Reading and sustaining

Larry Peterson larry at spiritedorg.com
Wed Jul 8 11:00:51 PDT 2009


>From where I sit, currently in a mall in St. Joseph, Missouri, you said it
extremely well Michael P.

Larry

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Michael M
Pannwitz
Sent: July 3, 2009 11:50 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: [OSLIST] Reading and sustaining

Dear Ralph,
if I were near your house I would walk over and get that novel and maybe 
another nice kitchen utensil...the one you so graciously gave to me 
about a decade ago has provided the most sustainable link to anyone I 
ever had. Its not only in a prominent place in our kitchen so I can 
easily reach it but its also in constant use reminding me of you and 
your family and your hospitality...so much for not fostering 
sustainability (I know you did this solely in your role as
"facilitator for sustainability" which is probably another way of saying 
"friend").

I also think its none of my business as open space facilitator to foster 
things like "sustainability of outcome" or anything else.
I dont even think I am openening the space since the sponsor has already 
done that before I walk the circle. Yes, "holding time and space" is my 
business between the sponsors opening and closing...whatever that might be.
Doing that I think I am fostering something.
I like it simple, so I call that which I am fostering (it starts with 
the first contact with the client and continues throughout the planning 
phase...) the conditions under which selforganisation can rear its happy 
head a little more than usual (having done that since the Big Bang and 
probably even before that without me or anyone else in my experience 
contributing to that).
And that is simple (with OST) but its not always easy considering the 
enormous effort spent in man-made organisations and systems to keep 
selforganisation strictly confined and under control.
Now, when selforganisation does get busier than usual, as is observabel 
in os-events, all kinds of stuff happens. Some of it some of us love and 
others fear: peacefulness, conflicts surfacing, fun communication, 
destruction of leadership, emergence of new leadership, productive 
exchanges and planning, projects being declared dead, being involved, 
contributing, dismantling of control, projects that project beyond the 
event, a spirit that sometimes hangs on in organisations till they die, 
people walking away from what interests me, getting a feeling for the 
whole system, no longer relying on sustainable outcomes, new 
hierarchies, sudden realisation that I am in the wrong place, community, 
  etc.).
Considering all that I am privileged every time I am asked to faciliate 
an open space and I thank the group for that privilege in the closing 
circle.

As far as (summer) reading is concerned I just saw the title
"The Organisation of Self-Organisation", Foundations of Systemic 
Management by Fritz B. Simons / Conecta, ISBN 978-3-89670-447-4.
Since my summer and probably even fall is full with writing, I 
appreciate it if someone who gets it for her or his summer reading to 
let me know whats behind this oxymoron.
And in case you are in Berlin this coming Monday, join us in our 
Stammtisch, selforganized, of course.
Have a great weekend and a safe 4th of July in the USA...us expacts 
having been warned of getting too close to other USexpats for 
celebrating the 233rd birthday...
mmp

Ralph Copleman wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I've never understood the distinction between "summer reading" and 
> reading done during other seasons.  Perhaps, because I don't like 
> spending time on the beach, I have never really had a specifically 
> summer-ish reading experience.  Nevertheless I shall await suggestions 
> on this topic with interest.  Good novels are great treasures. And I 
> throw in this recommendation: Prodigal Summer by the American writer 
> Barbara Kingsolver.  I'd be happy to give away my copy to anyone who 
> requests it.
> 
> On the topic of how we foster sustainable OS outcomes, my first reaction 
> is, we can't.  Perhaps I misunderstand, but I believe it is not up to me 
> (as a facilitator) to foster anything.  I open space, hold space, and 
> close space.  That's all I can do.  Unless I'm consulting to a system 
> over a longer period than actual OS event, I have no other 
> responsibility.  And even then, I'm not sure my job is any different.
> 
> Ralph Copleman
> 
> 
> *
> *
> ==========================================================
> OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> ------------------------------
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
> view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
> http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
> 
> To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
> http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
> 

-- 
Michael M Pannwitz, boscop eg
Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
++49-30-772 8000
mmpanne at boscop.org
www.boscop.org


Check out the Open Space World Map presently showing 448 resident Open 
Space Workers in 71 countries working in a total of 140 countries worldwide
Have a look:
www.openspaceworldmap.org

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html

To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html

To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist



More information about the OSList mailing list