[OSList] the oracle's musings

doug ost at footprintsinthewind.com
Thu Feb 23 18:34:10 PST 2012


Harrison and Kerry--

(Wonderful to see you back on the list the last few months, Kerry!)

Peggy Holman in her Engaging Emergence has hinted (maybe she said it 
outright) that a little bit of distrust can actually help the Open 
Space, equating it to just so much more diversity, if I recall.

Comments on distrust among the participants as a good thing?

			:- Doug.






On 02/23/2012 05:27 PM, Kerry Napuk wrote:
> Hi Harrison
>
> Enjoyed your analogy of teaching someone to fish in lieu of handing them
> a fish.  It certainly is applicable to the failures of traditional
> foreign aid.
>
> Yeah, Open Space is easy.  I facilitated my first group with 175 people
> in an old tram works in Glasgow for the entire theatre sector of
> Scotland.  My training was reading your Handbook and a weekend course in
> OD.  But, like most simple things, you can spend your life working on
> it.  So, simple it is, but practising and perfecting it is an art.
>
> I now have done over 100 events with a bit more than 7,000 participants
> and I still am amazed at large group energy and dynamics.  It sure beats
> facilitating top teams in organisations who, agree a vision and
> strategy, then watch it fail when they try to cascade it downwards.
> Nobody buys in, because they were not a part of its creation.
>
> It is far easier to get the whole system in one room and let people
> commit at the point of participation.  After all, what more can you ask
> than an organisation creating the space where people totally equal
> contribute and participate on a level field.  Nobody is in control and
> nobody can influence outcomes.  So, there can be no stacked deck or
> hidden agendas.
>
> That is yet another thing so brilliant about Open Space, you can seed
> the field with grass and players far faster than any other large group
> process.  Flexibility is the hallmark of Open Space, along with its
> complete bottom up self organisation driven by motivation and action
> through _*passion* _(care enough about something to stand up in front of
> everyone with your burning issue) *_and responsibility_* (care enough to
> lead a group and do something about your passion.)
>
> Simple it is, but you can spend a life time working on it.  In this
> respect, Open Space has a Zen like quality.  Practise, practise, polish,
> polish.
>
> So, thank you Harrison for your laziness and penchant for martinis.  You
> have done well.  And we all can attest to your generosity as David
> Osborne discovered.  You gave your creation to the world without strings
> and without royalties.  Bravo!
>
> Cheers
>
> Kerry
> Edinburgh
>
>
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