Fear in the face of an upcoming OST-meeting

[Diane Gibeault]

Hello Catherine,

 

I also experienced an event that was wrapped in fear. It was a known fact
that the organization was being let go, abandoned as it was to merge under a
new entity. We had the benefit of having the night before for a wake, a form
of story telling as Thomas mentioned. The night of informal talk that
followed and the incubation with the sleep were a real asset. 

 

People had been invited to bring an object that represented a piece of this
organization they cared about or cared to talk about before letting the
organization move on to something else. Whenever someone was ready to speak,
they would present their object, speak to it, talk about the good times, the
difficult times and whatever they needed to say, then bring the object to
the centre on a white silky blanket. There was, laughter, tears, songs,
heart felt wishes, reminders of people’s heroic deeds and qualities and
other treasures in the room
.

 

When people left, the blanket with its objects was gathered on a table in a
quite area of the room, almost like a shrine, that people-butterflies could
go to and reflect. 

 

The next day, fear of the unknown was still present to some degree in the
morning with some but you could also feel people relieved, ready to move to
the next step in the change process: the exploration of what could be
created using the treasures reaffirmed in the room.  The next levels of
change, acceptance and planning-organizing came naturally, group members
allowing themselves to do it at their own pace.

 

That was surely an example of the practice of peace. Making peace with the
past and the proponents of change to arrive at an harmonious place.

 

Hope this adds helpful pictures of how fear can evaporate.

Diane

 

 

 

From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Catherine
Pfaehler
Sent: 18 février 2009 04:41
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: [OSLIST] Fear in the face of an upcoming OST-meeting

 

Dear all

 

Speaking of fear: I happen to prepare for an OST-meeting, in which the
participants want to find the new strategy of a small graphics and printing
company, which also offers workspaces for handicapped people. The head of
the company took part in an OST-meeting in November and decided to use the
same approach for his strategic planning task, thus involving all his main
employees (and some of the handicapped people as well). They created a great
invitation which states, amongst other things, that people will think,
discuss and act on that day as if the company was theirs. The theme is
“Impulse 2013”, the goal is to find out what needs to happen until then to
secure the company’s well-being economically and socially.

 

Now he tells me that about one third of his people are fearful about what’s
coming up and creating alliances to prevent change. Some of them cling to
their machines and don’t want them to become outdated, which however is
inevitable (no more spare parts available etc.).

 

What is a useful input I could offer him in this situation? The meeting will
be on March 27th. (He loves sayings and keeps publishing them inside the
company. I have asked if he knows one about fear. The one from A Course in
Miracles is a bit too far out for his people – so I asked if perhaps it
would be enough to post a question on the bulletin board stating “What is
fear?”)

 

With love, Catherine

 

Catherine Pfaehler Senn

lic.oec.HSG

Open Space Begleitung

St. Alban-Vorstadt 15

CH - 4052 Basel

+41-(0)76 - 488 15 46

c.pfaehler at open-space-begleitung.ch

www.open-space-begleitung.ch <http://www.open-space-begleitung.ch/> 

 

 

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