Camps. Gatherings & Un-conferences

Michael Herman michael at michaelherman.com
Fri Aug 25 14:47:27 PDT 2006


there is a history to foo, harrison.  of course.  ted and some others
may know it better than i.  as i recall somebody decided to have a
'camp' and invite a bunch of friends.  i think that he ran in pretty
open, except the second year, he shaved the invite list down a little,
or somebody was accidentally left off... anyway that somebody decided
to have his own camp.  Foo was, i think, Friends of O___ and Bar Camp
was the new rival.  Foo and Bar have some history in programming as
some sort of default variables.  anyway, as it turns out, Bar
organizer eventually got an invitation to Foo2 and attended that.  Bar
camp went on without him, and continues.  The other techie "camps" are
spinoffs from these.  Many, if not most, have been done in something
like open space, but not quite exactly open space, if i remember
right.  maybe Ted or Diana or others can correct where i've got this
tale twisted.

michael



On 8/25/06, Harrison Owen <hhowen at adelphia.net> wrote:
>
>
> I think the most recent new name for Open Space is "Foo Camp" or at least
> that is how the Editors of Nature titled the gathering at the Googleplex for
> the Bloggie set. If anybody is interested in all that (Nature that is) go to
> http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v442/n7105/full/442848a.html
>
>
> We have been called a lot of things -- but "Foo Camp"? Oh well, when you do
> something as weird as Open Space, I guess you can't complain about the
> Press. But I did feel some obligation to help the Editors out of the
> darkness of their ignorance. :-) Cheeky of me, I admit. See Below --
>
>
> To the Editors of Nature:
>
>
> I totally enjoyed your recent editorial, "Foo's Paradise, and salute your
> interest and effort in promoting greater participation. You and your readers
> may also be interested in knowing that mode of meeting which happened at the
> Googleplex, while perhaps new for that community, is by no means new. And,
> perhaps of greater importantance, is easily repeatable and free for the
> asking.
>
> The approach to meeting is known as Open Space Technology, which I
> originated some 20 years ago. Since then it has been used in excess of
> 60,000 times in 120 countries around the world with groups ranging in size
> from 5 to over 2000. Users have included major global corporations,
> governments, NGOs, communities, and more recently the "Techie Community."
> What happened in Mountain View is the typical experience: diverse people
> energetically interact to produce exciting and innovative solutions. This
> seems to happen every time, and perhaps more remarkably, it seems to happen
> pretty much all by itself. There is no pre-set agenda and little
> facilitation. The people do it all themselves.
>
> Were one to ask how it could be possible that a group of 200 (or 2000) could
> move from a standing start to intense and productive interaction with only,
> as you say, a "brief introduction" (typically 15 minutes or less), the only
> reasonable explanation that I have come up with is that the remarkable force
> of self-organization is the culprit. Assuming this to be correct, I and my
> colleagues worldwide have felt priviledged to have had front row seats in a
> marvelous 20 year natural experiment exploring the phenomenon of
> self-organization is human systems.
>
> Should you wish to know more, you might check out a brief paper I wrote some
> years ago http://openspaceworld.com/emergent_order.htm  I
> have also written a number of books in the area.
>
> I mentioned above that Open Space is "free for the asking." For a variety of
> reasons I never trademarked or copyrighted the approach, mostly I think
> because it is very simple and very effective and therefore should be in the
> public domain. In short, you can't buy it, but you can use it. To get
> started, you will probably find my book, "Open Space Technology: A User's
> Guide" (Berrett-Koehler) to be of assistance.
>
> Thanks again for a marvelous editorial and let me know if I can be of any
> assistance.
>
>
> Sincerely
>
>
> Harrison Owen
>
>
>
> Harrison Owen
> 7808 River Falls Dr.
> Potomac, MD  20854
> USA
> 301-365-2093
> 207-763-3261 (summer)
> website www.openspaceworld.com
> Personal Website www.ho-image.com
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Diana Larsen
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Sent: Friday, August 25, 2006 2:16 PM
> Subject: Camps. Gatherings & Un-conferences
>
> Hi,
>
> I've seen notices of gatherings where people will come together under
> an Open Space self-organizing process called variously Camps,
> Gatherings, Conferences and Unconferences.
>
> I'm intrigued. What other names have folks given an Open Space
> conference-type event besides Open Space?
>
> Curiously,
> Diana
>
> Diana Larsen
> co-author, _Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great_ (Pragmatic
> Bookshelf, 2006)
> www.futureworksconsulting.com
> 503-288-3550
>
> Upcoming: "Secrets of Agile Teamwork: Beyond Technical Skills"
> public workshop, Dec. 5-7, 2006. Contact me for more information.
>
> Need to unleash the potential for innovation in your organization?
> Check out the programs at:
> http://www.cxoforum.com/
>
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-- 

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
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Chicago IL 60610 USA
Phone: 312-280-7838
michael at michaelherman.com

skype: globalchicago

http://www.michaelherman.com
http://www.openspaceworld.org

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the most important things done in
the easiest possible ways.

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