Is anything possible?

Tue Apr 4 05:01:33 PDT 2006

Chris – I am sure that in terms of pure numbers, Corporations are the least
likely to willingly enter Open Space, for all the reasons you enumerate. I
can also understand why, given a limited amount of time and energy you would
choose to concentrate your efforts on communities and community based
organizations. However, I would not give up on the corporations for two
reasons. First, they desperately need what Open Space has to offer, and the
fact that they are hesitant says more (in my view) about their limited
understanding of the world than it does about Open Space. Their need could
just be an interesting side bar on the day’s news, but I don’t think so. For
better or worse, corporations are us, and also have a massive impact on who
we are and our future. The second reason --  It is actually fun to work with
them and can be very productive. Watching a group do a highly complex and
technical project in two days which they “knew” would take several years is
a real turn on for me. But I have learned one thing in working with the
corporate folks – don’t beg, don’t sell, just be available when they run out
of options. At a point where they know that they have nowhere else to turn
to and nothing to loose, Open Space doesn’t look all that risky. After all –
when the risk is ultimate, there is ultimately no risk. Don’t give up on
these folks, they are human beings too. And whenever I have the chance, I
take it. Next week I have another chance with 30 CEOS of global corporations
and Deans of Business Schools – Theme is “Preparing Globally Responsible
Corporate Leaders.” And it is all in Open Space.

Harrison

Harrison Owen

7808 River Falls Drive

Potomac, Maryland   20854

Phone 301-365-2093

Skype hhowen

Open Space Training  <http://www.openspaceworld.com/> www.openspaceworld.com

Open Space Institute  <http://www.openspaceworld.org/>
www.openspaceworld.org

Personal website  <http://www.ho-image.com/> www.ho-image.com 

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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Chris
Corrigan
Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2006 1:50 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Is anything possible?

I have been finding lately that in the world of business, government and big
organizations, people are much less likely to let go of control than in
community settings.  Corporations exist to stabilize and protect things:
assets, property, ideas, money, reputations...they are all about control.
Communities are messy, evolutionary, out of control and chaordic.   I find
that Open Space works beautifully in community settings, and works great in
organizations where you are all about building a community, or where the
leaders understand that the real way anything happens in the organization is
if you view the whole enterprise as a big messy community, in which the
agency of all contributes to the bigger good.  In general, you will find
very few people in corporations willing to take this risk, but in
communities, for the most part, this is how people operate. 

I've given up on the holy grail of using OST in Fortune 500 settings to help
groups of IT managers find innovative work processes, for example.  It's
certainly possible there, and applicable and probably improves the world in
some small way.  But I've seen OST animate community action on poverty,
sustainability, rights, suicide, drug addiction, homelessness, food
security, economic development and child welfare.  I've seen people who have
nearly nothing find a true sense of power and purpose in the process.  So
I've taken to using it in places where it makes a huge difference in the
lives of people and communities, and I hold this arena in high regard,
because the people who take risks here do so with everything on the line,
and in some cases, everything means their life. 

Dee Hock's quote is about living and life.  People live and die in
communities every day.  If they are willing to bring that richness of
experience to work in the corporations and organizations that exist all over
the place, Open Space will follow them in there and do all kinds of great
things.  But it will not make magic for folks who don't want to truly
experience the naked terror of "Is anything possible?" 

Cheers,

Chris

On 4/3/06, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:

Thomas -- I hear what you are saying, and I can certainly understand why
certain executives would want to hold onto some "givens" (which I read as
"controls"). And these are the same people who want certainties and 
guarantees. The only problem is there are no certainties, no guarantees in
this life. There never have been, and there never will be. Yes, of course,
there is one -- Life will end. But in the interim between beginning and 
ending -- everything is at risk, everything is uncertain. And that, of
course is both the joy and terror of living. Dee Hock of Chaordic
Organization fame has a nice phrase (amongst many) in his book. Dee was also

the CEO of one of the world's largest corporations: Visa International. Goes
like --

"Life is not about control. It's not about getting. It's not about having.
It's not about knowing. It's not even about being. Life is eternal, 
perpetual becoming, or it is nothing. Becoming is not a thing to be known,
commanded, or controlled. It is a magnificent, mysterious odyssey to be
experienced."

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 Thomas
Herrmann
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2006 5:35 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Is anything possible?

Dear friends in Open Space
I am wondering where you find those leaders in organizations and 
corporations who are willing to support whatever will emerge from an
OS-meeting? Unfortunately my experience is that this level of trust is very
hard to find. I´ve also experienced leaders closing the space down, which 
could have been avoided if they had had some givens to hold on to.

I always do my best to give the sponsor the possibility to make an informed
decision about if they think OST is the meeting format they´d like to use. 
Using the concept of givens, I think makes it possible for the sponsor to
open authentic space within the reality of that organization. Well, as
he/she who is accountable perceives that reality anyway.

Then of course it is important work to minimize the givens! And next time 
there may be fewer...

But this question is not easy, if we´d have had an OS-meeting 15 years ago
in Gothenburg about making the town internationally known, building an East
Indiaman at a cost of 500 000 000 SEK would probably have been far exceeding

any thinkable givens....now it is on its journey to China!

So the question may be - is anything possible? And are the persons in charge
willing to take responsibility for whatever happens - without any givens? I 
agree there is a difference when working focusing primarily within an
organization where someone is in charge - or thinks he/she is in charge.

I have a given tomorrow morning, have to get up early so:
Warmest regards and good night 
Thomas Herrmann         Phone +46 (0)709-98 97 81
Open Space Consulting   Fax   +46 (0)300-713 89
Pensévägen 4
434 46 Kungsbacka, Sweden
Email: thomas at openspaceconsulting.com 
www.openspaceconsulting.com

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-- 
CHRIS CORRIGAN 
Consultation - Facilitation
Open Space Technology

Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com  <http://www.chriscorrigan.com> 
Open Space Resources:  http://tinyurl.com/r94tj * *
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