Freedom Shock

[Harrison Owen]

I think I might be blamed for the phrase Freedom Shock. At least I used it
in an early book to describe the reaction of a very bright, experienced
group of professionals who had suddenly been granted everything they wanted
with no strings attached, and it seemed to terrify them. The situation
involved a program I ran in the late 70's for senior level health care
executives who were about ready to take the leap to top positions, such as
the head of Blue Cross or Surgeon General. Such people had all the academic
degrees anybody might wish for and typically had a large amount of
on-the-ground experience. Yet it was quite clear that there was an enormous
difference between being part of the team (even head of a large institution)
and the very public and demanding role they were about to assume. And there
was precious little margin for error when the need for decision arose in
their new situation - and even less time for learning.  

Under the auspices of the Veterans Administration (which among other things
supplies health care for US veterans in some 350 hospitals) I devised a
program for a small select group (10) in which they were essentially given a
2 year sabbatical with full pay and "wandering around money" in which to
become familiar with the larger aspects of the American Health Care System.
The only requirement was that they do "something useful."

To give the program a little shape, we recruited a Board of Governors which
included virtually all of the then senior health care executives - such
people as the Surgeon General, Assistant Secretary for Health, the Chair
persons of the House and Senate Health committees, etc). This was a real
"working board" and twice a year we gathered to identify and define "the
major issues and opportunities facing the American health care system."
(sound familiar?) We didn't use Open Space as I hadn't had the special
martinis as yet  -- but we definitely had the flavor. The "Issues and
Opportunities List" effectively became the "curriculum" for the program, and
the participants (Scholars as we called them) had only to "do something
useful" with any issue, subset or combination of issues. The Scholars would
make a proposal, and with Board Approval, they were off to the races. No
strings attached - just do something useful.

Some three months into the program, the first group of Scholars called for a
special meeting with me. The substantive complaint was that I was not doing
my job, and more specifically, there was no structure for the program.
Seemed like they were being asked to take responsibility for themselves, and
they didn't like it. :-)

I had heard something of the complaint, and in preparation for the meeting I
prepared my resignation. After things got started, I laid the resignation on
the table, and invited anybody to pick it up. It just lay there, and we went
on to other subjects. And I sat there scratching my head, wondering at the
strange phenomenon I called Freedom Shock. Here were an outstanding group of
individuals, with massive amounts of credentials and experience who
seemingly became terrified with absence of limits - or the presence of real
freedom for which they and they alone were responsible. 

Subsequently I have noticed the same reaction in multiple places. It always
surprises me, but it probably shouldn't. The appropriate response I have
found is to note the presence, talk about it, and move on. Folks inevitably
do (or not).

Harrison

Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, Maryland   20854
Phone 301-365-2093
Skype hhowen
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com <http://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
<http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html> 



*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html

To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist