[OSList] The 5th Principle - Why I think it is Important

[Barry Owen]

Darnit! - 25 years, I've been thinking in "4's" . . . Now this!

I guess Ralph WAS right - Everything IS moving!

Dad is writing this at the same time I've been grappling daily with
"answering"  what I consider to be irresponsible reporting from local news
sources who tend to publish National Statistics as if they are valid in our
local market (they are NOT).

I have always addressed the "Where" in Open Space but never as a principle.

LOCAL
HERE
NOW

are what matter.

and this seems to be a prevalent topic these days among folks who are
thinking about things

So I wrote a blog post today . . .

Thank you Dad for always thinking :-)

b

Monday Morning Coffee – When “WHERE” Matters!
 Posted on May 30,
2011<http://paretorealty.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/monday-morning-coffee-when-where-matters/>
by Barry Owen <http://paretorealty.wordpress.com/author/barryo06/>

In the mid 1980s, my Father Harrison Owen stumbled upon (discovered) a cool
Organizational Transformation “methodology” (new school of thought) around
the notion that everything is self-organizing.

He called it *Open Space Technology* and has (for 25+ years now) been very
intentional about the simplicity of the concept . . . That it really isn’t
more than being descriptive (not prescriptive) of what naturally happens in
organizations when we relinquish our highly evolved need to COMMAND and
CONTROL.

Fundamental to Open Space Technology is simplicity as evidenced by only 4
principles and 1 law:

   - *Whoever Comes is the right people*
   - *Whatever happens in the only thing that could have*
   - *Whenever it starts is the right time*
   - *When it’s over, it’s over*

The Law of 2 Feet: *If at any time you find yourself in a place where you
are neither contributing nor receiving anything of value, it is YOUR
responsibility to take yourself to a place where you can contribute or
receive something of value.*

In the past 30 years, some of the world’s greatest thinkers have practiced
and pondered the magic of OST . . . and organizations, governments, NGOs,
Non-Profits, Manufacturing concerns, Consultancies have all “used” OST with
phenomenal results.

It is often said that Open Space technology never fails to take an
organization where it is destined to go – Faster – and more efficiently than
any other process.

Many Consultants have made efforts through the years to add to the process
by increasing the structure . . . defining more boundaries . . . while the
“purists” have held tight to keeping it simple (4 principles and a Law) and,
in fact, looking for ways to do one LESS thing with each new application of
OST.

Our friend Ralph Copleman (Now deceased) put it simply:

“Everything is Moving!”

and only OST seems to be appropriate . . . ALWAYS!

After the recent series of public revolutions around the world often
manifested in the form of huge, spontaneous gatherings of people, Harrison
Owen got to thinking that there might be a missing principle in Open Space
Technology – a 5th Principle:

   - *“Wherever It is is the right place”*

For Dad to ADD a Principle after 30 years of concentrated and deliberate
“Less is More” practice is either heresy or brilliance.

I’m leaning towards the brilliance side (not because of my bias towards Dad)
because I see more and more relevance to this “WHERE” Principle.

The world got away from “Where” when we all got so enraptured with the
connectivity of the internet which many people say “Shrank the world” . . .
Suddenly, all information seems to be available to all people on a level
playing field . . . and we can now be in direct dialogue with people on the
other side of the world with a few taps on a computer keyboard (or pad).

There seems to be a new realization coming on the heels of the Economic
morass we have all been experiencing . . . Suddenly WHERE MATTERS . . .
Especially as we all consider our LOCAL markets as they relate to State,
Regional, National, and International markets.

We REALTORS see stories with alarming titles like:

Home Sales Contracts Fall to Seven Month
Low<http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110528/BUSINESS/305280027/Home-sales-contracts-fall-to-7-month-low>

 . . . An article released from “Washington” and published prominently in
our local newspaper . . . CLEARLY a representation of being out of touch
with the local economy.

The local REALTOR community is aghast and miffed by this reporting because
it is egregiously NON DESCRIPTIVE of the real estate market we are
experience in many areas of the Middle Tennessee Real Estate Market.

Some areas are showing as much as a 22% INCREASE in activity.

I did market research in a neighborhood for a new listing coming soon and
discovered that in the past 6 months, the neighborhood has 6 CLOSED and 3
PENDING . . . . The prior six months only had ONE closing . . . Is this an
indicator of doom and gloom in today’s market?

Seth Godin published a blog post this morning:

All Economics is
Local<http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/05/all-economics-is-local.html>

*“WHERE” DOES MATTER!*

Before you make personal financial decisions based on general (National)
news, consider the source of the news and think about it’s relevance to YOU
and your local community.

If you’re confused, call a LOCAL EXPERT and ask questions.

My observation of the real estate market in Nashville is that it IS moving.
Most of the Buyers I am working with these days are “Moving UP to larger
house or more desirable area” or “Downsizing” . . . meaning that they are
BOTH purchasing AND selling.

This seems to be the PERFECT market for folks who have reasonable equity in
their current house to make a move.

WHERE MATTERS . . . Listen to the Local Experts and do business with Local
Businesses in your LOCAL Community.

I’m always available to explore options with you with respect to Middle
Tennessee Real Estate.

Hope you have a great, LOCAL week.

Best,

b

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   About Barry OwenResidential Real Estate Principal Broker and Founder of
Pareto Realty, LLC. Creating the quintessential real estate firm with
emphasis on "Live, Work, & Play" balance . . . and a true Performance
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View all posts by Barry Owen →
<http://paretorealty.wordpress.com/author/barryo06/>


On Sun, May 29, 2011 at 9:40 AM, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:

>  When something sneaks up on you as a Blinding Flash of the Obvious, it is
> not uncommon for it to take a while to understand what happened. Such is the
> case with the 5th Principle for me. I make no pretence that clarity has
> arrived, but I think I am getting somewhere.
>
>
>
> I knew in the moment that it seemed like a  GIT (good idea at the time), I
> even had some inklings as to its use and purpose – but hardly more. True it
> created a nice symmetry: 5 Preconditions for Open Space (Real business
> issue, complexity…), 5 Principles, 5 typical results (High Learning, High
> Play…). And of course all that is easy to keep track of with the 5 Fingers
> on the hand – although you might need a third hand. Shiva, Where are you?
> J
>
>
>
> The 5th Principle, like the preceding four is descriptive, not
> prescriptive. It does not tell anybody what to do or what should happen,
> rather it simply alerts people to what will be happening in any case. The
> reason we do this at the beginning of an Open Space is to provide a little
> forewarning that may (will) offer some comfort to people along the way. As
> we all know, OST can seem like a strange new world for 1st timers. Just
> about all of their presuppositions and practices regarding meetings will be
> trashed. No announced agenda, no Leader, a facilitator who is most apparent
> in his/her absence… All the normal Comfort Guides for the traditional
> (boring) meeting are disappeared. We know all that, and we also know that
> when venturing into strange territory, having a few advertisements of things
> to come can make it all a little more comfortable. The original principles
> do just that in terms of the people who might come, actions/happenings that
> might occur, the role of time – and of course, the ending of it all.
>
>
>
> But what about space? Isn’t it odd that in conversation about something
> called “Open Space,” *space/place* is never mentioned? I am pretty sure
> that the reason it never occurred to me previously was that the venue
> (space) was simply a part of the logistical scene – rather like computers,
> magic markers and flip charts. All needed but hardly worthy of a Principle,
> if indeed there was any principle involved. No reason to even mention it for
> the comfort of those present. So what’s different now?
>
>
>
> The key difference for me is a growing concern and interest in what might
> or could happen after the event. We have always been interested in the
> follow-on, follow-up of the key decisions and insights that may have emerged
> during a gathering – implementation, so to speak. But for me those specifics
> are of infinitely lesser import than an enhanced awareness that Open Space
> does not end at the venue’s doors. If a group of people leave an Open Space
> Event, well satisfied with their accomplishments, but believing that all of
> that was the product of a special, unique, and rarely to be repeated method
> or approach, I think they have been severely short changed. Such people
> might naturally think that the magic of their moment was due, in whole or in
> part, to the power of the design, the brilliance of its originator (that
> would be me L), and the consummate skill of the facilitator. How wrong can
> you get?!
>
>
>
> There was no design, at least in a sense comparable to other “methods” (AI,
> Future Search, etc), which are all are carefully researched and constructed.
> Yes it is true that we “sit in a circle, create a bulletin board, open a
> market place, and go to work” – but none of that came out of years of
> research and practice in Group Dynamics, with a linage to Lewin and other
> greats in the field. It just happened as a result of what seemed to be a
> good idea at the time. Truthfully all of this has been the source of
> continuing confusion and embarrassment ever since the field of Large Group
> Interventions was identified by the likes of Billye Alban and Barbara
> Bunker. The opening chapters of their book described in detail the
> antecedents of the new methods – and then there was Open Space which was
> only included as a last minute addition, and simply doesn’t fit.
>
>
>
> As for the brilliance of the originator, we know the story of that one! The
> inspiration was actually a desperation play fortified by two martinis! The
> originator was in fact so brilliant that it took him almost five years to
> understand that Open Space was interesting and potentially important. Slow
> learner!
>
>
>
> Facilitator skills? Useful, but not necessary. The truth of the matter is
> that anybody with a good head and a good heart can “do it.” This does not
> mean, of course, that experience and practice don’t make a difference. But I
> think the major difference is a reduction of the facilitator’s anxiety
> level, but that difference has only marginal impact upon group performance.
> This seemingly odd phenomenon is due to the fact that the facilitator is not
> “managing,” “running,” or “doing” a process. The process “does” itself and
> is deeply ingrained in all the participants, whether they know it or not.
> The facilitator’s sole function is Invitation – to invite the people to do
> what they already know how to do. And then gracefully get out of the way.
> Making a graceful exit can take years of practice.
>
>
>
> And now we come to a critical question, I think. *Why do we do what we do?
> * When we facilitate an Open Space what are the goals, objectives,
> purposes? The answers to this question may seem so blatantly obvious as to
> render the question meaningless. Of course, we open space in order to –
> solve a problem, build a building, create a plan, unstuck a dysfunctional
> organization…  And for the individual participants we open space in order to
> bring a little joy, inspiration and renewal to the folks. For ourselves, we
> open space because it is fun, challenging, exciting – and on occasion
> financially rewarding. These answers, and many others of a similar sort,
> roll easily from the tongue, and they are all quite valid. Missing from this
> list, however, is an answer which for me is perhaps the most important.
>
>
>
> For me the fundamental raison d’être for any Open Space I am involved in is
> -- To enable the participants, individually and as a collective, to more
> effectively navigate the self-organizing world of which we are part. Along
> the way we will hopefully accomplish other good things: a new plan made, a
> community issue resolved, a building designed. And for the participants
> there should also be an experience of accomplishment, ownership,
> participation, inspiration, to say nothing of some real fun. However, if
> everybody walks out the door on the final day with *only* the completed
> plan or building design, albeit accompanied by some good warm fuzzy feelings
> – I do not believe the mission has been accomplished.
>
>
>
> The Mission Accomplished sign will be displayed when participants walk
> through the venue doors with the understanding that everything they
> experienced on the “inside” may be used on the “outside.” Actually “inside”
> and “outside” is a misapprehension. It is all one thing! Everything is Open
> Space – or more accurately everything is self-organizing, despite the fact
> that there is a continuing delusion to the contrary. Strange talk? Indeed,
> such talk in itself, would appear to be delusional. After all we all know
> that somebody is in charge, and that our organizations are the creatures of
> our making. In such an environment, playing by the airy-fairy rules
> (principles) of Open Space is an iron clad predictor of failure.  That’s
> what it says in all the books, and is emblazoned on the walls of every “well
> managed” institution. Under such circumstances the average participant might
> be forgiven for a little skepticism.
>
>
>
> But skepticism is a healthy thing, and after all we have been there before.
> I suspect that every single 1st time participant in all the Open Spaces I
> have been a part of, entered with some degree of skepticism, and in those
> instances where I actually asked, they all admitted that their confidence
> level for a “successful” outcome was close to zero. Nice idea, but it just
> couldn’t work! No amount of argument on my part ever convinced a soul, and
> for sure the recitation of the 4 Principles did little if anything to change
> their opinion. They remained confirmed skeptics UNTIL they had the
> experience. At that point, the 4 simple Principles became useful prods to
> their critical process. They help people to see, really notice – how the
> “impossible” became common place. From that point on, they had some real
> work to do – but they now had something to work with.
>
>
>
> Now back to the 5th Principle -- which is simply an invitation to notice
> that all the marvelous things which occurred “in” the event needn’t stop at
> the venue door. In fact they can and do occur anywhere. “Wherever it is, is
> the right place!”
>
>
>
> Will that Principle convince anybody? No, absolutely not – at least until
> they have had the experience. At that point, the 5th Principle will join
> its fellows as a simple statement of the obvious.
>
>
>
> So I am stuck with the 5th Principle, not for reasons of symmetry or
> theory. In fact it messes up a whole bunch of great signs that have been
> make, to say nothing of all the books I have written. But what else is new?
>
>
>
> 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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>
>
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-- 
Barry Owen
Real Estate Broker
Professional Coach
Keller Williams Realty

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