Evaluations of Open Space in Novi Sad, Serbia

[Birgitt Williams]

Hi Harrison,
I know that we have differing views on the subject of 'givens'. We also
have different views on the concept of self-organizing systems. I also
know from experience that it is difficult to have this discussion by
email. It would require a whole book, I think, to do justice to the two
viewpoints, what is behind them, and what each of our lived experiences
has been.

For me, an OST meeting can be stunningly successful during the event,
and feel so rewarding to the facilitator in the closing circle... and
then two months later be viewed as a frustrating experience by the
participants as they come head to head with the restrictions imposed on
them and the outputs of the OST meeting. While the sponsor intended for
an open discussion with action plans, the sponsor often doesn't
understand the true power of an OST meeting until it is done. And then
cannot cope with the quality and quantity of the outputs. And then the
depression from unmet expectations sets in...

There are probably as many organizations who would never have an OST
meeting again as their are those who will. I have found it interesting
to study those who will not and why.

Blessings,
Birgitt

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
Harrison Owen
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2006 11:47 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Evaluations of Open Space in Novi Sad, Serbia

Kerry wrote: "Givens are barriers to the fundamental philosophy and
values
of Open Space."

I am not so sure it is about the philosophy and values of Open Space --
although that may be true. For me it is more about the negative impact
of
self-imposed limitations for the client. For example, several years ago
I
had as a client a large Pharmaceutical company. The business on the
table
was the creation of a 5 year research plan, and all the researchers
(500)
were to be part of the process. In the lead up to the Open Space, word
came
from the planning department that no matter what else might transpire
the
new plan must include the creation of 20 new compounds. (For those who
do
not work in the industry, you should know that a compound is a new drug
which has not received approval from the FDA.) That sounded pretty much
like
a "given" to me, and I pushed them on the advisability of doing that. To
make my point, I said -- well supposing you find 21 new compounds --
would
you be unhappy? Or suppose you only found two, but it turned out that
they
were the natural successors to Lipitor and Viagra (both of which the
company
made) -- would that be too bad? They got the point, and the "given"
evaporated.

I have another and probably deeper problem with "givens." While I do
agree
that there are certain givens in life -- things fall when dropped, life
ends
when over, taxes just won't go away -- the givens I hear spoken about in
client conversations are either so obvious as to need no statement, or
else
self imposed by the management. When working with a financial
organization
it is a given that operations will be in accord with "generally accepted
accounting principles." What else?

On the subject of "management imposed givens" -- I think we are in
rather
different waters. I would call them "The Waters of Control." With any
client
that I have occasion to deal with, a primary concern is to help them to
understand that the imposition of arbitrary controls and constraints
(those
which are non-emergent from the system itself) is not only a fool's
errand,
it is usually counter-productive. It is a fool's errand simply because
Management doesn't possess the control they presume -- never did and
never
will. They can say (order, beseech, implore, beg) anything they chose.
What
will happen is always independent. I would take the realization of this
basic fact to be the essential first step on the road to becoming a
Conscious Open Space Organization -- or just a plain, old, everyday, run
of
the mill, but well functioning -- self-organizing system. 

Beyond the basic futility of seeking such control (it won't happen), the
act
of seeking it can be very detrimental. Under the best of circumstances,
the
external controls will make no difference, either because the System was
going to do it anyhow, or because the proposed controls were so far off
the
mark as to be inconsequential. In a worst case scenario the very act of
imposing control will warp and stress the system. Even with the best of
intentions no manager, or group of managers, is sufficiently perceptive
to
fully understand the operative mechanisms and relationships in their
organization. That doesn’t make them "bad" -- just human. And the danger
is
that quite inadvertently, they will throw a spanner (monkey wrench) in
the
works.

So I guess I am quite happy to talk with a client about givens -- as
long as
we can get rid of them (givens). And if they (the Givens) persist, the
space
is just not open. I guess all of this sounds rather iconoclastic and
revolutionary, but in actual fact over the 20 years that I have been
wandering Open Space there have been less than a half dozen situations
where
Givens were ever an issue. Either they appeared and were dispensed with
--
or just never showed up.

Harrison 


Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, Maryland   20854
Phone 301-365-2093
Skype hhowen
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com 
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.ho-image.com 
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of kerry
napuk
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2006 7:58 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Evaluations of Open Space in Novi Sad, Serbia

Elwin & Harrison

Write on!

Givens are barriers to the fundamental philosophy and values of Open
Space.

If a client has problems handling open discussion, maybe they should 
try some other conventional process that offers comfort through 
control.

Best regards

Kerry
Edinburgh
www.openfutures.com

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