Opening space 24X7 --Wave Riders Unite!
Christine Whitney Sanchez
cwhitneysanchez at gmail.com
Wed Dec 16 07:31:04 PST 2009
Great discussion!
When the issue/opportunity we are so excited about doesn't resonate
with others, it might be about the topic or about the way we've
described it. Perhaps when we bring inspiration and care to our
offering, the essence of the invitation can more easily shine through.
Warm wishes from sunny Phoenix,
Christine
Christine Whitney Sanchez
Collaborative Wisdom & Strategy
480.759.0262
www.christinewhitneysanchez.com
Skype: christinewhitneysanchez
http://www.facebook.com/ChristineWhitneySanchez
On Dec 16, 2009, at 8:15 AM, Harrison Owen wrote:
Good Stuff Michael and Denise -- And I wonder about "failed"
invitations. If failure means that we didn't get precisely the folks
we wanted to come -- there could be a number of reasons for that, not
all of them bad. For example it could be that the issue we were so
excited about really didn't have all that much going for it. And all
those folks who failed to respond positively were just brighter than
we were. Our "failed" invitation simply saved a lot of time and energy
which might better be applied to something else. And just suppose all
those folks did come out of some sense of "should" or "ought" -- and
the whole affair turned out to be just as flat as they thought it
might. Now -- how happy are the folks? And what do you think would be
the likely response the next time you offered an invite?
Harrison
Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Dr.
Potomac, MD 20854
USA
Phone 301-365-2093
www.openspaceworld.com
www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.
BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Michael Herman
Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 12:09 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Opening space 24X7 --Wave Riders Unite!
oh this is fun.
for me, this business of inviting has long been the center of the
ongoing practice of opening. what i noticed some time ago is that
"inviting" is something that we can *do* as a business practice,
somethign we can try and repeat and refine. but it's also something
that we can, as individuals, *aspire* to *be*. the practical inviting
is essential for performance. but the latter, the aspiring, is where
spirit shows up. if we are a space for that.
as for the accepting or not. being trained in economics and finance,
straight through a rather serious mba program, i have always
understood invitation in terms of markets and prices. any invitation
is just like a bid or offer in any market. the text of an invitation
is like a price. it's got to be stated, announced. but it also might
need to be adjusted. i like what denise says about getting to "core"
because core is from french coeur, heart. when an invitation fails,
it's usually because i've started from something other than heart.
the way i think of markets, despite the financial training, i mostly
think in terms of farmers markets. the guy who brings tomatoes or
blueberries or whatever has poured some chunk of his life energy into
tending and harvesting that crop. it's him. it's his care. his
responsibility in those baskets. it's what he has to offer. so
invitation is the same. it just has to be offered. the danger is not
that an invitation might be declined. the danger is in caring, in
being full of somethign, and not sharing it, letting it go to waste.
so the invitation to a meeting or simply into relationship in a
passing smile on the street, is about being a space that doesn't know
what will happen next, but shows up anyway. alive. ready. enough.
and inquiring.
anyway, these are some first thoughts that didn't want to rot.
m
--
Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
http://www.michaelherman.com
http://www.ronanparktrail.com
http://www.chicagoconservationcorps.org
http://www.openspaceworld.org
312-280-7838 (mobile)
On Tue, Dec 15, 2009 at 9:59 PM, Denise Tennen
<denisetennen at comcast.net> wrote:
Harrison
For me, when an invitation I extend is refused, I take another look at
the invitation (especially when I think the person and project would
be a good fit). In some ways it feels like my whole life is about
learning to extend vibrant, inspiring invitations (this often helps me
get to the core of what I'm trying to accomplish), as well as
receiving the response with acceptance and love.
I also notice that it is useful to reconnect with my own sense of
inspiration about the project - that seems to make a difference in the
whole interaction around the invitation - whether or not the
invitation is accepted. My being centered and inspired helps retain
the relationship regardless of the response. I am always thankful for
a clear no...
On Dec 15, 2009, at 3:32 PM, Harrison Owen wrote:
Denise --
So this is all great! And my question is how can you do the same thing
every day with every project, organization start-up, whatever…
I think you are hinting at the problem of making a REAL invitation…
Not the sort that we all have received knowing full well that we will
be shot at dawn if the invitation is not accepted. Or at the very
least -- FIRED!
So what would happen if all our invitations were real? Which means
they could be refused. And then what?
Harrison
Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Dr.
Potomac, MD 20854
USA
Phone 301-365-2093
www.openspaceworld.com
www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
Denise Tennen
Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 2:17 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Opening space 24X7 --Wave Riders Unite!
Harrison
Thanks for these thought-provoking words.
As far as invitiation - in my work as an artist supporting large
groups to come together to create collaborative works of "permanently"
installed art for their (the participants') communities - Invitation
is the only thing that works.
My underlying belief is that engagement in artistic endeavors is a
useful piece in the puzzle of creating a peaceful world. I've found
that eople creating art together generally aren't engaged in fighting
here are the ingredients of invitation, for me, that I believe
contribute to good flow:
1) getting the word out is critical,
2) the "stickiness" (see Malcolm Gladwell and more particularly, the
brothers Heath in their book Making It Stick) of the invitation and
project description heavily affects the outcome in terms of
participation and engaged-ness of participants.
3) having the setting ready before the participants arrive so I'm not
distracted by DOING and can keep my attention on BEING PRESENT with
the participants
4) having a structure in mind and at the same time being willing to
let it go at any moment
5) keeping participation voluntary (a bit tricky when I am operating
in a classroom setting where the children are basically in the
position of being "sitting ducks")
As far as the invitation, my on-the-ground work is lots of word-of
mouth, who knows who. Increasingly via internet - helps spread the
word quickly, although in the end, nothing beats the realm of the
personal, one by one invitation.
Different age groups respond to different methods (snail mail/flyer vs
internet etc)
my beginning thoughts on this for now...
Denise
On Dec 15, 2009, at 7:26 AM, Harrison Owen wrote:
Several days ago I sent a note to what I thought was going to be a
small group of friends, inviting thinking about opening space every
day, what that might mean, and how to accomplish all that in
specifics. In effect, I was taking off from my book "Wave Rider" which
is my best shot on the subject to date -- with the expectation that
there is much more "out there" in terms of ideas and actions. Along
the way I did suggest that OST (as the meeting approach) might be
getting in the way of the larger discussion. Even worse, I facetiously
(jokingly) invited everybody to join "The Imperial Society of Wave
Riders!" Well you can imagine the uproar this caused. Here I am
suggesting that we eliminate OST and become imperialists! Not a good
day -- but I do think the proposed discussion has merit. In fact from
where I sit it may just be the most important discussion we could have.
Given the state of the world (no need for detailed analysis) superior
human performance achieved in a peaceful fashion seems like a very
good idea. Or put another way how do we find the intelligence and
energy to deal with the massive issues we face without killing each
other? I believe that the 25 year Open Space experiment has clearly
shown that superior performance in a peaceful manner can be achieved
any time we open space. It may not be perfect, but it works better
than just about anything else, and for sure it is a lot less work. The
reason for all this is that we are not really doing anything. Rather,
we are inviting the system (business, family, organization) to do what
it can do all by itself. Self organize. We are just helping people to
notice that -- and when they do magic seems to happen. Peace and high
performance show up. If we are honest about it, I think we might
realize that OST is in some real ways a fraud and a joke, at least it
becomes all that if we take credit for the power and effect of the
process, and the special way that we might "do" it. Rather like taking
credit for the power and effect of gravity -- which will continue no
matter what we do!
Anyhow, I believe the community that gathers here online (and anybody
else who cares to join us) is uniquely positioned to engage in this
discussion not just at a theoretical level but at a very solid
practical level. We have the shared experience of hundreds of
thousands of Open Spaces. And we have something else -- the shared
experience of life in our community. As the world might see it the
"Open Space Community" is a pretty strange thing. It has no
boundaries, no formal organization, leadership, or corporate status.
Membership is pretty much whoever shows up -- and the party has been
going on for 25 years. Odd but very effective. Indeed there are
multiple formal organizations in the world who with might greater
effort have accomplished substantially less. Think about it! Multiple
Global and regional meetings. A world wide reach. More training
programs than you can name. And absolutely nobody is in charge. There
has never been a Business Plan, and if a budget exists it has never
been found. Is it all just a gossamer dream, a fanciful delusion, or
something much deeper and more important? I vote for the latter. I
think this is a conversation that needs to happen, not to the
exclusion of all others, but this is where my passion is.
Anyhow I invite you to share and think about our common experience --
and let our experience be our guide. As a starting point we might just
begin with invitation. What would happen if all our projects began
with invitation as opposed to assignment?
Harrison
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