Opening space 24X7 --Wave Riders Unite!
Denise Tennen
denisetennen at comcast.net
Sun Dec 20 10:07:59 PST 2009
Hi Suzanne
Reading your list what comes to mind is:
the gift of time
a return to "boundless time"
Throughout my life I have noticed that I regularly return to a space
in which time seems to have no hold.
When I was younger I noticed that there were certain key points that
my watch would actually stop working and I wouldn't notice (looking
down at it I would say to myself, oh, only ____ o'clock, still lots
more time to go). Often this would happen around creating art work.
Today this still happens for me regularly, most often around creating
art work,
There is something about the open space "set-up" that seems to
provide a doorway for people collectively to step into this boundless
space together. In my experience Open Space, in as much as it is a
"format" seems to help us (human beings) step into "flow" as a group.
Denise
On Dec 20, 2009, at 6:31 AM, Suzanne Daigle wrote:
> From Harrison's posting and the replies, I see pieces of a puzzle,
> so like the picture in my mind which ebbs and flows between clarity
> and confusion, theory and action, thinking and doing in this
> journey of my life.
> Open Space 24 X 7...oh the dream of it!
> Invitation is where it all begins
> Letting go to let be
> One less thing to do
> May not be perfect
> Magic happens (perhaps because we suddenly realize this important
> fact that none of us and nothing is perfect and this more than
> anything releases us to be and do)
> Oh what fun
> The party has been going on for 25 years
> Reaching back to bring forward
> Helping people notice (others)...or experience what can be?
> From the core...the "coeur" i.e. the heart
> Invitation is where it all begins
> But does it really begin there or in the conversations we have
> every day, opportunities to nourish and seize
> How can we exponentially grow what we do as a collective because we
> all feel and know that the timing now feels different somehow
>
> And then finally, is Open Space about speaking less (not pressing
> the send button) and listening more...or speaking now because
> there is so much work to do and we have this opportunity to nudge
> but never force an awareness of consciousness that happens when we
> open space.
>
> So I decide again to press send with gratitude for others who do too.
> Suzanne
>
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 2:14 PM, Michael Herman
> <michael at michaelherman.com> wrote:
>
> yes, exactly, about 'fails'. guess that should have been in
> quotes. it's same as we always say about posting an issue and
> nobody comes. it can't fail. there's always information in it.
> and several choices about what could do next.
>
> reminds me too, that i've often described the process of open space
> as a cascade of invitation. part of the power, i think, is that a
> leader or leadership groups somehow launches the "invitation" to a
> meeting, then he or she take the first three minutes of the meeting
> to share what i always suggest to them is "the story of how we got
> here."
>
> sometimes it's the short form of the history of the whole org,
> other times it's a quip about how we all made it here in the middle
> of this snow storm. then, the invitation is for each person to do
> what the leader has already done... make an invitation, name and
> issue, pick a place and a time, and then kick off the conversation
> with three minutes (i always bow to michael pannwitz for '8:00am to
> 8:03' sponsors introduction) about why the issue they posted is
> important to them... how they got to here, to caring about this issue.
>
> so the first bit in the cascading is that the leader invites, and
> then invites everyone else to invite. great power, i think, in
> asking folks to do what they themselves have already done. (for
> this same reason, this is why i always hand-write my posters, cuz
> i'm about to ask participants to scribble their own issues, so i
> figure that mine should be scribbled too.)
>
> next part of cascade is that particpants capture and process their
> notes, which i often refer to as 'an invitation to action, or at
> least an invitation to others who weren't part of the conversation
> to get involved.' and many times some of the actions will be 'have
> another meeting.' and so i point out that the invitation to those
> next meetings don't need to be hardly anything more than the
> scribbles that made the breakout meetings possible.
>
> so the coherence and integrity that come from a leader modeling
> what he/she is asking others to do, and then supporting the
> relative ease of convening a breakout or followup meeting, are two
> important dimensions of 'being inviting' as a leader. implicit in
> these the first is some stablility or confidence in the value of
> their own example, their own presence, and a comfort with who they
> are and what they can and can't do or control personally. and the
> wisdom to support in the simplest ways possible, like tape,
> markers, circle, for everyone else to pick up and do their own
> part. self-organizing. this comfort, clarity, integrity,
> confidence, i thikn, lets the caring come through, and suddenly
> they are "being inviting", not just "doing it".
>
> practice implies doing it again and again until we can 'be' it
> without the props of the doing. and over time controlling leaders
> become inviting leaders. i was saying just the other night at my
> neighborhood association, talking about invitation, and pointing
> out that if we bring more and more invitations to the fore, if this
> is how we do neighborhood, then what we get over time is a more and
> more inviting neighborhood.
>
> so this gets to my last point about invitation (at least for the
> moment!) ...if we live in open space and open space is inviting...
> then we must live in the midst of invitations, a whole bunch of
> things just trying or waiting to happen. at the neighborhood
> group, it's common to bemoan the lack of volunteers to do things...
> but that's really a lack of volunteers to do what a few board
> people think should be done. meanwhile, people are convening all
> kinds of little things that could benefit greatly by being
> supported with a community bulletin board. on bowen island that
> bulletin board is what chris corrigan calls "invititation corner",
> a vacant little piece of land just off the ferry, where posters of
> all sorts go up and invite gathering.
>
> and i always go back to your very first words to me, ever,
> harrison... when i asked in the kickoff of my first open space
> breakout session about how to, in a word, organize people/work/
> organization... you said "i don't. i go in and ask what's working
> and then ask how to grow more of that." what's working is
> inherently inviting. "working" and "inviting" are not separate.
> and i've always found this to be true... when i look for what's
> working, that's where i always find the bits of language, story,
> structure, action that are the fodder for inviting more of what works.
>
> so the only failure possible might be a failure to notice what's
> really working and why?
>
> 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 Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 9:48 AM, Steve Cochran
> <scochran305 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Thanks for opening this dialogue, Harrison.
>
> I'm wondering how any invitation can be regarded as failing if we
> enbrace the 'whoever comes...' principle?
>
> Best to All - Steve
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 10:15 AM, Harrison Owen
> <hhowen at verizon.net> 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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> --
> Steve Cochran
>
> Sustainability Strategies LLC
> National Center for Sustainability
> US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development
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>
> --
> Suzanne Daigle
> NuFocus Strategic Group
> 7159 Victoria Circle
> University Park, FL 34201
> FL 941-359-8877; CT 203-722-2009
> www.nufocusgroup.com
> s.daigle at nufocusgroup.com
>
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