OST for Office Conflict. Yes or No?

[Elwin and Joan]

Dear Zelle, Brendan, Michael P., Chris, Kerry, Birgitt, Jaime and
Michael H.,

Much love and thanks to each of you for the incredibly helpful
comments, suggestions and questions you replied with. Your support
represents the true nature of Open Space and warms my heart and feeds
my Spirit.

I am going full speed ahead with Open Space and have dropped the “Team
Building” theme and replaced it with one that invites the participants
to “explore ways to bring joy and satisfaction to the workday!”

I’ll let you know what happens. Be prepared to be...... aw you know the
rest! :-)

eg

Elwin Guild
Future Development International
Baltimore


--- Zelle Nelson <zelle at knowplacelikehome.com> wrote:

> Hello Elwin,
> 
> I have facilitated an Open Space where one of the resulting actions  
> was a key person leaving a position of leadership and the group.
> 
> I did not know about the conflict going into the os - I was actually 
> 
> filling in for Chris Weaver when a family need came up for him which 
> 
> conflicted with the scheduled os.
> 
> The situation i was in seems different, but I'll offer my story:
> 
> The group was a 12 member council putting together a conference in  
> North Carolina called Earth Spirit Rising. I found out later - a year
>  
> or two - that there were several people in the group who had done  
> some pretty powerful group processes in their lifetimes, a real  
> asset. One of the members, a man who had done a great deal of primary
>  
> groundwork on the project and was deeply invested, was in conflict  
> with some of the other members, and was having some personal issues  
> to deal with on his own.
> 
> Right from the beginning after opening the space the issue of the  
> conflict between the man I mentioned and the group flared up. Some of
>  
> the group wanted this man to leave, others had tacit support for him,
>  
> and others wanted the best for the project and the conference, and  
> the man was conflicted himself about whether he wanted to leave or  
> not, but at the beginning was resisting being thrown out. Everyone  
> turned to me to directly facilitate the conflict, and I told them  
> that it was now there meeting, their passion, their responsibility to
>  
> deal with the most pressing issues as adults. And I left the room,  
> essentially opening more space.
> 
> It was hard to leave the room and let them proceed without me, but it
>  
> was the best thing I could have done.
> 
> I returned after about an hour to see how they were doing. They  
> survived, they self-organized. The man in the center of the conflict 
> 
> ended up deciding it was best for him and the group to leave the  
> project. The group as a whole created and dealt with an exit plan/ 
> transition strategy.
> 
> And then a beautiful, powerful moment unfolded as the group designed 
> 
> a parting ritual that took place in the middle of the circle, with  
> the man in the center surrounded in circle by the rest of the group. 
> 
> And they thanked him for his contribution and together they found  
> healing.
> 
> I don't know what will happen with your project, but I've found Open 
> 
> Space to provide a very powerful container for conflict, drama,  
> passion and responsibility.
> 
> So, whatever you decide to do, prepare to be surprised!
> 
> with grace and love,
> 
> Zelle
> 
> Zelle Nelson
> Know Place Like Home/Engaging the Soul at Work/State of Grace Document
> 
> www.knowplacelikehome.com
> www.engagingthesoulatwork.com
> www.stateofgracedocument.com
> 
> zelle at knowplacelikehome.com
> 
> work/home: (001) 828.693.0802
> mobile: (001) 847.951.7030
> 
> Isle of Skye
> 2021 Greenville Hwy
> Flat Rock, NC 28731
> USA
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Aug 29, 2006, at 5:31 PM, Elwin and Joan wrote:
> 
> > Dear Colleagues,
> >
> > A few days back, while I was on assignment in Ethiopia, a
> consulting
> > firm I have long association with emailed to say they needed me to
> > cover a 2 day management training and team building job with a US  
> > Gov’t
> > office in DC.
> >
> > Fair enough I thought. The consulting firm knows me well and our
> > history together has always been one of success.
> >
> > I asked for and received a Statement of Work (SOW) that was the
> usual
> > referencing of interactive approaches to building cooperation,
> respect
> > and a sense of teamwork.
> >
> > Based on the SOW, I wrote a proposal for a 1 1/2 day Open Space
> > conference with the theme, “Looking for Opportunities to Improve
> Our
> > Teamwork”.
> >
> > The proposal was accepted by the client.
> >
> >  I am now Stateside. I just talked with the client and things look
> > pretty ugly.
> >
> > I now  know the “real” interest in this exercise is to get rid of
> one
> > or two of the office employees. These two people are viewed by a
> new
> > management (my clients) as subversives, if not terrorists. The new 
> 
> > boss
> > wants them “gone.”
> >
> > In 5 days I am scheduled to do this Open Space with six employees
> > including the boss.
> >
> > I am not at all reluctant to change my proposal and do my “hard
> hat”
> > management consultant routine.
> >
> >  On the other hand this might be a perfect OST opportunity.
> >
> > What say you?
> >
> > eg
> >
> >
> > Elwin Guild
> > Future Development International
> > Baltimore
> > elwinandjoan at yahoo.com
> >
> > *
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