SV: WOSonOS -and- future years and locations [long]

Thomas Herrmann thomas at openspaceconsulting.com
Mon Aug 25 11:59:01 PDT 2008


Dear Lisa, Michael, Harrison and all

Thanks for opening this conversation. I think World OSonOS is great and
don’t see it as closing space for other OSonOS’s – we are having a local one
each month all year around (although ½ day only and called mentoring circle
and inviting conversations around Open Space/genuine contact) + our yearly
Scandinavian OSonOS – so I agree keep on inviting – open space! I appreciate
joining World OSonOS when I can because I love the diversity I encounter
when learning about Open Space from colleagues from all over the world IRL.
I also think it’s a nice tradition.

 

I don’t think there is a need for 2 years to plan the event, agree to keep
it simple – but to my memory one of the main issues was that people wanted
more time to plan their travels in the world because of financial,
environmental, practical etc reasons. And that is fine with me too.

 

To me the world-OS-telephonecalls can be open to anyone while at the same
time it is open to anyone to start world-os-telephone conferences. The calls
have so far resulted in some recommendations from the group meeting. Meeting
like that is a very nice simple means to stay in contact, learn together and
build community. Skype is another way to get in a bit more “genuine contact”
than via email, I think.

 

I think it could be nice for the coming host teams if there was an agreed
upon decisionmaking process, but as there is none I guess they will find
their way. If there is passion to develop something which might be used,
that could be an offer for coming hosts I guess.

 

These were my thoughts right now

Warm regards

Thomas Herrmann

 

  _____  

Från: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] För Lisa Heft
Skickat: den 25 augusti 2008 03:35
Till: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Ämne: WOSonOS -and- future years and locations [long]

 

Hello, dear colleagues –

 

Get yourself a cup of tea (or other beverage of your choice) as this is a
long message...

 

First, thank you for your patience as we work to complete the WOSonOS 2008
Book of Proceedings for distribution.

We are just waiting for a few more individuals who had wanted to send in
their completed session notes in post-event for inclusion in the Book.

So: as soon as those come in (very soon I promise) we will first send the
Book to all the WOSonOS 2008 participants, and then let you know here on the
OSLIST where it will be posted for your own reading enjoyment.

 

And next, a little thing I have been thinking about.  

I am interested in hearing your thoughts.

 

And here is a bit of background.

 

At the WOSonOS last month, there were two invitations made for the WOSonOS
to come to someplace welcoming in the world, for 2009 and for 2010. 

 

You may remember that June 18th message from the June ‘OS Groups or
Institutes Call’ that was ** posted on OSLIST.  This call is an
every-few-months gathering of one or two representatives from each Open
Space Institute or Group – about 15 countries are represented.  I also
attend those calls as Access Queen, because I communicate with and support
each year’s Host Team and Askers as needed, no matter where in the world the
WOSonOS may be.  In the notes from that meeting, you probably read that
Taiwan was interested in inviting for 2009 and bringing a nice contingent to
the WOSonOS, Berlin was interested in 2010, and also if you look in earlier
calls notes, Hungary, France and Estonia were also thinking of inviting for
a future year – perhaps 2010 or another year they felt ready to do so.  You
may also have read in those notes that at the Kiev conference (2007) there
was a discussion about having these conferences’ locations and dates
announced two years ahead – as it is very hard for both the Host Teams and
some of the travelers to plan for these things with less than one years’
advance notice.   

 

(Our Host Team worked for over one year on this WOSonOS, for example.  Other
Host Teams may need even more time because there is not a large OS community
yet locally and the majority of people who come to these WOSonOSs seem to
come over land – so this is just my observation but a strong local OS
community seems so essential for supporting an event like this.  Plus I
think it is incredibly useful for prospective hosts to attend a few WOSonOSs
if possible to see how it is the same and yet different from a client OS, to
experience some of the traditions, and make their own design and decisions
based on some of that observation and experience. Again – just my opinion,
but to me, this seems incredibly useful.)

 

And there was also conversation and support for moving the conference back
and forth across the world – over this land, over that ocean, over someplace
else next – so that some people would miss coming for some years but others
would be able to come – because of the sharing and moving across the world
of this lovely event.

 

My Host Team was interested in designing something thoughtful, supportive
and useful for both the invitation process and – as appropriate – any
deliberation process, should there have been more than one inviting team for
2009 and 2010.  Typically, these invitations get made live at the WOSonOS –
by the inviting Host Team or a representative (Brian B of Australia and I
once invited the world to India for the 2004 WOSonOS to represent that
year’s host, Janet Pinto; Thomas Herrmann and Eva P Svensson of Sweden
offered my third year’s invitation at Kiev last year to represent me - and
you can see what happened!).  Some of us on the Host Team had ideas for
designing a discussion / consensus / decision process and we wanted to know
who was offering an invitation so we could welcome them, create time in our
event schedule for them, and support all inviters through this invitation
and decision process with thoughtful process design.  I asked all the
conference registrants, too, if anyone was thinking of inviting, just so we
would know and design the time and approach to support each potential
hosting group or individual.

 

(I had also talked to a few folks who had expressed an earlier interest –
and so had some of my colleagues such as Gerard, Karen Davis and others– and
it seemed as if those others who had been interested felt it would be better
to make their own invitation in another year – though the Hungary inviters
asked that the Berlin event be held close to the 2010 OD Summit if possible,
for potential attendance at both events).

 

As it turns out, at this invitation portion of the WOSonOS there was only
one inviting team for 2009 (Taiwan, their second year of invitation) and one
team for 2010 (Berlin).  So there was no need for any decision-making.
Although fabulous Gerard Muller stood up and reminded me to stop....and
breathe....and ask one more time if there was anyone else thinking of
inviting the WOSonOS to their country.  I bow to you, Gerard.  The silence
was nutritious.   

 

As it turns out, nobody else came forward. So we celebrated our next 2 years
of hosts (!!! 2009 Taiwan !!!  !!! 2010 Berlin !!!), and at the end of the
conference – as is our tradition – the 2008 (San Francisco) Host Team passed
the lovely WOSonOS talking stick to the 2009 (Taiwan) team.

 

So.  My thoughts for your discussion are...

 

As Access Queen, I often think of ‘what will help different kinds of people
participate if they have a passion to do so’.  I do not get to all the
WOSonOSs in person, but I know it is very very powerful to receive an
invitation from a potential Host Team – in person – to get a sense for their
country, their culture, their personality.  And powerful to make decisions
in person – with whoever comes - with conversation, and listening,
in-person.  I am not sure how one would get such an amazing, experiential
sense of someone inviting – especially someone from another culture and
country – in written form only.  Especially if their home language is not in
English, as this list conversation usually is.

 

However sometimes I wonder if there would be a way to bring the invitations
to the larger OS community – including those of you who cannot come live to
the WOSonOS.

I am guessing there are some of you who feel ‘it is just fine that whoever
comes to any given year’s event in person collectively hears these
invitations and decides / agrees on the future year(s) locations.’  You are
fine with a diverse group of colleagues being there to hear and feel and
taste and sense what future potential hosts are offering.  You are like the
butterflies in the room.

I am guessing there are some of you who feel ‘I would like to be included
too and I do not get to go to these live events.  I wish there was a way I
can be included’. 

Maybe some of you feel both of these things at once.

 

I do not have an answer – and I for one am one of those people who is fine
with whoever being there getting to make a decision.  That is how I have
experienced and enjoyed many Open Space-like organizations’ or communities’
decision-making processes.   They use each others’ energies and
participation in that fluid and trusting manner, and whoever is at a given
meeting gets to make the decisions, whether all are present at that meeting
or not.

 

However: I want to invite you to share your thoughts, dear colleagues. As I
am just one person.  And I feel like there is a conversation here that is
waiting to happen.

 

I look forward to hearing the conversation,

 

Lisa

 

** You can find the brief notes from that recent international call in our
own June archives (see below my signature for the web address for the OSLIST
archives), or take a look at the complete notes for each of those phone
meetings at http://www.openspaceworld.org/cgi/netwiki.cgi?WorldOSonOS  

 

___________________________

L i s a   H e f t

Consultant, Facilitator, Educator

O p e n i n g  S p a c e

 <mailto:lisaheft at openingspace.net> lisaheft at openingspace.net

 <http://www.openingspace.net> www.openingspace.net 

 

 

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