making requests of leaders

Lisa Heft lisaheft at openingspace.net
Tue Nov 30 20:30:50 PST 2010


Raffi and others -

In my experience and approach...

- everything in context,
- do thorough pre-work,
- be aware of culture
- talk in advance about those things that support people of minority  
or diverse viewpoint (not in the OS process but in such things as the  
invitation, signage, whatever is appropriate)
- analyze with the client what (Open Space or otherwise) is the right  
tool for the task, time available, capacity and needs of the  
organization / group, and so on.

So: in my pre-work conversations with the client - especially when I  
hear about a group of mixed levels of perceived or actual power - we  
talk about power dynamics.
And then if we agree after our analysis that Open Space is indeed the  
tool we will be selecting for this event, sometimes the client says  
something like "My managers will be there - and they are very into  
leading and directing - and I can see that it is important to let all  
participants experience co-leadership / self-leadership instead. What  
shall I tell my managers so we can help them understand the benefit of  
not directing everybody?"

So we talk about this, and either they say 'Okay I know what I will  
say to them' or they say 'Can you give me some thoughts to help them  
keep in mind?' and we work together in the context of what they are  
asking, their needs, and their work culture.  Sometimes the client /  
supervisor invites them to come or not come, but if they come, to be  
full participants rather than directive. Whatever s/he thinks works in  
her/his cultural context. Sometimes they invite me to meet with the  
managers to answer their questions about the upcoming Open Space.   
Sometimes we even meet at the hotel bar the night before and have a  
casual chat.

And in those times I let them know that if they direct everyone they  
are losing the benefit of this interactive process.  It will tell them  
a great deal about emergent leaders in their organization if they step  
back from directing everything and see who shines. And I invite them  
to be themselves - if they feel inspired to post a topic - especially  
something that comes up from within as a juicy puzzle or inquiry -  
this is the place and time.

Sometimes we talk about how if they jump up too soon to fill the space  
with topics, will that leave space for others to emerge, given the  
power dynamics?  If they feel that may be an issue, I invite them to  
therefore let others post their topics, see what comes up, go with the  
flow and then announce any topic that inspires them. My response  
springs from their pre-event inquiry.

Sometimes they want me to write up something as a reminder. So I do.

It is again: in context, it springs from conversations with the client  
and their teams, they are often the ones who lead and inquire in this  
pre-event exploration, and I'm there to answer their questions about  
what I have noticed in other similar Open Spaces when people with  
great power mix with people with lesser power in the meeting.  All  
part of the conversation.

I don't do it automatically. I don't do it for every organization I  
perceive to have a strong hierarchy. I don't do it most of the time.
That would be a cultural assumption, and it would not be about me  
listening to them.

That, I think, is the nuance, Raffi.
And the context.

Thanks for inviting this exploration,

Lisa

Lisa Heft
Consultant, Facilitator, Educator
Opening Space
lisaheft at openingspace.net










On Nov 30, 2010, at 3:55 PM, Raffi Aftandelian wrote:

> Queridos amigos,
>
> Muchas gracias for your responses. And I'm surprised to hear at  
> least based
> on the current responses that this practice of encouraging "leaders"  
> to hold
> back is rather uncommon.
>
> I've cross-posted this question to the Genuine Contact list, too.
>
> abrazos,
> Raffi
>
> p.s.-- Querido Miguel- I think right now we're a little less lucky  
> here in
> San Diego (and hence if you're calling me a "lucky cat," that  
> probably makes
> me a little less feline, too)-- it has been rather cold here  
> recently...
>
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