FW: dominant and shy/Cultural Differences

[Jeff Aitken]

When I set out to write a PhD dissertation some years ago I had a problem. I 
needed to write about Open Space (because I love it), and I needed to write 
about indigenous traditional knowledge (because this was the PhD program I 
was in.)

Because I was studying my own ancestors and their traditional knowledge, I 
decided to also try to study the "ancestors" of open space. Happily, 
Harrison has written stories about his scholarly studies and worldly 
experiences which somehow blended with the martinis at the 
emergence/rediscovery of open space.

I focused on his seminary study of the Hebrew creation story (an early 
journey across open space), his experiences with the Kpelle in Liberia, the 
Bon Bpo (Tibetan) Buddhist teachings of the bardo, and the congruence of 
Angeles Arrien's Four Fold Way with what we do in open space.

Years earlier when I studied with Angeles, who is trained in the Basque 
mystical tradition, she would often claim that 85% of the world's cultures 
agree on the point she was making. I never asked her where she got the 
number 85%. Only later did I understand that she was talking about the 
indigenous cultures on the planet. Now, of course, she's spreading a 
"braided way" which can honor all 100% without discounting any of them.

I agree with HO on "how much the same it all is" around the world when we're 
in open space. I think that open space is a "braided way" that helps us to 
access ways of knowing and being that often get covered over by modern 
assumptions about the world, while not discounting the juicy fruits of the 
modern.

I'm happy to find, with the people I interviewed, that it only takes a day 
or two in open space to begin this remembrance process. I'm excited to learn 
about the experience of others...

Jeff Aitken (PhD!)





>From: Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>
>Reply-To: hhowen at verizon.net
>To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>Subject: FW: dominant and shy/Cultural Differences
>Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:30:54 -0500
>
>From: jackricchiuto at gmail.com [mailto:jackricchiuto at gmail.com] On Behalf Of
>Jack Ricchiuto
>Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 6:44 PM
>To: hhowen at verizon.net
>Subject: Re: dominant and shy/Cultural Differences
>
>
>
>There is no question that cultures make a difference, but over the years as
>I have participated in Open Spaces in more cultures and places than I care
>to remember -- I have been struck by how much the same it all is. (HO)
>
>This is so true. The fact that across cultures, smiles are smiles, tears 
>are
>tears, and storytelling is storytelling. When we invite people to follow
>your heart and discover who else is there to join you, there is a power 
>that
>connects people in ways that makes differences more beautiful than 
>barriers.
>
>
>Love to all, Jack
>
>--
>Jack Ricchiuto
>Leadership coach, facilitator, author
>
>Just Released! "Mountain Paths: A Guide on the Journey toward Discovering
>our Potential" - available at www.DesigningLife.com
>
>
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>From  Thu Mar  1 11:35:48 2007
Message-Id: <THU.1.MAR.2007.113548.0500.>
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2007 11:35:48 -0500
Reply-To: hhowen at verizon.net
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>
Organization: HH Owen and Co.
Subject: Open Space evidence base
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

I thought you all might enjoy the following exchange --

Recently Received: (names removed to protect the innocent)

"I should say that my personal experience of Open Space have convinced me 
of what it can deliver. The evidence I would like to gather is not so 
much for my own benefits as for others. Generally I find that the 
experience of being at a genuinely participative event can often be far 
more persuasive than what is learned from books. However many civil 
servants and others in power will probably never experience an Open 
Space event on their own accord.

Not least because in my opinion Open Space contradicts many 'established 
wisdoms'. Many people firmly believe that humans cannot get together and 
constructively interact without someone to chair, control and coerce the 
participants. For this reason there is some value in providing written 
evidence of what can be achieved through Open Space."


My Reply:

I think it is quite likely that the disparity between the Open Space
experience and what one might call the conventional wisdom is deeper and
broader than you suggest. Personally I can't think of any generally accepted
practice or theory in the area of management (of meetings and/or
organizations) which is not violated. From the point of view of the
conventional wisdom, Open Space not only shouldn't happen, it couldn't
happen. But of course, we both know -- it does happen. When it comes to
understanding what does occur in Open Space, the only theoretical framework
that has made any sense to me is the one currently emerging in the study of
self-organizing systems. On that score, you might be interested in a short
paper I wrote some years ago (http://openspaceworld.com/emergent_order.htm)

At some level I would just love it if you, or somebody, could provide,
"written evidence of what can be achieved through Open Space." But evidence,
to be credible, requires a common, accepted frame of reference, or we might
say paradigm. However, when people hold differing paradigms, you can argue
until the cows come home, and present any and all available "evidence" -- to
no avail. Stated somewhat tongue in cheek, my paradigm forces me to conclude
that "There is no such thing as a non-self-organizing system. There are
however some deluded people who think they did the organizing." So at the
end of the day, if somebody were to produce "credible scientific evidence
based on the traditional paradigm, I would be skeptical and probably upset.
Odd.

More to the point, I am not at all sure that it (evidence) would actually do
that much good. There have been numerous occasions where credible
"witnesses" have described the process and results in a typical Open Space.
And the typical reaction on the part of those who have never "been there" is
"Well that sounds just wonderful -- but it will never work with this (my)
group." 

Having said all of the above, I would be delighted if serious academics
would take a good hard look at Open Space through the eyes of their own
particular discipline. I think we could learn a lot about Open Space, and
more about the phenomenon of self-organization. Of course to do all this
they would have to get beyond the typical response that OS can't happen! It
does happen. More than that, it has happened in excess of 60,000 times in
124 countries over a 20 year period involving millions of people.

I would love it if more people would use Open Space. I think it could do a
lot of good. But the truth of the matter is that, given the "Conventional
wisdom," I think it is a wonder that anybody uses Open Space. So keep the
secret. Don't tell a soul! Something seems to be working.

Harrison 


Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, Maryland   20854
Phone 301-365-2093
Skype hhowen
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com 
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.ho-image.com 
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