convergence query

Fri Apr 10 10:35:15 PDT 2009

Michael ~

I frequently blend methods and have never seen a downside if the  
principles and practices of each of the methods are honored.

Since you are thinking about World Cafe conversations for the  
convergence, might you extend the time a bit so that participants have  
the opportunity to do more than one round?  That way self-organized  
cross-pollination can continue.

Warm wishes from a sparkling spring morning,

Christine

480.759.0262
www.christinewhitneysanchez.com
Skype: christinewhitneysanchez
P Please consider the environment before printing this email

On Apr 10, 2009, at 8:09 AM, Chris Corrigan wrote:

> Michael...
>
> One way to look at it is that there is a smell of control about the  
> process, but when I read your note I immediately thought that the  
> sponsor was actually opening him/herself up for more group ownership  
> of the meaning of the event.  IN other words, instead of the sponsor  
> coming up with emergent themes, you are letting the group do that.   
> IN my opinion,l this second level of conversation will probably  
> create MORE ownership of the work, not less.
>
> So I don't see a downside unless you have a time limitation.  You  
> could have the groups talk for 30 mins and come up collectively with  
> a scheme of the major emerging themes, and then have the group sort  
> the proceedings into these themes and have the group break up again  
> into action planning clusters around each theme, taking an hour or  
> so to come up with higher level learning and next steps on the  
> themes and the topics within them.
>
> That night be one way to go.
>
> Chris
>
> On Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 6:46 AM, Michael M Pannwitz <mmpanne at boscop.org 
> > wrote:
> Dear Michael Wood,
> why do I sense and smell control?
> Is it because it does not feel like an Open Space (real business  
> issue, decision time of yesterday, providing time and space for  
> passion and responsibility to unfold in an environment of  
> selforganisation, etc.)?
> Is it that I as participant would want to have more of a say in what  
> will happen rather than just passing on my ideas and then being put  
> in a feedback-loop to see how my input was used to shape policy?
> Is it that I wonder why I am invíted to make an input and not to  
> actually be involved in shaping policy?
> Is it that from my experience I know that convergence "old  
> style" (voting, dots, Delphi, families of issues)is a low energy  
> drag since it focuses on "themes" rather than "issues" or "projects"  
> and does not allow the rich potential for action to unfold?
> Is it that I feel that neither themes nor actions need converging  
> but that there simply needs to be action planning on stuff people  
> feel passionate about?
> Sorry for not having an answer or thoughts on alternatives.
> Greetings from Berlin
> mmp
>
>
>
>
> Michael Wood wrote:
> I am doing an Open Space in a couple of weeks for about a hundred
> people in Health Care around the issues of workforce flexibility and
> structuring.
>
> The output will not so much be action plans as the raising of key
> themes and issues which need to be taken into account by policy
> makers within the Health Department. This has been communicated in
> the invitation and will be highlighted again in the Sponsor's
> introduction/welcome. We have also discussed feedback-loop
> communications after the event so that people can see how their input
> was used to shape policy.
>
> The sponsor believes (as do I) that it could be useful to invite the
> group into some preliminary `first cut' analysis of emerging themes
> as a 'convergence' activity. I am wondering how to do this is way
> which is somewhat more conversational than the "red dot" system.
>
> I quite like the World Cafe convergence question "what do you see as
> being patterns, themes and emerging questions?", and was thinking of
> a convergence process which would involve some individual reading
> time of group reports, then asking people to self organise into
> groups/circles of 4 people to discuss that question for half an hour
> or so, then pass the indian talking stick/microphone around to invite
> reflections from each group.
>
> Could this `mixing' of processes (OST and World Cafe) have any
> downsides I am not seeing? Any thoughts on this idea or alternative
> ways of converging where it's themes rather than action that need
> converging?
>
> Michael Wood
>
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> -- 
> Michael M Pannwitz, boscop eg
> Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
> ++49-30-772 8000
> mmpanne at boscop.org
> www.boscop.org
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> CHRIS CORRIGAN
> Facilitation - Training - Process Design
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