Not so frequently told stories

[Lisa Heft]

I smile.
 
Tree wrote:
<the fact that you mentioned that you are going to be 'pitching' OS to a
(prospective?) client made me think of a conversation I had with Lisa
Heft, aka Access Queen, while standing in line to take a shower at a
small conference last spring. Lisa was effervescing, as she is wont to
do, and she said with a lovely giggle and a twinkle in her eye that she
sometimes felt like telling clients and/or prospective clients that only
her most evolved, most sophisticated, most cutting-edge clients used OS.
Open space, she opined dramatically, is not for everyone only the most
forward thinking.  I paraphrase Lisa and I am probably smooshing in a
comment or two from Christina Whitney Sanchez who was also ahead of me
in that shower line.>
 
Can you just picture me, Tree, Christine and Claudia Haack taking a
shower at a small conference?
 
Can you imagine a small conference with one workshop being just a big
shower?  I mean, you get all your best ideas in the shower, don't you?
 
Actually, we were standing around all with towels on our heads, I think,
as we were 'hanging out' in the bathroom (even more interesting, eh?) at
our lovely homestay while we attended the "Turtles" gathering last year.
4 girls looking very glamorous in our bathrobes and head wraps.
 
That's another whole workshop - fashion tips with towels.
 
Yep, Ms. Tree, that's what I do indeed tell people- that I only get to
work with visionaries, for those are the people who invite Open Space
into their organizations or communities - who realize that when they let
go of control and invite self-organization, it unleashes wisdom and
spirit and better outcomes.
 
I do say that the times Open Space has not worked.have been when it has
been the wrong tool for the job.  Or when it was ill-designed, for
example when someone used OS in a very short timeframe without thinking
or knowing that if it was very high conflict work people really need two
days (this is often true no matter what the method).  So again - bad
choice of tools or design.  Or when someone did not *trust the process*
(our 'mantra') and decided they had to come in and intervene or throw
another process in there right in the middle to 'fix' for people.  Or
when (once again, a design and tools choice issue) when someone designed
(for example) action planning in the OS when really it was only the core
team that was interested in this as an outcome -- but the participants
really came just for (and were well served by) networking and community
building.  
 
Most of these things are the same whether for OS or for other methods we
use - careful attention to pre-work, realistic choice of methods, design
of the time, invitation to all the people who can affect, are served by,
use or might be impacted by the situation/problem/solution.  When it's
the right tool for what you need to do.when you do the pre-work, design
and invitation thoughtfully and thoroughly.
 
Amazing amazing amazing.as you well know.
 
.but then, I effervesce. ;o)
 
Cheers, Lisa
 
 
___________________________
L i s a   H e f t
Consultant, Facilitator, Educator
O p e n i n g  S p a c e
2325 Oregon
Berkeley, California
94705-1106   USA
+01 510 548-8449
lisaheft at openingspace.net
www.openingspace.net 
 
 
 

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