great success for Open Space in the Netherlands

Patricia Haines levelgreen at kaxy.com
Tue Mar 14 05:04:26 PST 2006


Carla: there's actually a quite large body of research and theory that Open Space would fit with,
just as Future Searches do - check the Cornell Participatory Action Research Network website - may
be distinct from Cornell as PARNet.com by now; that was the plan last fall but I've not kept up with
status.

The self-organization is also akin to the core theoretical premise in the field of adult education,
which is that folks - and this goes for all ages, not just what our culture considers "adults" -
have the capacity to identify and find solutions to dilemmas in their individual and collective
lives. In the Adult Edn tradition that I espouse, the 'educator' is a facilitator, not a "sage on
the stage" or expert. This premise runs through most AE evaluations and reports, including those
from UNESCO and the World Bank - though what 'participation' actually means in practice with World
Bank et al is problematic.

----- Original Message -----
From: Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Sent:         Tue, 14 Mar 2006 08:11:20 -0500
Subject: Re: great success for Open Space in the Netherlands

> Carla wrote: "- why does Open Space work? (those academic boys and girls
> over ?here want to know something about theoretical background and start
> looking very upset as I told them that it just works)."
> 
> Good work Carla! As to why OS works I believe the answer is --
> Self-organization. I have spelled out the details in a number of places
> including, "Expanding Our Now," "The Power of Spirit" (Both published by
> Berrett-Koehler) Also in "The Practice of Peace" -- with a final effort in
> my forthcoming (I think) book -- which at this point is called "In Pursuit
> of High Performance." There is no publisher for this -- and it will be a
> while before I get far enough to look for one. You might also check an
> article I did several years ago for the OD "Practitioner" I suspect they
> have it on their website, but my version of the piece will be found at
> http://www.openspaceworld.com/emergent_order.htm 
> 
> There are a lot of things that are strange (different) about OS, but from
> the Academics' point of view one of the most disturbing is that it started
> as a practice and went in search of a theory. This is precisely the reverse
> of what "should" have happened, they seem to think. And if you are actually
> looking for the origin of Open Space (at least my part in Open Space) you
> will find it in the bottom of two Martini Glasses. True story! Sounds pretty
> bad, but then again Penicillin was discovered in the bottom of dirty dishes.
> 
> 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 Vliex,
> Carla (cvl)
> Sent: Monday, March 13, 2006 6:13 PM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: great succes for Open Space in the Netherlands
> 
> Hi all
>  
> Last week we had a meeting with about 20 OD consultants in the Netherlands.
> Some who lecture about OD at University, some who do research on OD and some
> who work as OD consultants (like me).  I was invited to write an article an
> how Open Space works and why it works according to my experinces with Open
> Space. I used many of the things I have read over the years on the list! 
> The article is going to be published in juni in one of our more prestige
> journals (for the dutch: Management en Organisatie).  And there will be a
> national congres on Open Space and other inteventions who really are
> interactive (appreciative inquiry, Future Search, and much much more) 
>  
> I was very honoured not only to be asked but that Open Space is goging to be
> even more 'hot' in the Netherlands. 
>  
> So if there are some reflections on the the next two items, it would help me
> very much to rewrite some parts of the article:
> - why does Open Space work? (those academic boys and girls over ?here want
> to know something about theoretical background and start looking very upset
> as I told them that it just works).
>  
> - as Harrison wrote in his book Open Space; exapanding our now, Open Space
> has very ancient backgrounds (meeting in a cirkel, breathing, starting en
> ending 'time' and son on). What is more to say about these ancient ways of
> meeting? 
>  
> Anything or everything is welcome
>  
> warm regards
> Carla 
> 
> 
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that can." - Margaret Mead

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