Facilitation disasters or are they?

Thu Nov 19 14:52:14 PST 2009

Barbara, I am intrigued by your ?????   I sense there is a deeper
conversation there?  Suzanne

On Mon, Nov 16, 2009 at 8:56 AM, Barbara Bunker <bbunker at buffalo.edu> wrote:

> I think that this very interesting conversation is moving from disasters to
> situations where we feel that more could have happened....sometimes because
> we
> didn't do all that we might have done in the contracting or in the event
> itself
> or...??????  B3
>
> Barbara Bunker
>
> On Mon 11/16/09  4:46 AM , Tonnie van der Zouwen
> info at tonnievanderzouwen.nl sent:
> > So pleased to see I am not the only one with events that turn out
> > more or less as disasters.  I am very pleased this topic showed up.
> > For my PhD project I read a lot of stories about OS and other large
> > scale interventions, but it seems as if in formal literature all
> > projects are successful. Maybe we don't like to talk about the less
> > successful ones, so thank you all for sharing. Then again, what is
> > success and when is going to show? I notice that especially in
> > projects that  "fail" you see the working principles very clearly.
> > I want to share a story of an OS I facilitated a few years ago. It
> > really educated me J .  It is about an organization that consists of
> > 55 schools on 70 locations in one city. The public schools in the
> > city are dealing with a negative image: many children from lower
> > income families, too much foreigners, lower quality of education.
> > They face a serious decline in pupil numbers. If the trend was not
> > turned around some schools would have to close and the image of the
> > public schools would become even worse. We had two meetings with a
> > preparation team of seven people. We planned a one day OS as start of
> > a bigger project to make the schools more attractive. The OS is
> > planned on an already scheduled directors meeting. A  second
> > conference is planned a few month later. They didn't want to invite
> > parents or teachers, that had something to do with dirty laundry.
> > What happened?
> > The OS is in the communication museum in the city centre. The
> > conference room is long and narrow. Murphy's Law is working: The
> > project leader is unable to come. The sponsor, the general director,
> > is delayed. After reception with coffee, about 70 directors take a
> > seat in a wide oval of chairs. My colleague Ronald, who is
> > specialised in school marketing,  starts with a visualization of
> > twenty minutes. He tells a story of what parents are experiencing
> > when they visit one of the schools. Then the sponsor explains the
> > goals for the day and for the larger change process, including
> > personal targets for acquisition. After one hour, I introduce Open
> > Space. The theme is: How do we make our schools more attractive?
> > Energy levels are low. Looking at a lot of skeptic faces, I feel my
> > energy dropping too. For a few minutes no one enters the circle to
> > announce a topic. I just wait. Finally, eleven groups are formed for
> > the first round and seven for the second round. The sponsor is
> > enthusiastic about the process: they are really taking responsibility
> > for subgroups and some groups have lively discussions. He sees the
> > lack of taking own responsibility as one of the problems in his
> > organization. Each group produces a report in a news centre with ten
> > laptops. Reports are copied in a nearby copy centre. During lunch,
> > information about school marketing and support options is displayed.
> > Participants read the reports. After a plenary discussion,
> > participants place stickers on flip charts to select the most
> > important items. A third round for action planning is on the agenda,
> > but energy is dropping fast. In the corridors I hear some very
> > negative voices.  At three o'clock p.m. the sponsor decides to skip
> > the third round and start with the conference evaluation in the
> > closing circle. Am I pleased with that decision? It was enough for
> > that day, but what about action planning? In the closing circle some
> > are positive about the exchange of experiences and the opportunity
> > for everyone to contribute who wanted to, some pass the microphone
> > with a sceptic face. Every participant receives a binder with the
> > reports and information about school marketing. The next week the
> > planning group meets for the third and last time. The evaluation is
> > positive in general, but they say the program could have been shorter
> > and the beginning more energetic. The twelve items with the most
> > stickers are selected for follow up actions in a project team. The
> > second conference is called off.
> > I evaluated this case after two years, for my PhD study, using an
> > evaluation instrument with success factors and effects I developed.
> > The overall project was a success. A negative trend of ten years is
> > turned into a positive one. The image of the schools is improving.
> > The sponsor thinks the OS was worth the effort, it raised awareness
> > of the urgency and collective responsibility for the issue. Among
> > directors and consultants, perceptions of causes and effects differ
> > strongly. It worked, but couldn't it have been done much better?
> > There hasn't been another interactive project so far. Was this the
> > only thing that could have happened? School directors face a lot of
> > problems, maybe this was all the energy they could offer. But what if
> > we had insisted on inviting more diversity, other voices? Same people
> > - same interaction certainly showed here. What if we skipped the long
> > introduction and opened space as soon as possible? My presence was not
> > good, I felt intimidated. I think it could have been done much better,
> > in any  case by me.
> > Hope to hear more of your learning experiences,
> >
> > Tonnie
> > VAN: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] NAMENS Suzanne
> > Daigle
> > VERZONDEN: maandag 16 november 2009 2:08
> > AAN: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> > ONDERWERP: [SPAM]Re: [OSLIST] Facilitation disasters - your stories
> > please
> > Such wise words on a topic that has generated so much insight.
> > I felt myself seeped in what has been described and discussed. This
> > community of learning and sharing is the best!
> > Suzanne heading back to Florida after 2.5 wonderful days of Wave
> > Rider surfing in Orillia, Canada!
> >
> > Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
> > -------------------------
> > FROM: Harrison Owen
> >
> > DATE: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:53:12 -0500
> >
> > TO:
> >
> > SUBJECT: Re: Facilitation disasters - your stories please
> > Absolutely Annamarie! It is all about choosing. A friend told me -
> > never sell Open Space. It is like teaching a pig to sing. Sounds
> > terrible, and annoys the pig. I think so.
> > ALSO - There really isn't any sale to be made or choice, for that
> > matter. The nasty truth is that the whole cosmos is self-organizing
> > (Open Space) - and so the fundamental choice was made just about 13.7
> > million years ago. We do, however, have the choice about how well we
> > "do" it. Or more extremely - whether we want to maintain the delusion
> > that we are actually in control, and if not us, then surely somebody.
> > Ah - the great aching simplicity of the days when we actually knew
> > what we were doing, and did what we knew…
> > Harrison
> > Harrison Owen
> >
> > 7808 River Falls Drive
> >
> > Potomac, Maryland   20854
> >
> > Phone 301-365-2093
> >
> > Skype hhowen
> >
> > Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com [1]
> >
> > Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org [2]
> >
> > Personal website www.ho-image.com [3]
> >
> > OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
> > archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html [4]
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > FROM: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] ON BEHALF OF
> > Annamarie Pluhar
> > SENT: Sunday, November 15, 2009 7:13 PM
> > TO: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> > SUBJECT: Re: Facilitation disasters - your stories please
> > Such an interesting conversation that you have started Robyn.
> > My own experience was (gulp!) 15 years ago. My life has taken twists
> > and turns away from group facilitation - the fact that I'm on the list
> > now has everything to do with a current contract/assignment.  Before
> > meeting the client - knowing what they were looking for  "empowering
> > the people" "new ideas" "enthusiasm" and "excitement" I thought that
> > sounds like OS.  Turns out those are just words.. they only want want
> > is safe and familiar and what they did last year.
> > 15 years ago, I was facilitating a two-day annual retreat for a
> > smallish company.  Day two was to have been OS.  It was started OK,
> > but the owner of the company hijacked the process (I can't remember
> > the exact words) - he invited (he's the boss so invited...) everyone
> > to go on a hike with him on a trail. When I was invited to go, I said
> > "no" on the grounds that I wasn't sure everyone was there and some
> > might be looking for the group. I was told that they ended up having
> > a very good conversation on top of the mountain.
> > I think that the contracting process is the most important. what I'm
> > holding to is that the client has to choose OS rather than it being
> > recommended...
> > Annamarie Pluhar
> > PLUHAR CONSULTING
> >
> > Results through effective group process
> >
> > _802.451.1941_
> >
> > _802.579.5975 (cell)_
> > On Nov 14, 2009, at 7:44 PM, Robyn Williams wrote:
> > Hi folks
> > On Friday I was facilitating a 2 hour workshop primarily using Open
> > Space
> > principles as requested, and as I would have suggested anyway given
> > the task
> > in hand. My own 2 feet did the walking less than halfway through
> > when the
> > 'person in charge', who I'd not met before, interrupted the process,
> > criticised me, and gave me directions (in public) and not for the
> > first
> > time. The agenda items were being announced, and her direction was
> > that all
> > the issues should be dealt as a whole group and indicated that I
> > should
> > facilitate that. I said no, thanked them for their time, wished them
> > well
> > for the rest of the session, and left.
> > Given the short duration and the task at hand, this had been a
> > long-winded
> > arrangement which resulted in more questions than answers. Arranged
> > by a
> > delegated person without authority, I wasn't able to ascertain who
> > was
> > really 'in charge' (I was told that it was a group project, ie all
> > team
> > leaders) or get agreement for a meeting to clarify expectations. The
> > day
> > before the workshop I contacted the Director of the department, had
> > a
> > pleasing chat, and arranged to meet before the session. That session
> > was
> > cancelled later in the day, and a shorter session was re-convened
> > for
> > another time (when critical people could be available). Sure bells
> > were
> > ringing but I started to think that I was being overly consultative.
> > I mean
> > what could go wrong in 2 hrs? Right?
> > On the way home I reflected on how it had unfolded and my part and
> > felt that
> > I'd done as well as I could do under the circumstances despite my
> > inner-critic suggesting that walking out was pretty extreme and
> > surely I
> > could have done better. Needless to say I've learned lessons from
> > this and
> > have damage control ahead of me this week (sigh).
> > So what would you do, or have you done, when your role is
> > undermined?
> > And how did you reach closure with the client/s?
> > Best wishes, Robyn
> > Fremantle Western Australia
> > PS WA colleagues - anyone available to debrief this with me?
> > *
> > *
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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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