OS & Open Conferences

Michael Herman michael at michaelherman.com
Mon Jan 10 08:39:02 PST 2011


maybe i'm missing something here, jon... but the sort of day you've proposed
sounds like a one-day osonos or OT.  lots of people have gotten employers to
send them to those days, no talking heads, only learning from friends and
peers.  i did a one-day program in open space and business people came, paid
by employers, back in 1998, on evolution in organization.  i've attended
other such things, on organizational learning, for instance.  uwe weissflog
used to do saturday programs for executives on a theme of 'healing executive
spirit."  the common thread in what i have seen in such programs is that
urgent "issue" or not, the participants always clearly had a role to play,
individual decision-making, in their own learning and doing, in the context
of the larger, rather fuzzy issue.  the people were actively learning and
experimenting in their work.  m


--

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates

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On Mon, Jan 10, 2011 at 9:01 AM, Denise Tennen <denisetennen at comcast.net>wrote:

> I thought Anne was speaking to the perceived need Jon lays out of a
> participant having to justify the expense of the conference to their
> employer (assuming the employer is footing the bill for the participant to
> attend). The inclusion of "talking head" experts presumably helps "sell" the
> employer on paying for the employee to attend.
>
> Anne - was this what you meant by the "underlying transaction" - using the
> talking head experts as a lure?  And did you also mean that using such a
> lure ultimately might create more of a barrier to the overall success of the
> conference than ending up being successful bait to get people to Open Space?
>
> And Harrison, are you saying Open Space will trump the downside of using
> (and wasting time on) the "bait" of including experts?
>
> On Jan 10, 2011, at 8:35 AM, Harrison Owen wrote:
>
> Anne – You Sneaky Lady! And I suppose it may be a factor of increasing age
> and curmudgeonly disposition, but when faced with the suggestion of
> admixtures, alternatives, and/or dilutions of Open Space I obviously do not
> have your grace and patience. It really boils down to my aversion to wasting
> the participants’ time, the client’s time and my own. If there is something
> to be done that is worth while doing, the people who care are in the best
> position to accomplish the task, provided the essential time/space is
> available. In a word – Open Space. The suggestion that somehow “These
> Participants” will be unable to function effectively is to demean those
> people, consigning them to the bottom end of the intelligence/ability curve.
> Perhaps someday I will run into a truly aberrant group, but experience to
> date says that if the people fall generally within the classification *Homo
> sapiens*, they will do just fine. Of course clients, sponsors and
> facilitators do get nervous, but that is not the issue, though it may be the
> problem. I am reminded of the CEO of a large American corporation who
> reportedly said in reference to the employees, “Never turn the asylum over
> to the inmates.” With a corporate mindset like that it will not surprise you
> to learn that the useful mental and emotional space available in that place
> of work was minimal, closely paralleling an appalling lack of innovation and
> creativity. It should also come as a non-surprise to learn that when “the
> inmates” were introduced to open space, their performance was outstanding.
> Blew your socks off! As for the CEO – he survived. As a matter of fact, when
> last heard from he was laughing all the way to the bank to deposit the
> profits from the renewed innovation and creativity.
>
> Yours timorously,
>
>
> Harrison
>
>
>
> Harrison Owen
> 7808 River Falls Dr.
> Potomac, MD 20854
> USA
> Phone 301-365-2093
> www.openspaceworld.com
> www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
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>
> *From:* OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
> ] *On Behalf Of *ANNE BENNETT
> *Sent:* Monday, January 10, 2011 7:19 AM
> *To:* OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> *Subject:* Re: OS & Open Conferences
>
> Hi Jon
>
> I have indeed made fast and loose with OS form and process in such events -
> I appreciated greatly Lisa's skillful and instinctive list of key design and
> decision issues recently in response to the US+ 50 events extravaganza. I
> would add one of my typically esoteric points, which is about finding a way
> to be explicit about facsimile engagement which colludes with the starting
> nervousness and self-limits the experience and conclusions/perceptions of
> what OS is about...I feel it really is better to say "of course this is not
> the real thing/we are not doing the real thing because ...." and as one can
> expect a belated "but we could hack that/why did you under estimate us?" I
> embolden myself earlier on to push against the timorous prologue with the
> client....
>
> *Anne M Bennett*
>
> Champion Hill
> London
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> *From:* Jon Harvey <jon at jonharveyassociates.co.uk>
> *To:* OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> *Sent:* Monday, 10 January, 2011 12:09:51
> *Subject:* OS & Open Conferences
> Dear all
>
> I think I have managed to persuade a public conference producer to run (and
> charge for) one of their conferences using Open Space. I debated with her
> that the ‘talking heads’ type of conference with a smattering of workshops
> (which are usually mini plenary sessions too) could be so much more valuable
> and productive if OS was used. I said I would enquire if anyone else had
> done this – how did it go – what lessons did you draw?
>
> This is something of a gamble I recognise, as this will not be quite the
> kind of issue that has to be solved yesterday kind of context. (Although
> given the current austerity measures which are sweeping across the UK public
> services right now – a lot of things have to be solved yesterday!) Also the
> people gathered will be a community of interest (ie they will all have
> signed up to come to the topic in questions) but not a community / group in
> any other way...
>
> So what do people think – can this work – has this worked?
>
> Many thanks
>
> Very best wishes
>
> Jon
>
>
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