[OSList] OST - Open Systems Thinking
Skye Hirst
skyeh at autognomics.org
Tue Dec 13 14:49:22 PST 2011
My training wheels were put on one day when I started riding the two
wheeler and I never knew when my brother lifted the little wheels off
the ground and I rode without support. Amazing what learning takes
place so easily in this livinghoodness.
On Dec 13, 2011, at 3:53 PM, Harrison Owen wrote:
> Ah Michael, you old ‘cyclist you! I surely get the picture,
> understand the drift, but my perspective may be a little different.
> As the father of 5 and grandfather of 6 (last one still too small
> to ride…yet) I know something of training wheels and holding on to
> the back of the seat.
>
>
>
> First for the training wheels. Fantastic invention. Provides a
> relatively painless introduction to the great art of cycling while
> offering relief to the aching back of the parent (you don’t have to
> bend over while running). Seems to go pretty much all by itself.
> Lesson for Open Space? Do it simple, do it smart – and never do
> more than you have to (One more thing not to do!).
>
>
>
> Then The Steady Hand Routine. There comes a time when the training
> wheels come off, but still a little learning to do in preparation
> for the solo ride. Your “Steady Hand” can help with the transition.
> But at a price. You get to stoop and run a lot. L But Thank God –
> Most kids get it real quick, maybe even quicker than they should,
> and always faster than their parents. But that is what youth is all
> about. Suddenly you find yourself running a lot faster than you
> really wanted to. Of course, you could try to hold on, but that
> only creates a lose/lose situation. You get pooped and the kid gets
> frustrated. Answer? Let go!! Lesson for Open Space? I think it is
> the same thing.
>
>
>
> Sooner or later we come to the whole matter of STOPPING. You can be
> assured that one way or another, and hopefully without a great deal
> of pain and destruction… Stopping will take place and the ride will
> end. It could well be that some handholding and a band aid or two
> will be needed, but for the most part a lot of cheering from the
> curb, along with some small amount of coaching, will take care of
> the business. As it turns out, there is more to riding a bike than
> pumping the peddles, but that is just details.
>
>
>
> When it is all over there is the marvelous opportunity for some
> great conversation along with a suitable libation. A Coke will do,
> but there are alternatives for the parent. Just think of all the
> rides to come and the possibility of shared adventures… On your
> own, Kid and you can forget about training wheels and the helping
> hand. And with a little luck, you can share your new found
> knowledge and skills with your younger siblings. YES! It is called
> paying it forward.
>
>
>
> Harrison
>
>
>
> Harrison Owen
>
> 7808 River Falls Dr.
>
> Potomac, MD 20854
>
> USA
>
>
>
> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
>
> Camden, Maine 20854
>
>
>
> Phone 301-365-2093
>
> (summer) 207-763-3261
>
>
>
> www.openspaceworld.com
>
> www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
>
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives
> of OSLIST Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-
> openspacetech.org
>
>
>
> From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org [mailto:oslist-
> bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Michael Herman
> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 12:33 PM
> To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
> Subject: Re: [OSList] OST - Open Systems Thinking
>
>
>
> i think the training wheels image is itself a half-way sort of
> thing. yes, ost is sort of training wheels in the first or maybe
> even few times used. but probably enough as just a one time use.
> as soon as a client or group i'm with has that first taste of the
> movement, my thinking and working with them always shifts in the
> direction of a parent running behind the bicycle.
>
> the traininig wheels image preserves a discrete separation between
> wheels on and wheels off. i find that in making the transition,
> it's much more informative to thinking of myself as a steady hand
> on the back edge of the seat... sometimes a firm guide, sometimes
> lightly present feeling for first signs of deviations from balance,
> and then also some time of running behind and not touching at
> all... so that i can say very clearly and truly... you really were
> doing it all by yourself.
>
> the most important thing i think i do with people after that first
> taste in oepn space, is open the conversation about what ost is,
> why it worked (what are the shapes naturally embedded within it)
> and where are those (natural) shapes already occuring in everyday
> work of the group. often, all th shapes are there. sometimes
> there are gaps where support might be strengthened, sometimes there
> are things to stop doing because they get in the way. but mostly,
> the pieces are all there and just need to be better understood,
> more consciously connected, and inforrmed by that first experience
> of what the body(ies) feel like when sailing down the sidewalk.
>
> ost is normal, i think, not when they have a copy of the book in
> the company library, or a corps of facilitators duly certified in
> the "tool" but when some sense of self-regulation/organization-
> regulation (continuous progress and constant balancing) has been
> recognized as part of every job description in the place.
>
> in somatics we can make a distinction between being aware of our
> body, in the body (still separate), and as a body. much like
> harrison's early observation that ost is not about better meetings,
> or even better organizations, but a better way of being in
> organization. maybe also captured in the ways little kids talk in
> english about "riding my bike" and how folks who've been at it a
> long time, life and riding, tend to describe themselves as "cyclists."
>
> m
>
>
> --
>
> Michael Herman
> Michael Herman Associates
> 312-280-7838 (mobile)
>
> http://MichaelHerman.com
> http://ManorNeighbors.com
> http://OpenSpaceWorld.org
>
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 10:41 AM, Harrison Owen
> <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:
>
> Far be it for me to pay less than full honor to Open Space and
> still less, to pay less than profound homage to all the good
> friends and colleagues who have journeyed along the way. But at the
> end of the day, I find myself in full agreement with friend Chris
> Corrigan who aptly described Open Space as “training wheels.”
> Training wheels are very helpful when you are learning to ride a
> bike, but you want to get rid of them as soon as possible. We
> aren’t there yet, and there is still a place for “doing” an Open
> Space – and doing it as well and simply as possible. But I always
> do it with a strong caveat, warning, or perhaps a plea. Just
> remember, I say, there is absolutely nothing I am doing with you
> that you can’t do for yourself. It ain’t rocket science! I have
> been doing (saying) that for a long time. And now I think I would
> raise the ante – Don’t just “Do” an Open Space – BE it 24X7!! Open
> the space of your life and the lives of those around you, and you
> will discover your own natural state, as a participant in this
> wonderful self-organizing world. Good old OST has been very useful,
> to say nothing of fun, as a training environment and a grand
> experiment. But when the lessons are learned and the data is in –
> it is time to get on with life, as soon as possible.
>
>
>
> As I said, we (as the global collective) are obviously not there
> yet – but I think I can see a little light at the end of the
> tunnel. Of course that may just be the train, but when it comes to
> hopes and expectations I can only say/wish “Bye bye OST – Hello
> Life! Or something.
>
>
>
> Harrison
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Harrison Owen
>
> 7808 River Falls Dr.
>
> Potomac, MD 20854
>
> USA
>
>
>
> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
>
> Camden, Maine 20854
>
>
>
> Phone 301-365-2093
>
> (summer) 207-763-3261
>
>
>
> www.openspaceworld.com
>
> www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
>
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives
> of OSLIST Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-
> openspacetech.org
>
>
>
> From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org [mailto:oslist-
> bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Birgitt Williams
> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 10:30 AM
>
>
> To: 'World wide Open Space Technology email list'
> Subject: Re: [OSList] OST - Open Systems Thinking
>
>
>
> Dear Harrison,
>
> A different perspective, in this case mine, is that we really honor
> Open Space Technology as an important meeting facilitation method,
> and that we are good stewards for its integrity (wholeness). This
> would mean that we preserve it in its original form for generations
> to come for their use and thereby a tool for the ongoing life
> nurturing shifts for humanity. Why would you want to advocate
> distilling this down to something that blends into disappearance
> when it is such a valuable tool?
>
>
>
> Birgitt
>
>
>
> From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org [mailto:oslist-
> bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Harrison Owen
> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 8:23 AM
> To: 'World wide Open Space Technology email list'
> Subject: Re: [OSList] OST - Open Systems Thinking
>
>
>
> I love it! Confusion!! Reminds me of days long ago when I had a
> newsletter called “TWG Newsletter” In fact the letters stood for
> absolutely nothing at all – leading my friend Peter Vaill to muse
> that since they didn’t mean anything in particular, everybody was
> free to supply their own meanings. His offerings: “Those Who
> Grock,” “Transformation Without Gurus” – and a few more I can’t
> recall. This lead to sort of a contest with the latest offerings
> appearing in the “TWG News” (of course.) Actually, the simple
> solution to all of this is to recognize that it is all Open Space,
> call it whatever you like. Perhaps the best option is to call it
> nothing at all, in which case it (by whatever name) would simply
> disappear in a cloud of everydayness. Wonderful..
>
>
>
> Harrison
>
>
>
> Harrison Owen
>
> 7808 River Falls Dr.
>
> Potomac, MD 20854
>
> USA
>
>
>
> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
>
> Camden, Maine 20854
>
>
>
> Phone 301-365-2093
>
> (summer) 207-763-3261
>
>
>
> www.openspaceworld.com
>
> www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
>
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives
> of OSLIST Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-
> openspacetech.org
>
>
>
> From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org [mailto:oslist-
> bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Bernhard Weber
> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 6:52 AM
> To: Artur Silva; World wide Open Space Technology email list
> Subject: Re: [OSList] OST - Open Systems Thinking
>
>
>
> Hi Artur
>
> Interesting indeed.
>
> Though my first emotional reaction was: being embarrassed (because
> they have "stolen" the OST Acronym;-)
>
> Bernardo
>
>
> Bernd Weber
>
> Change Facilitation s.r.o., A Global Partner Who Makes Change
> Happen in Complex Environments; www.change-facilitation.com,
> www.change-management-toolbook.com bernd.weber at change-
> facilitation.org; Regional Phone numbers:
>
> -Austria: +43 664 135 4828, landline + 431 5968657)
>
> -Sri Lanka: landline +94 11 2785859, iPhone +94 777740757
>
>
>
>
>
> NEW: Intensive Learning Workshop
>
> "Playing with the Waves of Change"
>
> www.change-facilitation.com/
>
>
>
> You want to have the design for a "Playing with the Waves (of
> Change) WS 2 completely taylor-made according to your individual
> learning interests & needs & limitations? Then have a look to the
> questionnaire at
>
> www.surveymonkey.com/s/5ZDS6JQ
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> If you get Email from my account <bernd.weber at change-
> facilitation.org> please do not use the reply button but answer to
> <weberb at gmx.at>, because my change-facilitation.org INBOX is not
> working for the time being.
>
>
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> Am 12.12.2011 um 20:22 schrieb Artur Silva:
>
>
>
> Hi:
>
>
>
> Have any of you ever heard about this?
>
>
>
> OST - OPEN SYSTEMS THINKING:
>
> http://www.thelightonthehill.com/
>
>
>
> Interesting...
>
>
>
> Regards
>
>
>
> Artur
>
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Skye Hirst, PhD
The Autognomics Institute
A Living World-view; the nature of reality
skyeh at autognomics.org
www.autognomics.org
Twitter @autognomics
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