an interesting meeting in Berlin]
Harrison Owen
hhowen at adelphia.net
Mon Sep 4 13:45:20 PDT 2006
Nancy -- I guess I don't see this as a matter of "bias" -- but rather -- long experience and firm conviction. That some people possess great and valuable stores of knowledge is a certainty. And you are certainly correct, the really good ones are exquisitely sensitive to their limitations. However, my experience has been that the rate of transfer of useful knowledge from the "experts" to the lives and situations of the "people" has typically be quite slow, made all the more so by the fact that it is often presumed that the people are ignorant and have nothing to contribute. The expert may in fact have the "answer", but unless it fits with some question of existential concern with the people, that "answer" is of doubtful value and limited application. The situation radically improves when effective dialogue takes place -- the sort of dialogue which recognizes that ALL participants are useful and needed, and all are "expert" in their own peculiar and unique way.
It is also a matter of experience (and firm conviction) that a group of people is infinitely smarter than any individual, no matter how bright, talented, and learned that individual may be. The trick is to create conditions in which the free flow of information may take place in all directions simultaneously. When that happens we can perceive the full "wisdom of crowds." And for sure it beats the one way Question > Answer approach. It just so happens that Open Space is ONE way that such a fruitful flow may be established. And certainly not the only one -- but given a choice between a "roundtable of 600 (presumed) experts and a couple days in Open Space with a similar number of people -- there really isn't any choice. At least not for me. However, I am sure the Berlin event will be a superb show -- and definitely one for the Guinness Book of Records.
Harrison
Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Dr.
Potomac, MD 20854
USA
301-365-2093
207-763-3261 (summer)
website www.openspaceworld.com
Personal Website www.ho-image.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Nancy Weatherhead
To: 'Harrison Owen' ; OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Sent: Monday, September 04, 2006 12:27 PM
Subject: RE: an interesting meeting in Berlin]
I understand the bias here against 'experts'. but most of the 'experts' I have met are fully aware of their own lack of ability to answer all questions and would only choose to call themselves an expert in a certain area/field of living. and.. I do not see this word being used here. I also see that this is yet another forum that is looking for input from a wide variety and cross section of people from all countries and areas of 'expertise'. Perhaps if you can look beyond a form that is not of your choosing you could find some value here?
Nancy
See with an open heart, hear with an open mind.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Harrison Owen
Sent: Monday, September 04, 2006 9:44 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: an interesting meeting in Berlin]
Thanks to my increasing myopia (doubtless due to sins past and present) I did in fact miss the URL. small print! is the root of all evil!! But I love you Funda!!!
And Michael -- you captured my feeling exactly when it come to events like this. Doubtless it will be a marvelous show, but as an advance of real knowledge, and more importantly the application of that knowledge, I rather think it will come up short. The "Expert Syndrome" one more time. Old joke about the definition of "expert" -- "a has been under pressure." Some truth there, I think.
Harrison
Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Dr.
Potomac, MD 20854
USA
301-365-2093
207-763-3261 (summer)
website www.openspaceworld.com
Personal Website www.ho-image.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Michael M Pannwitz
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Sent: Monday, September 04, 2006 4:12 AM
Subject: [Fwd: Re: an interesting meeting in Berlin]
Dear list,
yesterday, I did send the note below to ho who had not discovered the
link and entered my esteemed opinion on this project.
Its in the local Berlin paper again today with a long report on how they
are creating two setups, one indoor for rain and one outdoor for sunny
weather...its quite a huge table coated with a very fancy and expensive
material that can also be written on...they have already approached the
Guinness Book of World Records for the largest round table ever...and I
wouldnt be surprised if they cut it up in pieces and auction it off as
they did with other local objects like the Berlin Wall....and, of
course, there is going to be a video where you can see all of them
simultaneously answering questions...
To me this is a good example for the paradigm "Experts solve Problems"
(Taylor, Scientific management)which dominated the art between 1900 and
1950, followed by a phase of "Everybody solves Problems" (Group Problem
Solving, Lewin etc.) which in recent years, under the influence of
Systems Thinking, has been changing since 1965 into "Experts improve
whole systems" and, more recently, with the development of approaches
such as Open Space, Future Search, etc., into "Everybody improves whole
systems".
I dont think that an approach long shown to be useless for the
challenges we are facing now improves through technology that makes it
available instantaneously, worldwide...
Still, its a fascinating show that definitely is marketed in an
effective mode...
So, for me its back to practicing Open Space Technology!
Greetings from Berlin
mmp
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: an interesting meeting in Berlin
Date: Mon, 04 Sep 2006 01:18:25 +0200
From: Michael M Pannwitz <mmpanne at boscop.de>
To: Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>
References: <00ec01c6cf96$7c0ba5e0$0201a8c0 at fundao0ngpntt7>
<002601c6cfaa$86112ba0$b2f13018 at holaptop>
click on the link she supplied, its a little hard to see for old men like me
it was in the local Berlin paper today and I consider it to be a
fabulous piece of bullshit,
especially since they definitely forgot to include THIS
great mind
Tables have been out for some time...
Greetings from Berlin
mmp
Harrison Owen wrote:
> OK Funda. You are indeed the "mystery woman." No more mysterious than
> now. . . What interesting meeting in Berlin????
>
> ho
> Harrison Owen
> 7808 River Falls Dr.
> Potomac, MD 20854
> USA
> 301-365-2093
> 207-763-3261 (summer)
> website www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com>
> Personal Website www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Funda Oral <mailto:fundaoral at ttnet.net.tr>
> *To:* OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> <mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
> *Sent:* Sunday, September 03, 2006 4:21 PM
> *Subject:* an interesting meeting in Berlin
>
> http://www.droppingknowledge.org/
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