"Failure"

Ralph Copleman rcopleman at comcast.net
Sat Nov 18 11:46:56 PST 2006


I agree with Harrison.

Open space does not ³fail².  I mean, look at what open space is: it¹s just
an expanded moment into which people place or bring...whatever.  The fact
that the overwhelming number of people who have entered the spaces we have
³opened² have had incredible experiences speaks more about our species than
it does about the ³technique².

Or perhaps it says more about the times we¹re in.

Or maybe it says something about our ability as facilitators to help a
system know when the moment has arrived to take advantage of the open space
process.  (There is no substitute for good consulting skills.)

One of the above.  Maybe all of them.

All that said, I¹ve run a number of OS meetings where there are noticeably
fewer people at the close than at the opening.  Maybe that says something
about me, but I doubt it.  Two times I can recall (among several hundred),
people have come to me and asked me to make the closing earlier, because
they were all done.  One of these was a corporate group of about 150 that
actually did manage to consolidate the afternoon sessions and complete
everything on the wall, although nobody planned it that way.  Another group
of about 20 did the same thing.  A third group consisted mostly of senior
citizens and frankly, most grew too tired by 3:00 p.m. to continue.  (I¹m
beginning to know how they feel.)

There have been several occasions when I have coached someone else to handle
all the usual opening chores and I showed up for support.  Absolute rookies
(time-honored American slang word for first-timers).  Those times the
opening has been sort of rough, unpolished, and wet with anxiety, but those
people all got through it, and the spaces opened up nicely.  This leads me
to conclude that the person doing the opening does not have to be perfect,
just clear enough on the main points and not take too long.  You¹re not
leading them into heaven, only into an open place.  If they¹re the right
people for the issues and opportunities at hand, well then... (shrugging my
shoulders).

In other words, don¹t blame yourself.

For all of you out there celebrating Thanksgiving this coming week, happy
holiday and love from central New Jersey, USA.

Ralph Copleman



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