OS, FS, WC, etc.

[Ralph Copleman]

Hi,

My morning thoughts today...

I¹m with Harrison (surprise, surprise) on the point that OS is the easiest
method and I, too keep coming back to it, regardless of the group,
organization, theme, degree of urgency, and so forth.  It¹s the only thing I
know that mimics real life, i.e. self-organization.

And I still use future search, happily, because it does produce the same
results, and for some clients it¹s a better fit.  They need the outcomes,
and they¹re more comfortable with the FS process, so that¹s what they
choose.  I don¹t argue.  FS does make me work much harder, but because in FS
the whole thing unfolds in one room in front of me, I learn more surely (for
me) what is going on in the system.

What I continue to learn from Marv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff about how the
human mind works in group and system settings delightfully fills my head.  I
have a lot of confidence in what I do (and what I don¹t do) in front of
groups, big and small, largely because of them.  (Their new book, ³Don¹t
Just Do Something, Stand There², by the way, is terrific.)  What I continue
to learn from Harrison is a) all about self-organization, and b) about the
journey of spirit in human life and how it¹s possible to open hearts
(including mine) by opening space.  And he named ³grief work² for me way
back a long time ago.  That was a big help.

How could I work if I did not have both of these types of influences?

I¹ve experienced World Café a number of times, and I like it, and to my
friend who said it might be too much effort to come with the questions,
etc., I had to giggle at the remark, and I agree.  OS spoils us.  But I¹m
not sure the questions matter so much.  In my experience, the conversations
at the tables never seems to answer the questions directly, and this is
okay, too, of course.  The last time I was in a WC activity, it preceded a
three-day OS event.  It helped open the space faster, I would say.  By this
I mean, we needed less time in the open space to get our minds and energies
going.  It was as if we were already in it when we began.  But this effect
did not last very long.  We got a ³jump start², but once the engine was on,
it ran in the usual way.  These are observations on my part, not judgments.

I, too, resist, using other methods.  I don¹t have the time to fill my
quiver with yet more arrows when what I already have there works so well.

Ralph Copleman



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