Open Space 2.0 - Beyond the Dogma

Sun May 4 05:16:15 PDT 2008

Hiya Tree.

Thanks for your thoughts on my <Open Space 2.0 - Beyond the Dogma> post.

Has OS become arthritic? And are certain Open Space practitioners becoming
dogmatic?

Here in the UK the answer is "yes".

I've been to two gatherings of OS practitioners, both held in London (I was
the co-creator of the first one) and anyone wandering in from the street
would probably have thought they were witnessing a meeting of a religious
group or a cult.

At the second of these gatherings, structured along "Open Space on Open
Space" lines, Paul Levy led a session that challenged the four principles of
Open Space, and was shot down in flames by a number of people.

And a year ago he advertised, on this very email list, a workshop with a
similar theme to the one he and I are running in Brighton next week, and
received from a prominent OS practitioner what ca bes be described as hate
mail.

Thanks for your invitation to share more of my thoughts. You can find plenty
of them here www.jackmartinleith.com/?p=191 and here
www.jackmartinleith.com/?p=192, along with some thoughts expressed by people
beyond this list. The purpose of the 14 May workshop is to discover what
other people think.

My aim (I can't speak for Paul) is not for 'better' space at meetings, but
for a process which is most likely to deliver the desired results. Which
results? Those that will generate as much value as possible for as many
parts of the stakeholder system as possible. I don't see myself as a process
facilitator, but rather as a results facilitator. As in midwifery, a healthy
mother and baby are the first priority. The process has to serve the
results. My personal preference is for natural methods, but I keep forceps
in my back pocket and a scalpel in a glass box, for emergency use only.

If you'd like to take part in the discussion through Skype, the user name is
<rationalmadness> and the timing is 1400 to 1600 British Summer Time, which
is one hour ahead of GMT.

Best wishes,

Jack

Jack Martin Leith
Bristol, United Kingdom
Mobile: 07831 840541 (+44 7831 840541)
Skype: jackmartinleith
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=725422325
Facebook group on Open Space Technology:
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7189220743
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jackmartinleith
email: jack at jackmartinleith.com
www.jackmartinleith.com

2008/5/4 Tree Fitzpatrick <therese.fitzpatrick at gmail.com>:

>
>
>  On Wed, Apr 30, 2008 at 6:01 AM, Jack Martin Leith <
> jack at jackmartinleith.com> wrote:
>
> > Hiya Harrison.
> >
> > Happy that you're not offended by our undertaking!
> >
> > Maybe it's different on your side of the pond, but Paul and I have both,
> > separately, noticed the worrying extent to which OS certainly has become a
> > dogma over here, sometimes along with the words "Harrison Owen" says. (I
> > must put my hand up to having done that many times.) We both feel that OS
> > has become somewhat arthritic, and overdue for a rethink.
> >
>
> Open Space Technology is what it is.  Right?  How can it become
> arthritic?  I am challenged by your suggestion but I hope you don't perceive
> that I am challenging you.  I am genuinely puzzled.  I would welcome more of
> you thoughts, perhaps some examples of how OS is changing?
>
> How can OS 'become' anything?  It is what it is.
>
> I am wondering if, when you suggest that it is due for a 'rethink',
> perhaps you are seeing something else, or striving to see something else.
> Perhaps you have a (inchoate?) yearning for, please forgive me, 'better'
> space at meetings.
>
> I don't have Harrison's depth of experience opening sepace, but I
> wholeheartedly agree with what he says about 'second generation open
> space'.  When in doubt, open more space and if opening more space brings me
> to a place of doing nothing, well, for me, then I know I'm doing it right.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >
> > What you say is perfectly true, and I agree wholeheartedly ... although
> > I'm personaly keen on conversation that precipitates action ... but all too
> > often it's very different on the ground.
> >
> > Big thanks for your support and encouragement. We'll keep you posted.
> > Steve the Doc has already signed up for the Skype option.
> >
> > Very best,
> >
> > Jack
> >
> > Jack Martin Leith
> > Bristol, United Kingdom
> > Mobile: 07831 840541 (+44 7831 840541)
> > Skype: jackmartinleith
> > Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=725422325
> > Facebook group on Open Space Technology:
> > www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7189220743
> > LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jackmartinleith
> > email: jack at jackmartinleith.com
> > www.jackmartinleith.com
> >
> > 2008/4/30 Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>:
> >
> > >  Sounds like a marvelous under taking, but I am not sure about all
> > > this "Dogma" business. Dogma in my lexicon is a whole bunch of stuff that
> > > you have to do/believe. My experience with OST is that it is all about
> > > thinking of one more thing NOT to do – or believe. The end of the line, or
> > > indeed the next iteration, would involve doing nothing at all, and where
> > > "belief" translated into pure experience. You were just "there" in that
> > > present moment being fully what you (we) already were – full, conscious,
> > > passionate, responsible human beings. My experience with most of the 2
> > > nd Generation Open Spaces is that they seem to involve more and
> > > different doing and believing. To my eyes this seems to be going in the
> > > wrong direction. But what do I know?  Have fun!!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > 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
> > >
> > > OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
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> > >
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>
>
> --
> Love rays,
> Tree Fitzpatrick
>
> http://thecultureoflove.blogspot.com/
>
> . . . the great and incalculable grace of love, which says, with
> Augustine, "I want you to be," without being able to give any particular
> reason for such supreme and unsurpassable affirmation. -- Hannah Arendt
>
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