Evaluations of Open Space in Novi Sad, Serbia
kerry napuk
k at napuk.demon.co.uk
Mon Apr 3 04:58:21 PDT 2006
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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>From Mon Apr 3 11:19:32 2006
Message-Id: <MON.3.APR.2006.111932.0400.>
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 11:19:32 -0400
Reply-To: birgitt at dalarinternational.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Birgitt Williams <birgitt at dalarinternational.com>
Organization: Dalar International Consultancy
Subject: Re: Evaluations of Open Space in Novi Sad, Serbia
In-Reply-To: <a06020409c056bcf52788@[80.176.234.159]>
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Hi Kerry,
An interesting perspective on givens. Are they truly barriers to the
fundamental philosophy and values of OST? There is no attempt regarding
the use of givens to restrict open discussion. In fact, I don't think it
is possible to restrict open discussion. If open discussion cannot
happen formally in the organization, it will happen in the ladies
restroom, the parking lot and so on. I have never witnessed 'givens'
restricting the discussion at all. However, in an intact organization,
once the OST meeting is completed, life usually goes on. And this is
what the 'givens' are really about. What is the organization really
opening the space for in the organization to have changed. Ideally, it
would be anything. But this is not usually corporate reality. Ongoing
inspiration, workforce 'buy-in', motivation for action are very high
when the people see tangible results from their investment in an OST
meeting. The authenticity about the 'givens' identifies where the space
is open in the organization for expectations to have their best chance
of fulfillment.
Our statistics in this Genuine Contact program way of working with OST
speak volumes. Please note that we facilitate the actual OST meeting in
the same way that we were taught to do so by Harrison. Our difference is
how we work with OST in the intact organization. For example, Norton and
Kaplan published by Harvard Business Press cite that 70-90% of strategic
directions fail to be executed. In the way that we work with OST, which
includes clear authentic givens, planning meeting(s), the OST meeting
itself, a debrief meeting, and a 4-6 months out accountability meeting,
we have demonstrated a track record of over 90% of strategic plans done
this way being executed. A total turn around from the industry results.
And we are very proud of it.
My perspective of OST and how to work with it was shaped dramatically in
1992 when I started using OST in the organization for which I was the
senior staff person responsible and accountable for our organization's
performance. I have long appreciated the benefits I received from this
perspective and how to work with frequent use of OST for great success
in the long term of the organization.
Blessings,
Birgitt
-----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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>From Mon Apr 3 11:47:06 2006
Message-Id: <MON.3.APR.2006.114706.0400.>
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 11:47:06 -0400
Reply-To: hhowen at verizon.net
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>
Organization: HH Owen and Co.
Subject: Re: Evaluations of Open Space in Novi Sad, Serbia
In-Reply-To: <a06020409c056bcf52788@[80.176.234.159]>
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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
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 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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>From Mon Apr 3 12:19:36 2006
Message-Id: <MON.3.APR.2006.121936.0400.>
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 12:19:36 -0400
Reply-To: birgitt at dalarinternational.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Birgitt Williams <birgitt at dalarinternational.com>
Organization: Dalar International Consultancy
Subject: Re: Evaluations of Open Space in Novi Sad, Serbia
In-Reply-To: <000401c65735$df5ee820$6400a8c0 at harrison>
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
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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
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 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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