Travel Log / Asia

Harrison Owen hhowen at verizon.net
Tue Nov 14 06:30:32 PST 2006


Home at last after 24000 miles in three weeks with 10 major presentations
(including 4 two day programs) I can report that Open Space is indeed alive
and well in Asia and becoming more so. I can't quite say the same for myself
- although I am definitely alive, more or less well, and very grateful for
my own bed.

Festivities began in Japan under the auspices of a marvelous small
consulting group, Human Values. Specializing in organizational learning,
they have for some 25 years made a specialty of exploring the world of new
ideas and bringing them to their clients in Japan. Two years ago a small
search group showed up on my door to ask about Open Space. They were a very
bright, young and dedicated crew who had clearly done their homework. We
spent some five hours in intense conversation and then they disappeared down
the Beltway heading towards Dulles Airport - but in the wrong direction. I
felt rather helpless as I watched them go, but figured they might see their
error before they reached Baltimore, some 40 miles north, and they needed to
go south! Obviously they did get straightened out and some months later I
received an invitation to speak at a conference they were hosting in Japan.
The predicted audience was 150 folks, but on the great day there were pretty
close to 400. It seemed like something was happening.

The return visit this year was just wonderful. For the first two days it was
just the Human Values people and I in sort of an Open Space on Open Space
format. They had done several Open Spaces prior to my arrival and so there
were lots of good questions to explore. During the next two days we were
going to be joined by 30 of the Human Values' clients for the program,
"Opening Space for High Performance." So just to add a little more focus to
our two days together we used it to look forward to and prepare for the
arrival of the clients. I remember one of the discussion groups was about
"inclusion" activities that might ease the way for the soon-to-arrive
clients. There were lots of thoughts and plans, but I think the group was a
little surprised when I suggested that doing "inclusion activities" might
just be a waste of time as new comers seemed to assimilate very quickly. In
fact I made a prediction that by noon of our first day with the clients
there would be no observable difference between the groups. Turned out to be
the case - One more thing not to do!

The client group was quite remarkable, consisting of senior consultants and
executives from some of Japan's premier organizations. The president of
Human Values expressed some anxiety about the clients' willingness and
ability to fully enter into Open Space, given the nature of Japanese
culture. I made bold to suggest (with a smile on my face) that should it
turn out that the Japanese were unable to survive and profit in Open Space,
Japan would be the only country out of 124 where this was the case. I am not
sure I convinced him, but the clients surely did. Once off and running the
whole thing just flowed, and when we got to the Talking Stick and closing
circle (beautifully facilitated by Emi Hota, a member of Human Values) it
sounded like a non-stop testimonial for OS.

On to Taiwan!  I was enthusiastically greeted at the Taipei Airport by Laura
Hsu, Managing, Director of Open-Quest the sponsoring organization. So
enthusiastically in fact that multiple heads turned to see what the rumpus
was all about. I knew instantaneously that I was in the company of one high
energy lady. But in truth, I didn't know the half of it. On the following
day we set off (6 wonderful woman and me :-)) for a non stop tour of Taiwan.
Catching an early flight to the southern end of the island arriving in time
for a marvelous lunch with Laura's parents (did I say that I LOVE Chinese
cuisine?) followed by an intense discussion with a professor at the local
university and then an evening presentation (Opening Space for Innovation).
On the morning it was into a van for a 4 hour drive north and another
presentation that night. At the crack of dawn it was back to the van and on
to Taipei for an afternoon presentation, followed several hours later by the
start of the two day program, "Opening Space for High Performance."
Wheeew!!!

The two day program was a wonder. There were friends old and new from Taiwan
in addition to a marvelous group from Korea that had come over for the
occasion. (Next year Korea?) The high points were too numerous to mention,
but one really stuck out in my mind. In talking about the flow state
achieved regularly in Open Space, as indeed any well-functioning self
organizing system, I used one of my favorite quotes from Sun Tsu, a Chinese
General writing 2600 years ago in "The Art of War." In part it reads, "Thus
the army does not maintain any constant configuration, water has no constant
shape. One who is able to change and transform in accord with the enemy and
wrest victory is called spiritual." Obviously the good general is writing
about war and armies, which may make some uncomfortable - but an army is
surely an organization and when truly effective it flows in an organic
manner - like water. I read this in English, and the translators were
obviously having some difficulty getting it back into Chinese. Suddenly a
young man stood up in the room and recited the passage from memory - in the
original Classic Mandarin! A remarkable tour de force, which most people in
the room could not understand until it was translated again into modern
Chinese. Who says Open Space is new?

After a day's much needed rest Dragon Air whisked me to Hong Kong and
Southern China. Karen Kim, Director of Leadership Inc - my hostess met me at
the airport. But I was not the man I used to be. When I left the plane my
hat remained in the overhead compartment - only to be remembered as I was
half way through a very long queue at immigration. I thought about going
back - but only thought. So I guess I must now be known as the
man-without-the-hat. Once again, all things pass.

My visit to China was a marvelous experience of living in Open Space. For a
variety of reasons, having nothing to do with the efforts and intentions of
my hosts, I came knowing virtually nothing about what I was really supposed
to do. It seems that the Government of China has taken certain steps to
restrict email flow and virtually all of our communications prior to arrival
disappeared in some obscure corner of cyberspace. True I did have dates and
places, and also titles for the various efforts - but I knew nothing of who
might be coming or what they expected. The titles were intriguing and
suggested areas that I thought I could handle, but I had never quite been
there before. At such a moment there seemed nothing to do but remember the
2nd Principle: Whatever happens is the only thing that could have. 

Whatever anxiety I may have been suffering from was quickly dispelled by the
warm hospitality of Karen and Mark Pixley (Karen's partner at Leadership
Inc.). Marvelous folks manifest at the appointed times and places and Open
Space did its usual magic. The final program occurred on the mainland,
sponsored by a large electronics firm. Over 100 participants came from a
variety of industries. Some concern was expressed as to whether the Chinese
would take to Open Space - but as usual those concerns were entirely
unfounded. Which shouldn't come as any surprise, for after all some Chinese
had been living in and thinking about open space for at least 2600 years if
the writing of Sun Tsu is any indication. 

Back to the good old US of A - albeit with an extra day in San Francisco
thanks to a small "oops" by United. And back into my own bed. Three weeks'
adventure with fabulous people certainly goes to the top of the charts. But
when all is said and done, nothing beats crawling into your own bed. And of
course it was nice to see my wife, Ethelyn, along with Curtis the cat. :-)


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 
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