What I love most about OST (was Re: [OSLIST] Origins of "one less thing" and "letting go"

Anglican Chaplain angchaplain at admin.uwa.edu.au
Wed Jul 29 23:19:04 PDT 2009


I take most of the points Artur raises in his email.

 

I wouldn't be too mutually exclusive about OST and Appreciative Inquiry.
I do think they can be (and have experienced) them being complementary.
People interviewing each other in pairs and in small groups about their
appreciative experiences can be a great way of building trust; revealing
corporate mythology (by listening for recurring themes); and might
actually help shape up, collectively, the really key question for Open
Space (rather than assuming that people 'at the top' know what this
question should be). In this way, the group is empowered rather than
dispempowered I think. Of course, much of the time AI is completely
unnecessary - people are already on the edge of their seat and ready to
go.

 

But in some contexts I think AI can be a useful warm up.

 

Michael Wood

 

________________________________

From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Artur
Silva
Sent: Thursday, 30 July 2009 5:22 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: What I love most about OST (was Re: [OSLIST] Origins of "one
less thing" and "letting go"

 

Hi people:

 

It is interesting, but the thing that I most love about OST has much to
do with "one less thing"...

 

OST is, as far as I know, the only methodology where the facilitator has
to create a certain number of previous requisites, do a concise opening,
and then let the people do their own work. This assumes that one
believes in the people in the room to do the job and gives them all the
power to self-organize. And it works every time!

 

When I compare OST with all the other "facilitation" methodologies that
I have studied, what most impresses me is that in all the others the
facilitator (or a lot of facilitators) has (have) the central role.
He/she/them is everywhere, doing all the sorts of things,
(unconsciously) letting people to "understand" that without him/her/them
(the facilitator(s) they would not be able to do the job.

 

That is also the reason I have difficulty in understanding how the some
people that facilitate OST, can also facilitate more
formal/control_oriented methodologies. Ora why must we add other things
(like a "warming up" up or AI session at the beginning) to something
that is already perfect. Add one more thing only disempowers people.
Discover one more thing not to do - that is the real job of the
facilitator preparation!

 

And, of course, all this has everything to do with Taoism and very
little to do with normal western thinking that is our biggest enemy when
trying to facilitate OST - to forget and bypass the paradigm in what we
have been educated, I mean, indoctrinated. We must also let go of that!

 

Artur

 

PS: In what concerns your PS, Harrison, "no comments!"

 

----------

 

 

 

 

 --- On Wed, 7/29/09, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:

	
	From: Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net>
	Subject: Re: [OSLIST] Origins of "one less thing" and "letting
go"
	To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
	Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 11:34 AM

	I love it! "Thinking of one less thing to do" is a throw-away I
have used for years. I've called it the "design principle for OST." If
it turns out to be Taoist that will be superb. Some kind of channeling,
I would guess. 

	 

	Harrison

 

PS - Artur I also wrote the Wiki article, now several times revised by
whomsoever. More channeling?

 

ho

 

 


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