Organizational Transformation Conferences (was: Re: [OSLIST] ODWS - Journey through time; suggestions please !!)

Susan M Kerr susan.kerr at aurora.org
Tue Jun 1 15:13:47 PDT 2010


Hello Jack.

Yes, it was. I'm sorry that I hadn't read the archives you attached when I 
posted. I see now where you call it Chicago; it was actually just up the 
lake a bit in Milwaukee. The theme was Welcoming Spirit  which could be, I 
guess, a tad amorphous but I don't recall any weirdness nor intrigue 
unless one counts the polka dancing that took place by some participants 
when we joined the Polish fest at the lakefront one evening... 

The invitation is attached here. I believe Sheila truly hosted it solo as 
I remember being more amazed than helpful - I'm a bit institutionalized 
I'm afraid and was unclear of my role. (I was unsure about giving what I 
had which seems to be what happens around OS.) 

It was a small group - about 15 from the participant list I have but it 
may not be the final one. Most were from the US with a few from Sweden and 
Scotland. 

The 2nd attachment is something Sheila may have put together. It lists all 
the OTs, year and location, up to and including that OT23 one. I apologize 
for the Word docs but I don't have a webpage to post them to. 


 
I hope this is helpful. It looks as though when the OT was in two places 
one year they were "numbered" the same. 
Susan 



Jack Martin Leith <jack at leithcocreation.com> 
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Re: [OSLIST] Organizational Transformation Conferences (was: Re: [OSLIST] 
ODWS - Journey through time; suggestions please !!)






Hiya Susan.
 
Thanks for the information about the final OT conference, held in 
Milwaukee.
 
Is this the one that I had pegged as Chicago, convened by Sheila Isakson, 
Bill Isakson, Susan Kerr, and facilitated by John Adams?
 
Thanks for your help.
 
Jack

Jack Martin Leith
Leith Co-creation
London, United Kingdom
email: jack at leithcocreation.com
Mobile: 07831 840541 (+44 7831 840541)
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On 1 June 2010 03:09, Susan M Kerr <susan.kerr at aurora.org> wrote:
Dear Artur, Jeff, and All:
 
Jeff, I'm sorry to contradict you but the last OT I attended did indeed 
take place in my home town of Milwaukee. It may have been OT 23 in 2005 
but I don't keep up with dates and numbers very well. I had attended the 
year before in northern Scotland and fell in love with the people and the 
rich dialogue we had. There was richness to be found that following year 
in Milwaukee as well. I was (still consider myself to be) "new" to OS and 
thought that group was a kind of subset of this larger community and the 
way they stayed in contact was through this very list. 
 
Even though I was there for the last two, if indeed they were they last 
two, I didn't hear any news of one the following year, in London or 
elsewhere. So I cannot help you, Artur, with what happened after the one 
in Milwaukee. Perhaps someone else who attended but hasn't had an 
opportunity to chime in yet will be able to shed more light.  
 
Grateful for the learning,
Susan Kerr
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA


-----OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU> wrote: -----

To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
From: Jeff Aitken <magic.teams at hotmail.com>
Sent by: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Date: 05/31/2010 06:24PM 

Subject: Re: [OSLIST] Organizational Transformation Conferences (was: Re: 
[OSLIST] ODWS - Journey through time; suggestions please !!)

Thanks for posting some history of the OT symposia Jack.  

I attended many in the US from 1991-1996, and the European OT9 in Hungary. 
I remember one participant convening a workshop that included burning 
money. To me, it was not outside the range of typical behavior with a few 
hundred 'transformation' oriented folks being together for three or four 
days in open space with a somewhat amorphous theme statement. There was a 
great deal of weirdness and intrigue. They were all very different events, 
and great fun and great learning for the most part. And I don't blame open 
space for any of the troubling parts. 

John Adams told me that the last OT symposium in Wisconsin did not take 
place because of lack of interest, about five years ago, and at that point 
there was the decision to discontinue. 

Jeff 
Mount Tamalpais 

Date: Mon, 31 May 2010 17:04:47 +0100 
From: jack at leithcocreation.com 
Subject: Re: [OSLIST] Organizational Transformation Conferences (was: Re: 
[OSLIST] ODWS - Journey through time; suggestions please !!) 
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 

Thanks for raising this, Artur. 
  
I've pulled a couple of old web pages about the OT symposia from my very 
dusty digital archives, blown off the cobwebs, and uploaded them to 
www.leithcocreation.com/ot . 
  
Hope these are useful. 
  
In 1988, John Adams ( www.eartheart-ent.com ) wrote: 
  
Sometime during the very early years of this decade [the 1980s], probably 
in 1981 or 1982, a large number of people began to use the term 
organisation transformation to describe their work. During the Spring of 
1982, a few of these people recognized each other at a conference outside 
of Boston, and began to discuss their common interest in concepts like 
vision, purpose, spirit in the workplace and global perspective . 
  
Could it be that the ideas highlighted in red are taken as read (sorry - 
no pun intended) these days, and that OD has - to some extent - morphed 
into OT, as you mention? 
  
The rest of the John Adams article can be found here: 
www.leithcocreation.com/ot . 
  
With regard to your earlier email, I agree that PC is rife in the Open 
Space community, and that it is not safe to raise certain issues - not 
only in these posts, but beyond OSList. 
  
Two years ago, Paul Levy and I announced a discussion session, Open Space 
2.0: Beyond the Dogma. The announcement triggered some hostility and a 
heap of defensive responses. Paul received an item of what can only be 
called hate mail from a prominent member of the so-called OS community 
(perhaps more like what Scott Peck would call 'pseudo-community'). 
  
Pseudo-community: Where participants are "nice with each other", 
playing-safe, and presenting what they feel is the most favourable sides 
of their personalities. 
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community 
  
I've had similar responses to other posts, which is why I rarely post to 
this list these days. 
  
25 years down the track, if they survive that long, most organisational 
concepts and tools have splintered and evolved. Open Space hasn't, and I'm 
not sure this is a good thing. It seems to reflect a degree of orthodoxy. 
  
I await howls of protest. 
  
Thank you again, Artur. These things need to be said. 
  
If some among you fear taking a stand because you are afraid of reprisals 
from customers, clients, or even government, recognize that you are just 
feeding the crocodile, hoping he'll eat you last. ? Ronald Reagan  

Jack 
  
Jack Martin Leith 
Leith Co-creation 
London, United Kingdom 
email: jack at leithcocreation.com 
Mobile: 07831 840541 (+44 7831 840541) 
Skype: jackmartinleith 
Professional website: www.leithcocreation.com 
Personal website: www.jackmartinleith.com 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jackmartinleith 
LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/jackmartinleith 
Slideshare: www.slideshare.net/jackmartinleith 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jackmartinleith 


On 29 May 2010 19:19, Artur Silva < arturfsilva at yahoo.com > wrote: 
Dear all 
  
Thanks for the map, Jack. 
  
The map, and some clarifications by Harrison, reminded me of a different 
thing. 
  
OST was born in the "Organization Transformation Conferences".   
  
In WOSonOS in Berlin, I met a lady (that I cannot remember the name and 
later have not seen her again to ask for the contacts) that told me that 
the last OT Conference was to be held in London, but there were 
insufficient registrations and it did not took place. Nor any other after 
that. 
  
In ancient mails, in the OSLIST Archives, I can see that OT22 took place 
in Scotland, in 2004, and OT23 was planned to take place in Milwaukee, in 
2005. I also remember to later receive an invitation to London, and I even 
considered to go there (and profit to see my sister and my English family, 
in Brighton). But later I could not. But that exchange of mails is lost 
with a computer that crashed many moons ago. 
  
If there is anyone that can complete the story from OT22 to the last one 
that took (or not) place, I would be grateful. 
  
I would also like to understand why the OT Conferences died (without any 
trace that I could discover in the Internet). 
  
And why have the OT Conferences died if the distinction between OD and OT 
is IMHO more needed now than ever before? 
  
Maybe this can be somehow related with my previous post.  

If there is no longer a clear distinction between OD and OT, than OST and 
all the other "large group facilitation methods" belong after all to the 
same stream - OD. 
  
Interesting, don't you think? 
  
Regards 
  
Artur 

From: Harrison Owen < hhowen at verizon.net > 
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
Sent: Thu, May 27, 2010 10:34:02 PM 
Subject: Re: [OSLIST] ODWS - Journey through time; suggestions please !! 

Jack ? I have always loved your ?map? ? if only because it provides me and 
 (indirectly I presume), and Open Space Technology with an impressive 
lineage which is at once colorful, although perhaps  undeserved. It is 
true that my first public foray into the realm of Organization 
Transformation happened at a regional conference of ODN (Organization 
Development Network) ? I gave a paper. What is also true is that at the 
time I had no real clue what Organization Development might be, where it 
came from, or what it might be useful for. My inspiration, training and 
experience came from a rather different place, including but not limited 
to a layman?s understanding of the New Physics, a rather deeper 
understanding of the myth and ritual of the ancient near east, and an 
appreciation of a variety of (what now would be called) esoteric 
traditions. Strange things like Tibetan Buddhism, Sufi thought (Rumi), 
some deep learning at the feet of (West) African Shamans, the work of 
Joseph Campbell, Ken Wilbur  ? and other assorted denizens of the Fringe. 
I wouldn?t claim academic expertise for most of this, but existential, on 
the ground experience for sure. Truth to tell, when Organization 
Transformation first reflected the light of day it was not viewed in a 
positive fashion by the powers that be (were) in the world of OD. 
Definitely heretical! Off the Wall! Out of Sight!! Some still feel that 
way, I am sure ? but times change. And a lot of the people who found the 
idea of Organization Transformation radically abhorrent became friends. I 
can?t say we have always agreed ? but we are friends. 
  
And then we come to Open Space Technology. It does not come from, nor is 
it part of the great tradition (lately created) of Large Scale 
Interventions. It began as it remains ? The product of two Martinis (and 
before that the Big Bang)!  There was no careful research, no critical 
analysis of preceding efforts ? just a little Gin and (much less) 
vermouth.  And with all that as ancestors, you got to keep it simple.  ? 
Sit in a circle, create a bulletin board, open a market place ? and Go to 
work. Hasn?t changed a bit ever since. But I am sure that our 
understanding of what happens has gone a lot deeper ? which is not to say 
that we are getting anywhere near the depths we must achieve. But we are 
moving in the right direction, I think. And it is fun. 
  
Harrison 
  
  
Harrison Owen 
7808 River Falls Dr. 
Potomac, MD 20854 
USA 
Phone 301-365-2093 
www.openspaceworld.com 
www.ho-image.com (Personal Website) 
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of 
oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu : 
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From: OSLIST [mailto: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU ] On Behalf Of Jack 
Martin Leith 
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 3:11 PM 
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
Subject: Re: ODWS - Journey through time; suggestions please !! 
  
Thanks for mentioning the map, Michael. 
  
I've just uploaded it to my server in case anyone wants to see it. 
  
Here's the URL: 
www.leithcocreation.com/documents/history-of-large-group-methods.doc 
  
It's a big file ... sorry ... I don't have time right now to make it any 
smaller. 
  
Jack 

Jack Martin Leith 
Leith Co-creation 
London, United Kingdom 
email: jack at leithcocreation.com 
Mobile: 07831 840541 (+44 7831 840541) 
Skype: jackmartinleith 
Professional website: www.leithcocreation.com 
Personal website: www.jackmartinleith.com 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jackmartinleith 
LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/jackmartinleith 
Slideshare: www.slideshare.net/jackmartinleith 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jackmartinleith 

On 27 May 2010 15:05, Michael Herman < michael at michaelherman.com > wrote: 
i'll second jeff's recommendation of marv weisbord's 'productive 
workplaces.'  that was the first thing that came to mind here.  another 
was a map that jack martin leith did some years ago, showing overlapping 
development paths of various methods and leading practitioners.  jack? 

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 Thu, May 27, 2010 at 4:39 AM, VISUELLE PROTOKOLLE < 
mail at visuelle-protokolle.de > wrote: 
Dear Gerard, 

Our friend Jon Jenkins, who sadly died recently, said as the father of the 
IAF Method Database, that right now the three most important elements in 
our profession are VISUALIZATION, STORYTELLING and ONLINE METHODS. 

Greetings from Italy 

Reinhard Kuchenmüller 


VISUELLE PROTOKOLLE® 
www.visuelle-protokolle.de 
+39-0566-88929 




Am 27/05/10 08:16 schrieb "Gerard Muller" unter < gm at openspace.dk >: 
Dear All, 

At the upcoming Organisational Development World Summit (see 
http://www.odworldsummit.org/ , which is organised in collaboration with 
several organisations and communities - amongst which several who are on 
this list , we are organising part of the program as a special journey 
through the history of our profession, before we move into it?s future. 

I would like to ask for your help in identifying what you feel are the 2-3 
elements which deserve a place in this journey. This could be either in 
the history of the profession (a book, a bit of research,  the birth of an 
method or theory), or in the history of the society around (political, 
technological, ...). 

If you have a specific idea how to represent the elements which come to 
mind, that would be great. 
In the case of a publication, it could be the book itself, in the case of 
an event maybe the invitation, 
a poster, pictures. But we?ll also have space for filmclips and music. 

Please mail any ideas to my E-mail at gm at openspace.dk , in the course of 
the coming week. 

Thanks for your assistance !! 

Greetings from Denmark, 




Gerard Muller 

Open Space Institute Denmark 
Phone: (+45) 21269621 
Mail: gm at openspace.dk 
Skype: openspace1 
www.openspace.dk < http://www.openspace.dk/ > 
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