What increases the likelihood of action?
Peggy Holman
peggy at opencirclecompany.com
Thu Nov 10 23:25:35 PST 2005
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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