Reflections on OS and Self Organization

[Harrison Owen]

Seems like we have all taken a breather - which, is probably a good thing,
if only to allow some recuperation for our mailboxes! For myself, I am
definitely in a recuperative state having moved north to the Great State of
Maine. Time for boats to go in the water and the summer to begin!

 

And - I was thinking back over our multiple conversations on
Self-Organization and Open Space. Clearly there are many ways to think about
and attempt to understand what transpires every time space is opened. Each
one definitely adds a rich facet of understanding, and as near as I can
tell, none are mutually exclusive. That said, I keep coming back to SO as a
starting place. My reasons are several, and they may be useful to me alone,
but I thought to share.

 

1) Seeing OS as an example of SO immediately takes Open Space out of the
realm of the strange, mystical, esoteric, and anchors it very firmly in the
fabric of global experience. It is therefore not something that we as
facilitators do or create. It has been there long before we arrived on the
scene.

 

2) Since Open Space is definitely part of the natural order of things, doing
an Open Space is not a retreat from reality, but rather a direct engagement
of the "way things are." And so when participants remark, as they sometimes
do - that this is all very nice, but eventually we have to get back to the
"real world" - an appropriate response might be - This is the real world!

 

3) Seeing Open Space as an exemplar of self organization enables us to use
the insights gained in an event in the larger world of our daily experience.
For me, this is perhaps the most compelling reason of all.  Chris Corrigan
puts this very neatly when he refers to Open Space as "Training Wheels." I
believe it can be argued that the most profound pathology that humans
experience is the alienation from the natural order of things. Clearly this
is at work in terms of our relationship to the environment - which we have
all been taught is something that we "own" and must control. At least that
is what it used to say in all the books. The idea is whacko not only in
terms of the health of the planet, but more immediately to the health of
that smaller aspect of the planet, Homo sapiens. So perhaps the greatest
contribution of Open Space is that it can enable us to find an appropriate
fit with the world in which we live. Yes, I said, "fit" and I think fitness
really applies - what is at stake is our relationship with ourselves and our
world. 

 

The meaning of "fitness" for me is "healthy relationship." I am reminded of
the work of Martin Buber who said 100 years ago, "In the beginning was
relationship. (to be found in "I and Thou).

 

 

Harrison

 

 

 


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