structural adjustments to bridge cognitive gaps(was "My first time")

Tue Nov 21 11:55:16 PST 2006

Hi Raffi (et al).

Regarding Form & Ritual . . .
My practice is to meet people ‹ individually and collectively
‹ wherever they are.  So whatever the level of consciousness
of the people, organization, or culture ‹ my job is to make
the connection so that they feel heard, seen, and loved by
me.  This means that in preparation for an event or meeting,
I try to study the ³language², symbols, and artifacts of the
people, organization, or culture ‹ so that I can experience
sympathy, empathy, and compassion for them.  Thus, I
increase my capacity to communicate with, understand, and
connect with them.

My basic philosophy is simple instruction and simple form.

My only and  ³basic instruction² to the DoD participants was
to fully take responsibility for what had heart and meaning to
them; and know that they were each responsible for the quality
of their participation, and the quality of their individual and
collective experience.

If the physical space was set-up as a ³circle² then I walked
the circle.  If it was not set-up as a circle, then I just stood
in ³Presence² as if I was walking the circle.  In either case,
I would make sustained eye contact with each participant.

For ringing the Silence in and out ‹ if I had a bell handy,
I would use it.  If not, I might use a crystal glass, or even
clap my hands or snap my fingers.

Regarding Presence . . .
I always request explicit permission from the participants
to begin their engagement in the actual process, and for
me to participate with them on the learning journey.

At one level, this means that I invite the naming of concerns
with the process, and individual and collective expectations.
Thus the people begin to feel ³heard², and usually name and
establish the individual and collective ³success criteria² for
the event or meeting.

On another level, I ³hold time and space² and track the
meta-level dynamics and energy flows of the gathering ‹
intervening through inquiry when the basic instruction
is being forgotten.

And when asked or required, I directly participate in the
explorations and deliberations of the gathering ‹ with the
caveat that my primary duty is to hold time and space for
the ³Whole². 

So if I am invited to participate as an ³embedded² participant
in the gathering, then I stay in the room(s).

If I am ³facilitating² the gathering, then I leave the room(s)
and scan for meta-level dynamics and energy flows.

That is how things worked with the DoD.

Regarding Check-In and Commitments . . .
The simplest ³look² was the inquiry around what people concisely
needed to ³be aware of² ‹ both individually and collectively ‹
during the gathering.

For ³Check-In², people typically would start-in by perceived order
of urgency, and would speak in pop-corn order until finished.
Sometimes, the impulse of the group was to explicitly go around
the ³circle² order.  Whatever people seemed called to is how I did it.
No preference.  No talking stick (authority object).  The insights that
were shared were documented in the minutes or report of the gathering.

³Commitments² would be spoken of as individual and/or collective
³I wills², and were recorded as ³Action Items² of the meeting or gathering.
At the DoD, there was a cultural agreement that these commitments were
³binding².

I hope this helps !

Mark R. Jones
Chief Executive Officer
The Sunyata Group
The Integral Wellness Group
----------------------------------------------------------------------
PO Box 58788
Renton, Washington
USA 98058-1788
Phone:      425-413-6000
e-Mail:      mark.r.jones at sunyata.ws
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Raffi Aftandelian <raffi at BK.RU>
Reply-To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2006 03:40:52 -0700
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Subject: structural adjustments to bridge cognitive gaps(was "My first
time")

Hi Mark, (and hi all!)

Your Department of Defense example was very helpful in demonstrating how an
OST invitation can be made culturally and cognitively accessible.

In the case, Mark, I am curious about a number of things in your experience
with DoD:

1. Form and ritual- Did you use temple bells at the opening? Could you
explain your choice to use or not use the bells? Did you walk the circle,
talk about butterflies and bumblebees in the opening?

More directly, I am asking about whether in an ostensibly "stiff" corporate
culture, do you still ensure that the walk of the healer and the hero are
part of the opening even though that may bring on cognitive dissonance?

2. Presence- In the DoD example did you leave the room after the opening or
at some other point for an extended period? (more potential for cognitive
dissonance).

I guess all of these questions could be reframed as: Does you adapting the
structure of an OST invitation extend into making changes to its form to
make the meeting more cognitively accessible?

3. The OST check-in and commitments. What does that look like? Is that
circle work using a talking stick?

Thanks much!
raffi
_______________________________________
Date:         Tue, 14 Nov 2006 13:39:09 -0800
Reply-To:     OSLIST <[log in to unmask]>
Sender:       OSLIST <[log in to unmask]>
From:         "Mark R. Jones" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: My first time
In-Reply-To:  <004601c70794$396bf880$0100a8c0 at WINSTON>
Content-type: multipart/alternative;

Hi Winston. Over the years, a some of us that were conducting the
³living in Open Space² experiments began to invite OS participants
to a state of ³Presence² through ³Check-In² processes.
The ³Check-In² process is any intentional act of individual and
collective "attunement" that brings the participants into clarity and
harmony with what they perceive as the higher aspirations, expectations, and
needs of Self, Others, and The Whole + in the context of the OS gathering. I
typically start the ³Check-In² process with 2 4 minutes of
³Silence² + punctuated beginning and end by a bell. The
participants contemplate the ³Calling Question² and how what they
are currently experiencing in their lives informs their understanding of the
³Calling Question² and their participation in the OS. The insights
of the process are then publicly shared + either in the Whole, or in small
groups (typically diads). In a formal meeting setting, this means also
reporting any information that one has that has material and/or insightful
relevance to the Whole. The functional objective of the ³Check-In²
process is to provoke the participants to be aware of, and responsive to,
their own current states, intentions, and impacts, and the current states,
intentions, and impacts of the others participants. This is an action of
entraining ones own responses and receptivity to the responses and
receptivity of other people. In this context, it is a conscious decision to
regulate and possibly alter ones behaviors and communications in order to
achieve a greater sense of interconnection with others and a ³Shared
Purpose². Does this explanation provide sufficient clarification? Mark
R. Jones Chief Executive Officer The Sunyata Group The Integral Wellness
Group

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