in
>> any
>> OS is something I find that many people miss. Amidst all the effusion
of
>> ideas, energy -- to say nothing of chaos -- a rather precise process
of
>> self-selection and identification is going on. For a client
interested in
>> identifying potential leadership, taking note of who steps forward to
>> claim
>> their passion with responsibility will produce a short list of likely
>> candidates. It may not be perfect, but it is surely a good place to 
>> start.
>>
>> Harrison
>>
>> NEW EMAIL ADDRESS!!!!
>> hhowen at verizon.net
>> Harrison Owen
>> 7808 River Falls Drive
>> Potomac, Maryland 20845
>> Phone 301-365-2093
>> Skype hhowen
>> Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
>> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
>> Personal website www.ho-image.com
>> OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
>> archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
Chris
>> Macrae
>> Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 2:00 PM
>> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>> Subject: Re: deep democracy
>>
>>  Harrison -regarding missed points love all
>>
>> REphrasing my question : what more could be done at the space or
while
>> people
>> are in its vicinty to work out how deep each person's deepest cause
is? 
>> On
>> globalsiation causes such as here
>> http://www.valuetrue.com/home/community.cfm?
>> startrow=4&intClassID=-1
>>
>> I don't ask because I am capable of following up each cause but
because I
>> have
>> over 12 years logged up many people across world networks who are. 
>> Nothing
>> de-
>> energises my 16 hour days as an open networker more than to spend my
time
>> connecting someone who appeared to come out of an open space saying
the
>> number
>> 1 humanitarian chnage that matters to them is X with the person
amongst
>> the
>> 2000 I know from conversastions over a decade to be most committed to

>> that
>> cause only to find later that the open space person is no longer that
>> interested in the cause. I agree people may good naturedly
over-commit to
>> all
>> sorts of good stuff when with kindred spirits without fully reckoning
how
>> much
>> time it will take. But I would like  some way whilst we are all there
in
>> real
>> time and real space of working out who is most deeply committed.
Suppose
>> there
>> are 100 activists there, I would rather have left the open space
finding
>> 10
>> that really had mentioned their number 1 cause for life than 50 great
>> causes
>>
>> but not knowing who will be a cause holder for what. It's like some
>> gigantic
>>
>> game of snap, where OS seems to me to miss a trick!
>>
>> ------------
>> Chris, I think you still are missing the point, at least my point.
The
>> core
>> issue, as I see it, is not OS as a method, but rather the passion of
the
>> people involved which might lead them to follow through on their
>> commitments,
>> or at least apparent commitments. People make choices with their time
and
>> their lives. What may seem critical at the moment will often become a
>> minor
>> concern when seen in the larger scheme of things. And maybe more to
the
>> point,
>> what you may deem to be critical, may not appear in the same light to
>> others.
>> And by the same token, your schedule for follow through may not be 
>> theirs.
>> Of
>> course we could, can and do extend the possibility for action
>> electronically
>>
>> and with follow on gatherings. In effect we can and must make every 
>> effort
>> to
>> keep the space open. But at the end of the day, and indeed on every 
>> day --
>> it
>> is the peoples' choice.
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------
>> This mail sent through http://www.easynetdial.co.uk
>>
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