[OSList] open space in roberts rules of order?

[Michael Herman]

hello all,

the phrase "committee of the whole" came up in a client conversation today.
 i got curious and went to wikipedia.  turns out it's a formal process used
in US senate and house and other governing bodies around the world.  and
then there is this at the end of the article...

*Robert's Rules of Order states that the committee of the whole is suitable
to large assemblies. The procedure is invoked by a motion to commit to the
committee of the whole, or simply to go into a committee of the whole. The
only motions in order in a committee of the whole are those to adopt a
proposal for inclusion in the committee's report; to amend; to "rise and
report"; as well as certain incidental motions and requests.

Variants of the committee of the whole are the quasi committee of the whole
and to consider informally. The difference between a committee of the whole
and a quasi committee of the whole is that in the latter, the presiding
officer of the assembly remains in the chair and presides. Informal
consideration simply removes the normal limitations on the number of times
members can speak in debate.[3]

The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure rejects both the committee of
the whole and quasi committee of the whole procedures as being outdated,
and instead recommends the motion to consider informally in their place.*

...so it seems to me that much or all of what happens in open space is
actually allowed for in Robert's Rules of Order, even if there isn't much
of a "how to" for it.  since in the quasi-committee of the whole, the
presiding officer stays in the chair and presides, it seems that in the
other, there is no chair.  nobody's presiding, nobody's in charge!?  So for
all of us who still run into these questions about "structure" ...just tell
them that a mechanism for opening space is actually written into robert's
rules!?  ...and i guess that would make breakout sessoins "committees of
the some."???

can anyone else say more about this phrase and/or mechanism?

m

--

Michael Herman
Michael Herman Associates
312-280-7838 (mobile)

http://MichaelHerman.com
http://ManorNeighbors.com
http://OpenSpaceWorld.org
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